Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic Preview & Pairings

A big congratulations goes out to Jennifer Johnson. Jennifer was the winner of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, making her the first woman on the LPGA to get her maiden victory in the 2013 season. Once again, as has been the case for just about every tournament this season, it went down to the final hole. The Constructivist has done a full recap over at Mostly Harmless.

The LPGA moves to the Bahamas this week for the  inaugural playing of the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic.

This will be tournament #11 of 28 to be played this year.

Here are the Key Details:

Course:  Ocean Club Golf Course
Location:  Paradise Island, Bahamas
Defending Champion:  This is the inaugural playing of this event
Winning Score:  N/A

Final Field:  144 Players
Par:  36/37=73 (there are 3 par 5's on the back nine, 5 in all)
Yardage:  6,664
Purse:  $1, 300,000

My strength of field rating is 74%, making it the third weakest field of the year so far.
Some of the players that are sitting out this week include:
Shanshan Feng, Karrie Webb, Amy Yang, Angela Stanford, Jenny Shin, Beatrice Recari, Nicole Castrale, Jodi Ewart-Shadoff, Momoko Ueda, Michelle Wie, Carlotta Ciganda, Ayaka Uehara, and Moira Jutanugarn.

Here are the television times:

May 23 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST (tape delay)

May 24 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST (tape delay)

May 25 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

May 26 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

I will post the pairings as soon as they become available.

With the 5 par 5's this week, I love the long hitters' chances. Here are my picks:

1- Stacy Lewis

2- Lexi Thompson

3- Jiyai Shin

4- Jessica Korda

5- Azahara Munoz

6- Paula Creamer

7- Suzann Pettersen

8- Inbee Park

9- Na Yeon Choi

10- Gerina Piller

11- Sydnee Michaels

12- Brittany Lincicome

Other Tidbits:

The LPGA announced the addition of a second tournament to be played in Alabama next year. It will be called the Alabama LPGA Classic, and played in Prattville.

Stacy Lewis continues to have quite an incredible season. Her top 10 finish this past week was her eighth of the season, no one on tour has more than five.

Jennifer Johnson's victory was the 4th this season for a U.S. player, South Korea also has four. Players from Spain and Norway have brought their countries one victory each.

Titleholders Update:

Jennifer Johnson, Karrie Webb, and Anna Nordqvist were the latest to qualify. Azahara Munoz remains the highest ranked player on the LPGA Priority List yet to qualify.

Rolex Rankings Movers of the Week:

Jessica Korda continues her lightning fast rise by moving up from #46 to #36. She started the year at #78.

Jennifer Johnson's first LPGA victory vaulted her from #78 to #52. The big leap would put her on the Solheim Cup team if it was held today. She would be the #2 player to get in (behind Brittany Lang), via the Rolex Rankings. She knocked Gerina Piller (currently #59), out of that spot. Fortunately for Gerina and a few others there is still time to make their charge.

Who's Hot:

Jessica Korda now has 3 top fives, 4 top tens, and 6 top twenties, in her nine starts this year.

Who's Not:

Brittany Lincicome's missed cut this week was her 4th of the year. She has only one top 20 finish, and that was a T18.

Jennie Lee has missed 6 consecutive cuts, bringing her total to 7 for the year. No one has more.

Hee-Won Han has now missed four cuts in a row.

M.J. Hur has now missed 6 cuts this year.

Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, which will be held at  the Sebonack Country Club in Southhampton, N.Y., will continue this week. For results (sometimes not very timely), here is the link to the Official USGA Results Page.

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Mobile Bay LPGA Classic Preview & Pairings

After a brief one week break, the LPGA resumes its schedule this week with the playing of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. This will be the first of four consecutive weeks that the LPGA will be staging a tournament.

This will be tournament #10 of 28 on this year's schedule.

Here are the key details:

Course:  RTJ Golf Trail , Magnolia Grove, The Crossings
Location:  Mobile, Alabama
Defending Champion:  Stacy Lewis
Winning Score:  68-67-67-69 = 271 (-17)

Final Field: 144 Players
Par:  36/36 = 72
Yardage:  6,521
Purse:  $1,200,000

Here is the official Digital Program, that the LPGA has provided.

