9/11 Tribute at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Includes Free Admission

Yani Tseng

TO MARK THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY of 9/11, all active and retired service personnel (along with family members) and all fire, police and emergency employees will be admitted free to the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship during the entire week of the LPGA tournament. The event is held at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.

On Sunday, September 11, the tournament’s final day, American flags will serve as pin flags on all 18 greens. Representatives from the four military branches and fire and police personnel in full uniform will serve as pin flag bearers. Hosted by U.S. Representative and military veteran Steve Womack, a brief 9/11 program will be conducted on the 18th green at the conclusion of play.

This year’s championship will have its best-ever field, with 47 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Rankings and the top 10 players on the LPGA money list competing in the event. Since the tournament’s inception in 2007, the purse has risen from $1.25 million to $2 million, and is now the highest non-major U.S. purse on the LPGA Tour.

World No. 1 Yani Tseng will defend her title. Last year Tseng fired 13 under (67-68-65) to beat Michelle Wie by a shot. Tseng has four wins this season, including two majors.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo: Courtesy of Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons License)

NPR: ‘The Best Player You Probably Never Heard Of’

ON FRIDAY NPR’S MORNING EDITION spent three minutes and 57 seconds telling its large audience about a “little-known” golf phenom named Yani Tseng, the world No. 1 player who is dominating the LPGA Tour and crashing the record books.

Reported Tom Goldman:

Tseng has been powering and smiling her way around golf courses—and making history. She has already done something that no one who has swung a golf club has done before: At the relatively tender age of 22, Tseng has won five major championships.

Tiger Woods was 24 when he won his fifth major. The legendary Patty Berg, who holds the LPGA record with 15 Grand Slam titles, was 25. Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam was 32.

Goldman went on to call Tseng a triple threat, possessing accuracy, touch and power. The tour’s longest hitter, she averages nearly 270 yards off the tee. He also explained that while popular in Asia, where she is stopped on the street, Tseng goes largely unrecognized here as a non-American on the U.S-based LPGA Tour.

“Come on, people,” Goldman said. “Five majors.”

Such is ladies’ golf, especially if you’re from Taiwan and still learning English. Tseng seems to take it all in stride. Currently the most dominant player in the game, she deserves all the attention she can get.

Listen to NPR’s report on Yani Tseng

The next tournament on the LPGA Tour schedule is the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on September 9-11. The defending champion is Yani Tseng.

−The Armchair Golfer

The Ladies Return to Action in Portland

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE since the LPGA Tour has teed it up in the United States. It was nearly six weeks ago the U.S. Women’s Open wrapped up at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The Evian Masters, Women’s British Open and two lengthy breaks have filled the weeks since.

On Friday the ladies will begin play in the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola at Pumpkin Ridge near Portland, Oregon. The event, which began at the outset of Watergate, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The long-running tournament will have a stellar field, with 48 of the LPGA’s top 50 money winners and the top seven players in the Rolex Rankings. The top seven are world No. 1 Yani Tseng, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Na Yeon Choi, I.K. Kim and Ai Miyazato. Another win for Tseng would be her fifth LPGA title and eighth worldwide victory this year.

Safeway advertises low prices, but will the Safeway Classic have low scores? Perhaps. But the 6,552-yard par-72 Ghost Creek Golf Course at Pumpkin Ridge isn’t necessarily a pushover. Last year’s winning 54-hole total was 11 under by Ai Miyazato.

Golf Channel has the TV coverage (in the evening), 6:30 – 9:30 ET on Friday and Saturday and 7 – 9:30 ET on Sunday.

−The Armchair Golfer

Ghosts of Jean Van de Velde Spook Yani Tseng

THE TOURNAMENT WAS SEEMINGLY OVER. Yani Tseng stood on the 18th tee at Carnoustie Golf Links with a three-shot lead over Brittany Lang. In a matter of minutes Tseng could claim her second consecutive Women’s British Open and fifth major title at the age of 22 years, six months and eight days. No one had won five majors so soon, not even Tiger Woods.

That’s when she was visited by ghosts of the past, if just for a moment.

In 1999 French golfer Jean Van de Velde walked to the 72nd hole of The Open Championship with a comfortable three-stroke lead. Then he strolled into history, but not at all like he or the aghast onlookers expected. Van de Velde splashed into the Barry Burn with his approach shot. All he needed was a double-bogey six and his name would be etched on the Claret Jug. He made a seven and lost the four-hole playoff to Paul Lawrie.

