LPGA Thread

[PeteC]

I'm actually starting to follow these girls. Primarily because it seems they play every 2 weeks, and the Golf Channel here televises each event. It's then easy to follow a particular player's progress.

The GC also covers the men's majors and the odd EU and Asia events, but the field is always random players you don't tend to see all the time, except for any of the top ranked people who may be playing.

Anyway, here in Thailand at least the LPGA is turning out to be consistently televised and therefore interesting to watch. Pete

[tonyj5]

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 requirements for my list is: (1) A player must have been ranked in the top 100 at the start of the year, or be in the top 100 now. (2) A player must have started the year 2014 with a minimum rating of 0.50 (or else this chart would be filled with unknown names.)

The Year's Biggest Gainers:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... -part.html

[tonyj5]

With the LPGA season about 1/3 complete (10 of 32 tournaments have been played), I would like to take a look at how the rookies are faring so far this year. I will do this again at the 2/3 mark and a final time at the end of the season. These ratings are strictly based on how they fared in LPGA events only. Any successes or failures on other tours are not considered here. My main objective here is to analyze the chances of these rookies retaining their LPGA cards next season. Ideally you would like to finish in the top 80 on the money list. That will guarantee you a priority list ranking good enough to compete in all full-field events. If you finish further down the money list you then have to worry about the top 10 ladies coming off the Symetra Tour, and qualifying school graduates getting to play ahead of you. If you finish in the top 100 on this year's money list, you will still play in most events next year. Further down the list than that, there are no guarantees about playing time. Players can also earn full time playing cards by finishing in the top 10 on the Symetra Tour. Let us see how they are doing so far.

In alphabetical order:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... art-1.html

[tonyj5]

Tiger woods has been absent from the PGA for some time now.

How has his being away effected the LPGA

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... -lpga.html

[tonyj5]

After a short one week break the LPGA moves to the East Coast this week for the Kingsmill Championship.

This full field event of 144 players will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia, where defending champion Cristie Kerr will be trying to win it for the fourth time. Kerr has won this event in 2005, 2009, and 2013.

This will be the first of four consecutive tournaments without a break. Tournaments in Alabama, New Jersey, and Ontario, Canada will follow.

This will be tournament #12 of 32 on this year's schedule:

Here are the key details:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

The pairings for the first 2 rounds are now posted:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Here are the leaders after round 1:

1 Austin Ernst -6 F
1 Azahara Munoz -6 F
3 Hee Young Park -5 F
4 Lizette Salas -4 F
4 Brittany Lang -4 F
4 Lexi Thompson -4 F
4 Kathleen Ekey -4 F
4 Danielle Kang -4 F
4 Thidapa Suwannapura -4 F
4 Cristie Kerr -4 F

For complete scoreboard and live scoring:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Here are the leaders after the suspended 2nd round:

1 Hee Young Park-8 F
2 Stacy Lewis -7 F
2 Brittany Lang -7 F
2 Azahara Munoz -7 13
2 Lexi Thompson-7 13
2 Lizette Salas -7 11
7 Mariajo Uribe -5 F
7 Katherine Kirk -5 F
7 Thidapa Suwannapura -5 F
7 Alejandra Llaneza -5 16
7 Line Vedel Hansen-5 11

For complete scoreboard and live scoring:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Here are the leaders after round 3:

1 Lizette Salas -13 F
2 Hee Young Park -10 F
3 Lydia Ko -8 F
3 Katherine Kirk -8 F
3 Stacy Lewis -8 F
6 Pornanong Phatlum -7 F
6 Yani Tseng -7 F
6 Lexi Thompson -7 F
9 Austin Ernst -6 F
9 So Yeon Ryu -6 F

For complete scoreboard and live scoring:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Here are the final results:

1 Lizette Salas -13 F
2 Sarah Jane Smith -9 F
2 Yani Tseng -9 F
2 Lexi Thompson -9 F
5 So Yeon Ryu -8 F
5 Lydia Ko -8 F
7 Thidapa Suwannapura -7 F
8 Mina Harigae -6 F
8 Sandra Gal -6 F
8 Azahara Munoz -6 F
8 Pornanong Phatlum -6 F

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Let me start by saying congratulations to Lizette Salas for winning last week's Kingsmill Championship. It was the first LPGA win for Salas, but it surely will not be her last.

It has been a great year so far for American players, as Lizette was the sixth U.S. player to win this year. No other country has had more than one player win this year. Jessica Korda, Paula Creamer, Lexi Thompson, Michelle Wie, Stacy Lewis, and Lizette Salas were all part of last year's losing Solheim Cup team, but have started this year with a vengeance.

This week the LPGA tour moves to the state of Alabama for the playing of the Airbus LPGA Classic.

This will be tournament #12 of 32 on the LPGA schedule.

Here are the key details:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) will return to Portland for the 43rd year with its original name and a new sponsor, Tournament Golf Foundation (TGF) announced today. The Portland Classic Presented by Cambia Health Solutions will feature the world’s top professional golfers at Columbia-Edgewater Country Club in Portland, OR, from August 28-31, 2014.

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... unces.html

[tonyj5]

The pairings for the first 2 rounds have now been posted:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Here are the leaders after round 1:

1 Catriona Matthew -8 F
2 Charley Hull -7 F
3 Suzann Pettersen -6 F
3 Stacy Lewis -6 F
3 Eun-Hee Ji -6 F
6 Se Ri Pak -5 F
6 Moira Dunn -5 F
6 Julieta Granada -5 F
6 Jenny Shin -5 F
6 Jessica Korda -5 F
6 Nicole Castrale -5 F

For full results and live scoreboard:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html

[tonyj5]

Here are the leaders after round 2:

1 Catriona Matthew -13 F
2 Charley Hull -12 F
3 Hee Young Park -10 F
3 Anna Nordqvist -10 F
3 Jessica Korda -10 F
6 Lexi Thompson -9 F
6 Jenny Shin -9 F
8 Haru Nomura -8 F
8 Christina Kim -8 F
8 Felicity Johnson -8 F
8 Jodi Ewart Shadoff -8 F
8 Se Ri Pak -8 F
8 Stacy Lewis -8 F
8 Suzann Pettersen -8 F
8 Eun-Hee Ji -8 F

For full results and live scoreboard:

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2014/05/ ... rings.html