My strength of field rating is a very low 53%, as many of the top players are sitting this one out. In fact only 9 of the top 20 players on the LPGA Priority List, and 7 of the top 20 players on the Rolex Rankings, will be participating. The list of players not playing this week, include the following:
Inbee Park, Na Yeon Choi, Yani Tseng, Ai Miyazato, So Yeon Ryu, Suzann Pettersen, Shanshan Feng, Mika Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Catriona Mathhew, I.K. Kim, Candie Kung, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel, Gerina Piller, Lizette Salas, Danielle Kang, Caroline Hedwall, Carlotta Ciganda, Jee Young Lee, Ayaka Uehara, and Karin Sjodin (whew!).

Here are the television times:

May 16 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST (Tape Delay)

May 17 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST (Tape Delay)

May 18 - GC 5:00 PM-7:00 PM EST

May 19 - GC 5:00 PM-7:00 PM EST

Here are the Pairings for the first two rounds.

Here are my picks for this week:

1- Stacy Lewis

2- Ariya Jutanugarn

3- Karine Icher

4- Anna Nordqvist

5- Hee Kyung Seo

6- Jiyai Shin

7- Karrie Webb

8- Azahara Munoz

9- Amy Yang

10- Lexi Thompson

11- Jessica Korda

12- Beatriz Recari
Be sure to check back here for updates after each and every round. Links to live scoreboards are always available at the top of this blog.

Other Tidbits:
Ariya Jutanugarn will be in the field as a sponsor exemption.

Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, which will be held at  the Sebonack Country Club in Southhampton, N.Y., will continue this week. For results (sometimes not very timely), here is the link to the official USGA results page.

On the Other Tours:
Lee-Anne Pace won the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. It was her 6th L.E.T. win in the last 3 years. Lee-Ann finished one stroke ahead of Carlotta Ciganda, Charlie Hull, and Minea Bloomqvist. Christel Boeljon finished 2 strokes back.

Hiromi Mogi won the JLPGA's first major championship of the year. Lydia Ko and So Yeon Ryu, finished in a tie for 4th.  Inbee Park, who was never in contention, withdrew late in the second round. There is a full report on this event over at Mostly Harmless.

Over on the Symetra Tour, Laura Kueny was the winner of the Symetra Classic by one stroke over a trio of players which included LPGA player Alena Sharp. It was Alena's second start of the season, and second 2nd place finish.

Rolex Movers of the Week:
Hiromi Mogi moves from #77 to #52, while Lee-Anne Pace jumps up from # 104 to #79.

Update - FINAL RESULTS:

1	Jennifer Johnson	-21	F
2	Pornanong Phatlum	-20	F
2	Jessica Korda	-20	F
4	Jiyai Shin	-19	F
4	Ariya Jutanugarn	-19	F
4	Karrie Webb	-19	F
4	Anna Nordqvist	-19	F
4	Chella Choi	-19	F
9	Stacy Lewis	-18	F
10	Hee Kyung Seo	-17	F
10	Lexi Thompson	-17	F
12	Beatriz Recari	-16	F
13	Mo Martin	-14	F
13	Azahara Munoz	-14	F
13	Thidapa Suwannapura	-14	F
13	Mariajo Uribe	-14	F
13	Eun-Hee Ji	-14	F
13	Sydnee Michaels	-14	F
19	Lisa McCloskey	-13	F

For results of all players, see the live LPGA Scoreboard Link at the top of this page!

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Stats & Facts - Volume 13 (Priority List Reshuffle)

First let me take this time to say, once again, that if you missed viewing last week's tournament, you missed another nail biting finish. As I said last week, it certainly seems that every tournament goes down to the last shot on the last hole. This past week was no exception as Cristie Kerr defeated Suzann Pettersen on the second playoff hole. What could these very talented ladies have in store for us next? I for one can't wait to see.

The LPGA takes a one week break this week before moving to the state of Alabama for the playing of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. The LPGA has now completed about 1/3 of its schedule. It is a good time to look at some of the key statistics and notes covering the first 9 tournaments.

Rolex Player of the Year Standings (winner receives a Hall of Fame point)
1- Inbee Park - 131 points
2- Stacy Lewis - 83
3- Suzann Pettersen 69
4- Beatriz Recari - 46
5- So Yeon Ryu - 43
6- Cristie Kerr - 39
7- Jiyai Shin - 37
8- Lizette Salas - 28
9- I.K. Kim - 25
9- Na Yeon Choi - 25

Vare Trophy (winner receives a Hall of Fame point)
1- Stacy Lewis - 69.417 average strokes per round
2- Inbee Park - 69.438
3- Suzann Pettersen - 69.833
4- Na Yeon Choi - 69.844
5- Lizette Salas - 70.00
6- Paula Creamer - 70.188
7- So Yeon Ryu - 70.281
8- Jiyai Shin - 70.406
9- I.K. Kim - 70.531
9- Jessica Korda - 70.531