Tseng thought of Van de Velde as she walked to the final hole on Sunday. Maybe that was a good thing. She still had to take care of business. It was no time to get sloppy.

“When you come on this golf course, you’re going think about him,” Tseng said. “But I did think about it a little bit.

“I had a three-shot lead so I’d better hit a good drive here to win the tournament. I thought, okay, let’s hit a good drive, finish here.”

And she did, leaving herself about 135 yards to the hole. Still, the ghosts beckoned.

“I hit a 9-iron, and I was thinking about Jean Van de Velde.”

But Tseng isn’t Van de Velde. The Taiwanese star flew that “juiced” 9-iron straight at the flagstick and sank the short birdie putt for a four-shot victory.

Tseng is the new dominant force, not just in women’s golf, but all of golf. With the LPGA Tour adding a major to put five on the annual calendar, Tseng is looking like a serious threat to catch Tiger Woods and even Jack Nicklaus. She is already on a record pace.

−The Armchair Golfer

Heartbroken Pettersen Plays on at Women’s British Open

SUZANN PETTERSEN IS IN CARNOUSTIE, Scotland, this week for the $2.5 million Ricoh Women’s British Open, but her heart is in her native Norway where 95 people died in a terror attack by Anders Behring Breivik, who has reportedly confessed to the atrocities.

Pettersen wore a black armband during the third and fourth rounds at last week’s Evian Masters in Paris to show respect for the fallen Norwegians. Everyone would have understood if she had withdrawn from the tournament and flown home to Norway, where all sporting events were canceled through the weekend. Instead, the seven-time LPGA winner chose to keep playing.

“I think everyone at home would feel like you should go out there and play for us,” Pettersen told Golfweek’s Alistair Tait. “You go out there and you fight for your heart and you fight for your friends and fellow Norwegians at home.”

Pettersen has carried the burden of her homeland’s tragedy to Carnoustie, one of the world’s most demanding links courses. The Women’s British Open is an important championship, the season’s final major, but Pettersen has a different perspective on golf at the moment in light of the events back home.

“It’s still heartbreaking …. What’s amazing through all this is how we all stick together. We stay strong together.”

The Women’s British Open field includes 22 of the world’s top 23 golfers, including world No. 1 and defending champion Yani Tseng. Tseng’s 11-under total at Royal Birkdale last year edged Katherine Hull by a stroke.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: ktan.kh, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

2011 U.S. Women’s Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN teed off on Thursday at The Broadmoor (East Course) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was halted due to weather. Cristie Kerr and amateur Amy Anderson are tied for the lead at 2 under par. Neither player has completed her round. Inbee Park and Ai Miyazato are 1 under par.

Juli Inkster finished with a 3-over 74, and, with one hole to play, Michelle Wie is 7 over par. Alexis Thompson is 5 over after 15 holes. Grouped together, defending champion Paula Creamer and four-time major winner Yani Tseng have not started play.

(Photo: Paula Creamer at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open.)

“It’s an exhausting golf course,” Creamer said on Wednesday. “It’s a long walk, lots of thinking. Definitely if you lose your mind on one shot, it’s gonna cost you big time here.”

“I feel less pressure this week than before,” Tseng said on Tuesday. “I always feel so much pressure on U.S. Open course. It’s such a tough, tough golf course. But after I see Rory McIlroy do it I feel much more relaxed. You just have got to come out here and have fun, enjoy the pressure and enjoy the big crowds.”


Purse: $3.25 million
Defending champion: Paula Creamer
Course: The Broadmoor, East Course, Par 71, 7,047 yards

2011 U.S. Women’s Open Leaderboard

Tournament preview
Final field
Pairings
Spectator guide
U.S. Women’s Open website


TV SCHEDULE

TV coverage of the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open is on ESPN2 and NBC.

Thu, Jul 07
5:00-9:00 PM ET ESPN2

Fri, Jul 08
5:00-9:00 PM ET ESPN2

Sat, Jul 09
3:00-6:00 PM ET NBC

Sun, Jul 10
3:00-6:00 PM ET NBC


−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: John E Kaminski, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Move Over, Rory; Here Comes Yani

RORY MCILROY IS THE record-smashing U.S. Open champion and perhaps the next Tiger Woods. Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington tagged his fellow Irishman as the player to challenge the majors record of Jack Nicklaus. Rory mania pretty much sucked all of the oxygen out of the golf world last week.

