Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Live Blog
|
||||
|
Saturday, 10:10: I've
said it before but I'll say it again — it's remarkable how low the
scores are. Moreover, it's impressive how little mistakes are being
made on a course known for unpredictable kikuyu rough and poa annua
greens whose bumpiness can often make them unpredictable. Ai Miyazato just made birdie on one of the hardest holes — the par-4 seventh to join a share of the lead at 11-under par with Shin and Choi. Miyazato also birdied the par-4 first, where she had to hit a hybrid on her approach. Saturday, 9:55: The leaderboard is bunching up, and I think that’s a good thing for the excitement of the tournament considering the players that are promoting the bunching. Jiyai Shin birdied the sixth hole to regain the lead at 11-under par, but Na Yeon Choi is having herself quite a day with five birdies through eight holes to vault into a share of the top spot. Lorena Ochoa, and Ai Miyazato are all tied for third at 10-under. Saturday, 9:00: World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa has seized the lead, making birdie on the second and third holes to gain a one-shot edge over Jiyai Shin and Ai Miyazato. Saturday, 8:45: The Samsung World Championship has begun early for the third round, so don't pay too much attention to college football or else you might miss all of the golf. It's shaping up to be a beautiful day at Torrey Pines. The fog is light and refreshing and there are a decent amount of spectators following the groups. Leader Jiyai Shin just parred the first hole to retain a one-stroke lead, while her playing partner, Ai Miyazato, made birdie to tie for the top spot. Lorena Ochoa, who is one shot back, is in the second-to-last group. Check back all day for live reports from Torrey Pines. Friday, 5:15: Jiyai Shin parred the 18th hole to take a one-stroke lead over Ai Miyazato and Lorena Ochoa. A few thoughts on the tournament to this point. I'm surprised by all the low scores. Eleven of the 20 players shot under par during Thursday's opening round, and there were 10 more for the second round Friday. The course is still playing long, as many players are hitting fairway woods and hybrids into some of the South's beefiest par 4s, most notably holes 1, 4 and 12. But greenside rough is very manageable and the greens aren't rolling as firm as they're capable of, giving players plenty of chances to scramble for par saves. Nice bouncebacks by Yani Tseng and Cristie Kerr. The two most disappointing opening rounds belong to Kerr and Tseng. Kerr, the leading money winner among Americans in 2009, rebounded from a sloppy even-par 72 Thursday with a 6-under 66 Friday to vault into a tie for fifth. Tseng also shot 66 in the second round to offset a 3-over 75 Thursday. The 20-year-old may have dug too big of a hole for herself after the first day, but she has the talent to make birdies in bunches — she carded five in a six-hole stretch Friday. Friday, 4:42: Just as it has many times before, the par-5 18th hole on the South Course proves pivotal. Lorena Ochoa eagled the only water-guarded hole at Torrey Pines to get to 8-under, one shot behind leader Jiyai Shin, while Ai Miyazato made bogey to drop from a share of the lead into a tie for second with Ochoa. Friday, 3:08: Call it the live blog jinx — Ochoa just bogeyed the par-3 11th hole after I lauded her for recording her only dropped shots of the week at the first hole. She is in a tie for fifth at 6-under, while Sofie Gustafson replaced Ochoa in the three-way for second after three straight birdies on 9, 10 and 11. Friday, 3:05: Apologies for the delay in coverage. The action has been fast and furious at Torrey Pines for Friday's second round, as arguably the four most prominent figures in the field have taken center stage. Jiyai Shin is in the lead at 8-under par, while Paula Creamer, Lorena Ochoa and Ai Miyazato are in a three-way tie for second at 7-under. Creamer has said she is about a club-and-a-half shorter than usual due to recent illness, so it's impressive that she's holding her own on such a long layout. Ochoa, still the world No. 1 but not necessarily enjoying a campaign befitting of the best player on the planet, has bogeyed the par-4 first hole each day; however, those are the only blemishes on her scorecard to this point. She has birdied the par-5 sixth and ninth holes each of the first two days. Miyazato, who came on to the LPGA Tour as a heralded Japanese sensation and registered her first career win at the Evian Masters, is among the shortest hitters in the field but still one of the most talented. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up with Shin. The 21-year-old has made 11 birdies through 27 holes, quite a feat on the South Course regardless of how long it's playing. Thursday, 3:50: Seven birdies and one bogey on the South Course? That's anything but the same old Song and dance. Now that that lame attempt at humor is out of the way, that performance belonged to clubhouse leader Song-Hee Kim, who birdied the par-5 18th hole to post a 66 and grab a one-shot lead over Ji-Yai Shin and Sophie Gustafson. It's exciting that Shin, arguably the best women's golfer on the planet right now, is in the hunt, as is Lorena Ochoa, officially the best women's golfer on the planet right now according to the Rolex Rankings. Like Shin, Ochoa shook off a bogey on the first hole to reel off a bunch of birdies — five in 12 holes, to be exact — and climb into contention. A Shin-Ochoa showdown on Sunday would definitely be a plus for the LPGA Tour. Thursday, 2:50: Sophie Gustafson is