Most Consecutive Tournaments Without a Missed Cut
1- Karrie Webb - 52
2- Paula Creamer - 51
3- Jiyai Shin - 44
4- Beatriz Recari - 42
5- Na Yeon Choi - 41
6- Inbee Park - 31
7- Stacy Lewis - 28

Most Top Tens This Year
1- Stacy Lewis - 7
2- Inbee Park - 5
3- Lizette Salas - 4
3- I.K. Kim - 4
3- Na Yeon Choi - 4
3- Suzann Pettersen - 4
3- So Yeon Ryu - 4

Most Finishes in the Top Twenty This Year
1- Stacy Lewis - 8
2- Paula Creamer - 7
3- Inbee Park - 6
4- Na Yeon Choi - 6
5- Guila Sergas - 6
6- Lizette Salas - 6

Most Wins By Country
1- South Korea - 4 (Inbee Park 3, Jiyai Shin 1)
2- United States - 3 (Stacy Lewis 2, Cristie Kerr 1)
3- Spain - 1 (Beatriz Recari)
4- Norway - 1 (Suzann Pettersen)

Other Tidbits:
Se Ri Pak's missed cut streak came to an end at 17.
Song Hee Kim has missed her last 7 cuts.

The LPGA had its first reshuffle of its Priority List this past week. While most of the players moved up or down a few insignificant spots, there were some very significant moves also.

The Priority List is what is used to fill the required amount of spots for any given tournament. Without me getting into the categories, which is potentially confusing, here is a brief explanation.
Most full field events have a field of 144 players. Usually 140 of the players come from the Priority List ranking. Two players are Monday qualifiers, and 2 more are sponsor exemptions. So to keep it simple, if your Priority Rating is #150, you have to hope that 10 players decide not to play, or you are probably not getting into the field.

The following players made significant jumps in this week's reshuffle:
Carlotta Ciganda - from 104 to 87
Moriya Jutanugarn - from 122 to 88
Jane Park - from 115 to 89
Jee Young Lee - from 110 to 90
Jacqui Concolino - 116 to 93
Caroline Masson - 137 to 94
Austin Ernst - 136 to 95
Ayaka Uehara - 123 to 96
Rebecca Lee-Bentham - 121 to 98

The following players made the most important jumps, as they went from hardly playing to now playing in all full field events:
Cristina Kim - 148 to 97
Katie Burnett - 165 to 140
Danah Bordner - 154 to 141

The players that got hurt the most are:
Alena Sharp - 145 to 153
Tiffany Joh - 143 to 148

Players that lost their medical exemptions are as follows:
Sarah Kemp - 108 to 142
Seon Hwa Lee - 77 - 143
Maude-Aimee Leblanc - 114 to 149
Pat Hurst - 53 - 152

The LPGA will reshuffle the Priority List one more time, after the U.S. Open. The Open will be held at the Sebonack Golf Club in Southhampton, N.Y.
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Rolex Rankings Movers of the Year - Part 1

Now that we have completed about 1/3 of the LPGA season, I would like to look at the players that have made the biggest leaps, and taken the biggest falls in the Rolex Rankings this year.

The Rolex Rankings system awards points to players based on an accumulated 104-week "rolling" period, with the points awarded in the most recent 13-week period carrying a stronger value.
A player is then ranked according to her average points per tournament, as determined by dividing her total number of points by the number of eligible tournaments played during the 104-week period. A minimum divisor (35) is also used.

I have gone back to the first Rolex Rankings of the year and compared them to the current rankings. The only requirement for my list is that a player must have been ranked in the top 100 at the start of the year, or be in the top 100 now.

The Year's Biggest Winners:

1- Ariya Jutanugarn - 0.54 to 3.98 = Gain of 3.44 (moved from #236 to #18)
2- Lizette Salas - 1.47 to 3.81 = Gain of 2.34 (move 89 to 20)
3- Inbee Park - 8.03 to 10.19 = Gain of 2.16 (move 4 to 1)
4- Beatriz Recari - 1.89 to 3.24 = Gain of 1.35 (move 57 to 26)
5- Suzann Pettersen - 7.04 to 8.31 = Gain of 1.27 (move 6 to 3)
6- Lydia Ko - 2.40 to 3.56 = Gain of 1.16 (move 43 to 22)
7- Carlotta Ciganda - 2.13 to 3.24 = Gain of 1.11 (move 50 to 27)
8- Jessica Korda - 1.61 to 2.41 = Gain of 0.80 (move 78 to 46)
9- Stacy Lewis - 8.39 to 9.10 = Gain of 0.71 (move 3 to 2)
10- Jodie Ewart Shadoff - 1.00 to 1.51 = Gain of  0.51 (move from 137 to 72)
11- Gerina Piller - 1.31 to 1.77 = Gain of 0.46 (move 95-46)

