Before I get to this week's subject I would like to say what a great time my wife and I have had following the LPGA this summer. We have completed our summer travels after attending the Shoprite Classic in New Jersey, The Marathon Classic in Ohio, The British Open in St. Andrews, Scotland, and the CN Canadian Open in Edmonton. I have said it before and I will say it again, everyone should try to attend at least one tournament to see for themselves how friendly these ladies are. They are always willing to sign hats, balls, pictures, or whatever you may want signed. If you attend one tournament, you will be hooked and want to attend again.
I also want to give a special mention and thanks to Kelly Theiser and Meghan Flanagan who work very hard to fulfill the needs of the media. Your contributions week in and week out do not go unnoticed.
Here are some pictures and videos of some of the players I followed:
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| Lexi Thompson |
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Ryann O'Toole Paula Creamer |
Lydia Ko
Kathleen Ekey
Now it's time to get on with this week's story. The LPGA moves to Portland, Oregon this week for the playing of the Safeway Classic Presented By Coca-Cola. This tournament expands to 72 holes this year.
This will be tournament #20 of 28 on the LPGA schedule this year.
Here are the key details:
Course: Columbia Edgewater
Location: Portland, Oregon
Defending Champion: Mika Miyazato
Winning Score: 65-68-70= 203 (-13)
Final Field: 144 Players
Par: 36/36 = 72
Yardage: 6,465
Purse: $1,300,000
My strength of field rating is 70% making it the 4th weakest field of the year. Thirty-two of the top 40 on the LPGA Priority List will be in attendance. The missing include: Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Shanshan Feng, Catriona Matthew, Brittany Lincicome, Hee Kyung Seo, Karine Icher, Haiji Kang, Jessica Korda, Caroline Hedwall, Mindy Kim, and Ayaka Uehara.
Here are the television times:
Aug 29 - GC 5:30 PM-8:30 PM ET
Aug 30 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM ET
Aug 31 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM ET
Sep 1 - GC 7:00 PM-9:30 PM ET
Here are my picks for this week's tournament:
1- Suzann Pettersen
2- I.K. Kim
3- Paula Creamer
4- Stacy Lewis
5- Na Yeon Choi
6- Hee Young Park
7- Mika Miyazato
8- Jiyai Shin
9- Ai Miyazato
10- Lexi Thompson
11- Carlotta Ciganda
12- Karrie Webb
Here are the Pairings for the first 2 rounds:
For all the scores, all the time, see the link on top of this page.
Other Tidbits:
3- Paula Creamer
4- Stacy Lewis
5- Na Yeon Choi
6- Hee Young Park
7- Mika Miyazato
8- Jiyai Shin
9- Ai Miyazato
10- Lexi Thompson
11- Carlotta Ciganda
12- Karrie Webb
Here are the Pairings for the first 2 rounds:
For all the scores, all the time, see the link on top of this page.
Other Tidbits:
The first round of LPGA Qualifying School is underway. Use this link for results.
Karrie Webb who had made 57 consecutive cuts, has now missed 2 in a row.
Beatriz Recari who had her cut streak halted at 46, has now missed 3 of her last 4. The one cut she made was a victory at the Marathon Classic.
Titleholders Update:
Lydia Ko, Stacy Prammanasudh, and Caroline Masson are the latest to qualify. Azahara Munoz remains the highest ranked player yet to qualify.
Rolex Rankings Movers of the Week:
Lydia Ko leaps from # 19 to #7, and Karine Icher jumps from #24 to #20.
Who's Hot:
Karrie Webb who had made 57 consecutive cuts, has now missed 2 in a row.
Beatriz Recari who had her cut streak halted at 46, has now missed 3 of her last 4. The one cut she made was a victory at the Marathon Classic.
Titleholders Update:
Lydia Ko, Stacy Prammanasudh, and Caroline Masson are the latest to qualify. Azahara Munoz remains the highest ranked player yet to qualify.
Rolex Rankings Movers of the Week:
Lydia Ko leaps from # 19 to #7, and Karine Icher jumps from #24 to #20.
Who's Hot:
Paula Creamer has finished in the top 11 in 6 of her last 7 events. She leads the tour with 14 top 20 finishes, and has made 60 straight cuts, which also leads the tour.
Who's Not:
Julia Sergas has failed to finish higher than T44 in her last 8 appearances, with 6 missed cuts.
Azahara Munoz has failed to finish higher than T30 in her last 8 events.
In 13 appearances this year, Se Ri Pak has yet to have a top 10 finish.
Who's Not:
Julia Sergas has failed to finish higher than T44 in her last 8 appearances, with 6 missed cuts.
Azahara Munoz has failed to finish higher than T30 in her last 8 events.
In 13 appearances this year, Se Ri Pak has yet to have a top 10 finish.
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