seeing red on the par 5s at Torrey Pines, carding two birdies and an eagle on the sixth thus far during her opening round. She is in the lead at 6-under par, one stroke ahead of Song-Hee Kim and Jiyai Shin, who shook off an opening bogey with six birdies. The 21-year-old Shin is trying to maintain her lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race over American Cristie Kerr, who stumbled to a 3-over-par 39 on the outward half and is in last place. Thursday, 1:25 p.m.: Song-Hee Kim has played the first eight holes on the South Course like an expert Dawn Patrolwoman (if there is even one), making par on the three toughest par 4s (1, 4 and 7) while making birdie everywhere else. Five-under sounds darn good. Thursday, 1:20 p.m.: It's always interesting to break down the diversity of the LPGA Tour, especially how much the rest of the world — particularly Asian countries — has caught up to the United States in the women's game. From Tod Leonard's feature in the Thursday edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune: "In 2000, just one player with an Asian surname finished in the top 10 on the money list. Today, there are five. Sixteen of the top 30 golfers in this year's money standings have Asian surnames, and eight of the 19 tournaments have been won by Asians." In the field of 20 this week, there are six Americans, five South Koreans, two Swedes, two Aussies and one player each from Japan, Norway, Taiwan, Scotland and Mexico. Thursday, 1:03 p.m.: Song-Hee Kim is on fire, posting birdies on four of her first six holes to grab a two-stroke lead over Na Yeon Choi, Ai Miyazato and American Angela Stanford. Kim, a 21-year-old native of Seoul, South Korea, has never won on the LPGA Tour but has recorded eight top-10 finishes in 19 events this season. She's one of the longer hitters on the LPGA Tour (T28 in average driving distance), an attribute likely aided by being 5-foot-9. The day's final pairing, world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and defending champion Paula Creamer, have just teed off. Thursday, 12:15 p.m.: So much for brutal scoring, as the first eight players teeing off are a collective 5-under par, with Na Yeon Choi and Song-Hee Kim pacing the way at 2-under. Jiyai Shin bogeyed the par-4 first hole. Thursday, 11:45 a.m.: The first group is off, as Kristy McPherson and Na Yeon Choi both parred the first hole. The course is playing 6,721 yards. First round: For the first time in 16 years, the LPGA Tour stops in the San Diego area with the 2009 Samsung World Championship, one of the most exclusive events on the schedule. Twenty of the top players are playing 72 holes on the South Course at Torrey Pines, an annual stop for the PGA Tour and the site of the 2008 U.S. Open. For more information on the tournament, read this preview article. For a breakdown of the field, click here. From now until the tournament is decided on Sunday, I will provide a live blog of the event. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to chime in the “What Do You Think?” prompt on the bottom page and I will do my best to field your questions. Before the first shot is struck Thursday, here are three things I’ll be keeping an eye on: How high can the scores go? The ladies will play the South Course approximately 800 yards lower than its maximum length, (about 6,800 yards compared to an upper limit of about 7,600 yards), but it will still be one of the longest tracks they encounter all year. Plus, gnarly kikuyu rough is waiting to gobble up errant tee shots. Hybrid and fairway wood approach shots on many par 4s will be routine for most of the field, putting a high premium on short game and putting. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the winning score close to even par — I had Torrey Pines PGA Head Professional Joe DeBock on my radio show last week and he seemed to agree. Can Shin stay hot? Just as she did last year, young Korean Jiyai Shin engineered one of the most dominant individual seasons in professional golf without much fanfare in the United States. The 21-year-old, who in 2008 won the Women’s British Open and two more official LPGA events without even being a full-time Tour member, has won three more tournaments in 2009, including last week’s P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship. Shin is not one of the longest hitters in the Samsung (248.0 yard average driving distance, 91st on Tour), but what she lacks in length she makes up for in precision (sixth in greens in regulation, second in driving accuracy). Can the LPGA Tour seize the spotlight? For the first time since early January, there is no PGA Tour event on the weekend schedule. Sure, the NFL and college football are back, but as far as professional golf goes, the stage belongs to the LPGA Tour. It’s disappointing that this scenario does not include the circuit’s most recognizable figure, Michelle Wie (she missed qualifying for the Samsung by one spot on the season money list), but it still leaves room for another star — most notably Lorena Ochoa or Paula Creamer — to shine in front of a national audience that could be larger thanks to the bye week in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Also, it will be interesting to see how many spectators attend the final round of the tournament, since it coincides with the first home game of the season for the San Diego Chargers. San Diego Union-Tribune golf reporter Tod Leonard offers a unique preview of this local conundrum. Remember to check back often to find out what’s going on, and remember to submit your questions and comments! |
||||
RSS Subscribe