The Year's Biggest Losers:

1- Yani Tseng - 10.58 to 7.69 = Loss of 2.89 (move #1 to #5)
2- Mika Miyazato - 6.54 to 4.44 = Loss of 2.10 (move 10 to 13)
3- Sun Ju Ahn - 5.15 to 3.47 = Loss of 1.68 (move 13 to 23)
4- Brittany Lincicome - 4.60 to 3.23 = Loss of 1.37 (move 18 to 28)
5- Chi Arimura - 4.53 to 3.19 = Loss of 1.24 (move 20 to 29)
6- Shanshan Feng - 7.27 to 6.07 = Loss of 1.20 (move 5 to 8)
7- Ji-Hee Lee - 3.79 to 2.60 = Loss of 1.19 (move 25-39)
8- Sun Young Yoo - 4.08 to 2.99 = Loss of 1.09 (move 23-33)
9- Amy Yang - 5.01 to 3.98 = Loss of 1.03 (move 15-17)
10- Brittany Lang - 3.51 to 2.48 = Loss of 1.03 (move 29 to 42)
11- Azahara Munoz - 4.98 to 4.01 = Loss of 0.97 (move 16 to 16)
12- Na Yeon Choi - 9.08 to 8.12 = Loss of 0.96 (move 2 to 4)

Other Tidbits:
Ariya Jutanugarn, who is not an LPGA member, has played 4 LPGA tournaments this year and finished 2nd, 4th, 3rd, and tied for 3rd.

Titleholders Update:
Cristie Kerr, Ihlee Lee, and Gerina Piller are the latest to qualify. Azahara Munoz is the highest ranked player on the priority list, not yet qualified.

Rolex Movers of the Week:
Suzann Pettersen moved from #5 to #3. Cristie Kerr sneaks into the top ten by moving up 2 places to #10.
Ariya Jutanugarn continues her surge by moving from #23 to #18.
On the down side, Yani Tseng drops another spot to #5.


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Kingsmill Championship Preview

Before I get to this week's tournament, let me say once again if you missed last week's event , you missed another thriller. Congratulations goes out to Inbee Park for winning the North Texas LPGA Shootout. Inbee came from behind and pulled out a one stroke victory over runner up Carlotta Ciganda. It sure seems every week is a nail biter. Every tournament seems to go down to the final shot on the final hole. Who could ask for more? For a full recap on last week's tournament, the Constructivist did a great recap over at Mostly Harmless.

The LPGA moves to Virginia this week for the playing of the Kingsmill Championship. Who could ever forget last year's championship when Jiyai Shin defeated Paula Creamer in a 9 hole playoff?

This will be tournament #9 of 28 on this year's schedule.
Here are the key details:

Course:  Kingsmill Resort, River Course
Location:  Williamsburg, Va.
Defending Champion: Jiyai Shin
Winning Score:  62-68-69-69 = 268 (-16)

Final Field:  144 Players
Par:  36/35=71
Yardage:  6,379
Purse: $1,300,000

My strength of field rating is 81%, which puts it smack in the middle of the 9 tournaments this year.
Players missing from this week's field include: Mika Miyazato, Karine Icher, Carlotta Ciganda, Jessica Korda, Karen Sjodin, Jimin Kang, Ayaka Uehara, and Katie Futcher.

Here are the television times:

May 2 - GC 12:30 PM-2:30 PM EST

May 3 - GC 12:30 PM-2:30 PM EST

May 4 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

May 5 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

Here are the pairings for the first 2 rounds.

Here are my picks for this week:

1- Paula Creamer

2- Jiyai Shin

3- Stacy Lewis

4- Inbee Park

5- Lizette Salas

6- Na Yeon Choi

7- Suzann Pettersen

8- So Yeon Ryu

9- Shanshan Feng

10- Ariya Jutanugarn

11- Cristie Kerr

12- Gerina Piller

Other Tidbits:

Beatriz Recari sunk a 4 foot put on the final hole of the second round to keep her cut streak alive at 41 in a row. She would miss the second cut on Saturday, but that does not go in the books as a missed cut as she did receive prize money for making the first cut.

When Nicole Jeray made Friday's cut, it was the first cut she has made in her last 17 tournaments.

Stacy Lewis' 7th place finish was her 6th top ten of the year. Nobody else has more than four.

Titleholders Update:

Carlotta Ciganda, Hee Young Park, and Karine Icher are the latest to qualify.

Hard to Believe Stat of the Week:

Paula Creamer has now made 50 consecutive cuts.

Rolex Rankings Movers of the Week:

Carlotta Ciganda catapults from #48 to #28. Hee Young Park leaps from #42 to #36.

Who's Hot:
Julia Sergas has 3 top tens and 4 top twenties in her last 5 starts.

Who's not:
Mika Miyazato, who missed the cut, has not finished better than T33 this year.
Katie Future missed her 4th consecutive cut this week. Her 5 missed cuts ties her for the lead on the tour.
Sophie Gustafson has now missed 4 cuts this year. Her best finish is T63.
Yani Tseng's best finish in the last 5 tournaments she has entered is T29.

Symetra Tour:
Former LPGA player Christine Song defeated Isabelle Boineau in a playoff. Highly touted 18 year old rookie Jaye Marie Green tied for 3rd place.

Update - Final Results:

Cristie Kerr defeated Suzann Pettersen on the second hole of a sudden death playoff.
Here are the Final Results:

1	Suzann Pettersen	-12	F
1	x-Cristie Kerr	-12	F
3	Ariya Jutanugarn	-10	F
3	Ilhee Lee	-10	F
5	Angela Stanford	-9	F
5	Stacy Lewis	-9	F
7	Inbee Park	-8	F
8	So Yeon Ryu	-5	F
9	Gerina Piller	-4	F
9	Anna Nordqvist	-4	F
9	Sandra Gal	-4	F
12	Paula Creamer	-3	F
12	Na Yeon Choi	-3	F
12	Amy Yang	-3	F
12	Caroline Hedwall	-3	F
12	Katie Burnett	-3	F
17	Alison Walshe	-2	F
17	Chella Choi	-2	F
17	Lizette Salas	-2	F

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North Texas Shootout Preview & Pairings

Before we get to this week's topic, let me say if you missed last week's tournament, you missed one of the best finishes you will ever see. Congratulations goes out to Suzann Pettersen for winning the LPGA Lotte Championship in a playoff over Lizette Salas. Lizette may have been the bigger story as she shot a 29 on the back nine for a round of 62, only to come up short in the playoff.

The LPGA travels to Texas this week for the  inaugural playing of the North Texas LPGA Shootout.
This will mark the first LPGA tournament in the North Texas region in more than 20 years. The tournament has attracted a very strong field. My strength of  field rating is a very strong 84.5, making it the third strongest field of the year. Among the missing  this week are: Karrie Webb, Chie Arimura, Jimin Kang, Jeong Jang, Ayaka Uehara, and Seon Hwa Lee.

One very interesting note, Madison Pressel has been given a sponsor exemption for this event. Madison 21, is the younger sister of LPGA star Morgan Pressel. She currently attends the University of Texas.

There will be two cuts in this tournament. The top 70 and ties will go on after Fridays round, and the top 50 and ties will advance after Saturday's round.

This will be tournament number 8 of 28 on this year's schedule.

Here are the key details:

Course:  Las Colinas Country Club
Location:  Irving, Texas
Defending Champion:  Inaugural event
Winning Score:  N/A

Final Field:  144 players
Par:  36/35=71
Yardage:   6,410 Yards
Purse:  $1,300,000

Here are the pairings for the first 2 rounds.

Here are the television times:

Apr 25 - GC 12:30 PM-2:30 PM EST

Apr 26 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST (Taped)

Apr 27 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

Apr 28 - GC 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST

I correctly picked Suzann Pettersen as the winner last week. Here are my picks for this week:

1- Stacy Lewis

2- Angela Stanford

3- Suzann Pettersen

4- Ai Miyazato

5- Paula Creamer

6- Inbee Park

7- Na Yeon Choi

8- So Yeon Ryu

9- Caroline Hedwall

10- Lizette Salas

11- Jessica Korda

12- Gerina Piller

Other Tidbits:

Karen Sjodin missed only 4 cuts last year in 23 tournaments. She has missed 4 already this year.

Mindy Kim has missed the cut in all 5 tournaments she has played in this year.

Non LPGA member Ariya Jutanugarn has played in 3 LPGA events this year. She has finished 2nd, 4th, and 3rd.

Titleholders Update:

Suzann Pettersen, Shanshan Feng, and Hee Kyung Seo, are the latest to qualify.

Rolex Movers of the Week:

Lizette Salas skyrockets from #37 to #22, and Ariya Jutanugarm leaps from #35 to 23.

Who's Hot:

Paula Creamer is the only LPGA member to finish in the top 20 in each of the last 5 tournaments.

Lizette Salas becomes the first player (other than Stacy Lewis who has 5), to have 4 top ten finishes this year.

Who's Not:

Sun Young Yoo, who missed the cut in her last 3 tournaments, finished tied for 72nd.

M.J. Hur has missed 4 consecutive cuts.

3rd round update:

Here are the leaders after 3 Rounds:

1	Carlota Ciganda	-11	F
2	Inbee Park	-9	F
2	Caroline Masson	-9	F
4	Na Yeon Choi	-8	F
5	Karine Icher	-6	F
5	Christina Kim	-6	F
5	Jee Young Lee	-6	F
5	So Yeon Ryu	-6	F
9	In-Kyung Kim	-5	F
9	Suzann Pettersen	-5	F
9	Shanshan Feng	-5	F
12	Brittany Lincicome	-4	F
12	Yani Tseng	-4	F
12	Moriya Jutanugarn	-4	F

Update - Final Results:

1-	Inbee Park	-13	F
2	Carlota Ciganda	-12	F
3	Suzann Pettersen	-10	F
4	Hee Young Park	-9	F
4	So Yeon Ryu	-9	F
6	In-Kyung Kim	-8	F
7	Stacy Lewis	-7	F
7	Shanshan Feng	-7	F
7	Karine Icher	-7	F
7	Na Yeon Choi	-7	F
11	Paula Creamer	-6	F
11	Dewi Claire Schreefel	-6	F
11	Cristie Kerr	-6	F
11	Christina Kim	-6	F
15	Giulia Sergas	-5	F
15	Mo Martin	-5	F
15	Jee Young Lee	-5	F
15	Caroline Masson	-5	F

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LPGA Lotte Championship Preview & Pairings

                                                  Last year's winner Ai Miyazato


After a one week break, the LPGA resumes its schedule with the playing of the LPGA Lotte Championship Presented by J Golf. This will start a stretch of six tournaments over a seven week period, that will be capped off by the year's second major championship.

There will be a pretty solid field, with newly crowned Kraft Nabisco champion Inbee Park, and the world's number one player Stacy Lewis, leading the way.
Although there are a few key players sitting it out, my strength of field rating is still a very solid 80.5%.
Among the players sitting it out this week are: Amy Yang, Catriona Matthew, Lexi Thompson, Chie Arimura, Ayaka Uehara, and Jimin Kang.

This will be tournament number 7 of 28 to be played this year.

Here are the key details:

Course:  Ko Olina Golf Club
Location:  Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii
Defending Champion:  Ai Miyazato
Winning Score:  71-65-70-70=276 (-12)

Final Field:  144 Players
Par:  36/36=72
Yardage:  6,383
Purse:  $1,700,000

Here are the television times:

Apr 17 - GC 6:30 PM-11:00 PM EST

Apr 18 - GC 6:30 PM-9:30 PM EST

Apr 19 - GC 6:30 PM-9:30 PM EST

Apr 20 - GC 6:30 PM-9:30 PM EST

All coverage is live.

This week's sponsor exemptions will include the following highly ranked, non LPGA members:

Lydia Ko - Rolex Ranking #22

Hyo-Joo Kim - Rolex Ranking #47

Char Young Kim - Rolex Ranking #60

Here are the pairings for the first 2 rounds.

My Picks For This Week's Tournament
1- Suzann Pettersen
2- Azahara Munoz
3- Paula Creamer
4- Cristie Kerr
5- Ai Miyazato
6- Inbee Park
7- So Yeon Ryu
8- Yani Tseng
9- Jiyai Shin
10- Stacy Lewis
11- Na Yeon Choi
12- Caroline Hedwall

Cast your vote for this week's winner in the poll section on the top left hand corner of your screen.

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Players Fighting for Spots on Solheim Cup Team

Only twelve more tournaments remain for the U.S. players to get themselves into position to qualify for the 2013 Solheim Cup, which will be played this year at the Colorado Club, in Parker Colorado. Players started accumulating points at the completion of the last Solheim Cup, in 2011.

The United States has changed the qualifications for entry. In previous years it was the top ten players who accumulated the most points, and then two captain's picks. They have now changed that to the top eight players off the point list, the 2 highest Rolex ranked players not already in, and 2 captain's picks.

Points are accumulated the following way:
(From the first event after the previous Solheim Cup match in 2011 through the end of the 2012 season)
Winner - 40 points, 2nd - 20 points, 3rd - 18 points, 4th - 17 points, all the way down to 20th - 2 points.
(The 2013 season tournaments, leading up to the Solheim match)
Winner - 60 points, 2nd - 30 points, 3rd - 28.5 points, 4th - 27 points, 5th - 25.5 points, all the way down to a 20th place finish worth 3 points.
The reason for the increased points for the last part of the term is to give an advantage to the players who are hot going into the match.

With many players fighting to get into a position to make the team, let  us look at where we stand as of today.

Here are the top 8 Solheim Cup point leaders right now:

1- Stacy Lewis - 696 points (current Rolex Ranking #1)
2- Paula Creamer - 340 points (current RR #10)
3- Cristie Kerr - 331 points (current RR #12)
4- Angela Stanford - 271 points (current RR #18)
5- Brittany Lincicome - 215 points (current RR #21)
6- Lexi Thompson - 168 points (current RR #23)
7- Brittany Lang - 154 points (current RR #33)
8- Jessica Korda - 136 points (current RR #44)
The above 8 players would make the team if the tournament was held today.

9- Lizzette Salas - 130 points (current RR #37)
10- Gerina Piller - 105 points (current RR #61)
11- Katie Futcher - 97 points (current RR #98)
12- Nicole Castrale - 95 points (current RR #75)
13- Michelle Wie - 93 points (current RR #88)
14- Vicki Hurst - 93 points (current RR #81)
15- Morgan Pressel - 88 points (current RR #54)
The above 7 players would have failed to qualify via the point system.

Here are the highest Rolex Ranked players that would not have already qualified:
1- Lizette Salas (37)
2- Morgan Pressel (54)
The above 2 players would make the team Via the Rolex Rankings.

3- Gerina Piller (61)
4- Danielle Kang (62)
5- Nicole Castrale (75)
6- Jennifer Johnson (76)
7- Mina Harigae (78)
8- Vicky Hurst (81)
9- Michelle Wie (88)
10- Natalie Gulbis (95)
The above 8 players would have failed to make the team via The Rolex Rankings.

The ten players above, highlighted in red, would all be playing if the Solheim Cup was held today.

That is a very different different look from the 2011 team. Thompson, Korda, and Salas would be Solheim Cup rookies. Julie Inkster, Vicki Hurst, Michelle Wie, Christina Kim, and Ryann O'Toole, who were on the 2011 team, would not qualify.

Now is where it gets even more interesting. Captain Meg Mallon, will have to choose 2 players to add to the team. Here is my opinion on what she should do.

1- Pick Gerina Piller. This is a no-brainer, Gerina already has two top 10, and 4 top 25 finishes in her 6 starts this year. Her massive length off the tee would serve the U.S. well.

2- The second pick is more difficult as there is no clear cut choice. Do you go with youth or experience?
Assuming that Piller is picked that would be 4 newcomers already on the team. So what? I am going to go out on a limb here and pick Danielle Kang as my second pick. She does have a top 5 and 2 top twenties this year. I know her results are still a little inconsistent, but at 20 years old she may be the breath of fresh air the U.S. team needs after being defeated in 2011.

To sum this up: Gone would be Vicki Hurst, Christina Kim, Julie Inkster, Ryann O'Toole, and Michelle Wie.
Replaced by Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Lizette Salas, Gerina Piller, and Danielle Kang.

I sure like that 2013 team better than the team the U.S. fielded in 2011. What do you think?

Other Tidbits:
It is said that, "Driving is for show, and putting is for dough." Never is that more evident than when looking at Inbee Park's statistics for this season. Inbee is ranked 82nd in driving distance and 71st in driving accuracy.
She is #1 in putts per greens in regulation, and second on the money list.

Hard to Believe Stat of the Week:
Paula Creamer has played 20 rounds of golf so far this year. She has shot in the sixties in 11 of them. That is 55%, and leads the entire tour.

Rolex Movers of the Week:
Inbee Park moves from #4 to #2. So Yeon Ryu jumps from #9 to #5. Caroline Hedwall leaps from #39 to #28, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff rockets from #112 to #74. Going in the opposite direction, Shanshan Feng falls from #5 to #8, and Ai Miyazato (who failed for the 32nd time to win her first major), tumbles from #6 to #9.

Who's Hot:
Julia Sergas has finished T4, T9, and T7, in her last 3 tournaments.
Karrie Webb has 2 consecutive top tens, and four consecutive top twenties.
Paula Creamer has 4 consecutive top 20 finishes.
Catriona Matthew is the only player to finish in the top 25 in every tournament this year.

Who's Not:
Brittany Lang's best finish this year is a T37. She has already missed 3 cuts.
Mika Miyazato has yet to finish better than T33 so far this year.
M.J. Hur has missed her last 3 cuts, her best finish is a T38.
Jennie Lee has made only one cut this year, and that was a T66.
Mindy Kim hasn't made a cut yet this season, missing all 4 she has played in.


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Inbee Park Eases Her Way to Kraft Nabisco Championship Victory

Before the 2013 season started I posted my top 30  predictions for LPGA Player of the Year.
My pick as winner was none other than Inbee Park. Inbee is making me look very good now, winning her second tournament already this year.

Inbee won this season's first major championship quite easily, with a 4 stroke victory over So Yeon Ryu.
The issue was never in doubt. Starting the day with a 3 stroke lead over Lizette Salas, and a 6 stroke lead over six other golfers, Inbee put an end to this championship very early. Inbee birdied the first hole while Salas would record a double bogey, and the three stroke lead became six very quickly. From there on in everyone else would be playing for second place. The only question was how many strokes ahead of the field she would be when she jumped into Poppie's Pond.

Inbee would finish with a 3 under par 69 for the day, which left her 15 under for the tournament.
Lizette Salas would falter, shooting a 79, which would leave her in a tie for 25th place.

The lowest round of the day, and of the entire tournament, belonged to Ryu who would finish in the runner up position. Ryu's super round still never got her into contention, as Inbee was rolling in long putts all day long.

Inbee's winning check of  $300,000 will move her into second place, behind only Stacy Lewis.

Other Tidbits:
It was not a surprise that Lydia Ko's two under par total would win her top amateur honors. What was a surprise was the the 73-73-71-72 =289, shot by Stephanie Meadow. Stephanie, a University of Alabama Junior, would grab that runner up spot.

Defending Champion Sun Young Yoo missed her third consecutive cut of the season.
Brittany Lincicome and Jennifer Song also missed the cut for the third straight time.

Beatriz Recari made her 39th consecutive cut. Only Karrie Webb (50), Paula Creamer (48), and Jiyai Shin (42), have a longer streak.

Titleholders Update:
Caroline Hedwall, Suzann Pettersen, and Haiji Kang are the latest to qualify.

Everyone be sure to answer the player of the year poll at the top left of this blog.


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Inbee Park Extends lead in 3rd Round of Kraft Nabisco Championship

Will anyone be able to catch Inbee Park? Inbee extended her Kraft Nabisco Championship lead to three shots, shooting her second consecutive 67 for a three day total of 12 under par. Lizette Salas, who shot a 69, is her closest pursuer 3 shots back.

It was a mistake free round for Inbee as she made 5 birdies without making a single bogey. She will be very difficult to catch if she continues to play the mistake free golf that she has played in the last 2 rounds.
Other than Salas, no one else is closer than six shots back, so it will take a very low round for anyone to come from behind.

It was ideal conditions, as the winds that have wreaked havoc on this course failed to materialize the entire day.
It was ideal scoring conditions and Inbee took full advantage. Angela Stanford who had the low round of the day, shot a 6 under par 66. If the wind stays away in the final round the tournament record of 13 under par will probably be shattered. On the other hand if the wind becomes a factor, high scores could bring Inbee back to the field.

The following six players will be trying to make up a six stroke deficit:
Angela Stanford - (66)
Karine Icher - (68)
Karrie Webb - (67)
Suzann Pettersen - (67)
Jessica Korda - (68)
Pornanong Phatlum - (70)

Paula Creamer (69), and Caroline Hedwall (72), are one shot further back.

World's #1 Stacy Lewis is not in contention, as her one under par 71 left her 11 shots off the lead.
Stacy could have been passed in the Rolex Rankings this week, but both Yani Tseng and Na Yeon Choi are  also not going to be contending on Sunday.

Ai Miyazato will have to wait again for that elusive first major championship. After a 3 over par 75, she finds herself 13 shots back.

Sentimental favorite I.K. Kim's game never got on track this week, and is an alarming 18 shots off the lead.


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