But it’s a new week, so here’s a new fact: McIlroy is only the second-best 22-year-old golfer in the world. Yani Tseng is the best. It ain’t even close.

Tseng collected her fourth major title at the Wegmans LPGA Championship on Sunday, a crushing 10-stroke victory that must be disturbing to the women who compete against her. The women’s top-ranked player, Tseng has racked up four majors faster than anyone in golf history, male or female. The Taiwanese superstar now has won three of the last six majors and a total of eight LPGA events since joining the tour in 2008.

In a wire-to-wire win, Tseng kept her foot on the accelerator, firing 67 and 66 on the weekend and missing the tournament record by a shot. Hitting 57 of 72 greens in regulation, she carded 27 birdies against six bogeys and one double. She averages 270 yards off the tee and can putt the eyes out of a chipmunk.

Oh my gosh. How in the world will the women slow this talent down?

“We knew she was going to be good,” said Cristie Kerr, last year’s LPGA Championship winner. “I didn’t know she would be this good. She is pretty dang good.”

I’ll say.

“Now I’m thinking about a grand slam,” Tseng mentioned.

Uh-oh.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

2011 Wegmans LPGA Championship TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 WEGMANS LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP tees off on Thursday at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. The second longest-running tournament in LPGA history, the LPGA Championship began in 1955 and is the second of four majors on the ladies tour.

Cristie Kerr defends. Last year Kerr shot 19-under 269 for a record-setting 12-stroke victory. Kerr has three consecutive runner-up finishes coming in. Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng won the most recent tour event, the LPGA State Farm Classic.

Stacy Lewis (pictured at left), winner of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the year’s first major, shared her thoughts on Locust Hill.

“I like this course. I’ve played well here the last couple of years, too. Off the tee, you actually have to hit some shots left-to-right, a little bit of a fade. That sets up really well for me. This course is just all about fairways and greens. The simpler you keep it, the less you are in the rough. That’s what’s going to end up winning the golf tournament.”



Purse: $2.5 million
Winner’s share: $375,000
Defending champion: Cristie Kerr
Course: Locust Hill Country Club, Par 72, 6,506 yards

2011 Wegmans LPGA Championship Leaderboard

Tournament preview
Final field
Pairings
Interviews
Wegmans LPGA Championship website

TV SCHEDULE

All TV coverage of the 2011 Wegmans LPGA Championship is on Golf Channel.

Thu, June 23
12:30-2:30 PM

Fri, June 24
12:30-2:30 PM ET

Sat, June 25
4:00-7:00 PM ET

Sun, June 26
4:00-7:00 PM ET

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: dnkbdotcom, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP, the year’s first major on the LPGA Tour, is underway at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. World No. 1 Yani Tseng edged Suzann Pettersen by a stroke to win last year. The event began in 1972 and became a major in 1983. Mission Hills measures 6,702 yards and plays to a par of 72.

Mika Miyazato and Sandra Gal lead after posting 67s, with the first round still in progress.

UPDATE: Brittany Lincicome and Stacy Lewis are tied for the first-round lead after firing 6-under 66s.

Purse: $2 million
Defending champion: Yani Tseng

2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship Leaderboard

Tournament preview
Final field
Pairings
Kraft Nabisco Championship website


TV SCHEDULE

All TV coverage of the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship is on Golf Channel.

Thu, Mar 31
6:30-9:30 PM ET

Fri, Apr 1
12:00-3:00 PM ET
6:30-9:30 PM ET

Sat, Apr 2
4:30-8:30 PM ET

Sun, Apr 3
4:30-8:30 PM ET

−The Armchair Golfer

Yani Tseng Set to Play for Japanese Children

THE INAUGURAL RR DONNELLEY LPGA Founders Cup, which tees off on Thursday in Phoenix, has a $1 million purse. But none of the 134 players will dip into it. All the purse money from the new tournament that honors the 13 founders of the LPGA will be directed to charitable causes: $500,000 to the LPGA Foundation and $500,000 to the designated charities of the top-10 finishers.

One player who will likely be near the top when the tournament winds down on Sunday is Yani Tseng, the 22-year-old LPGA star who sits atop the Rolex Rankings as the women’s world No. 1 golfer. After winning three times in 2010, including the Women’s British Open, Tseng captured the season-opening Honda LPGA Thailand. She is a force.

This week she’ll be playing for Japan. After researching charities online, Tseng selected the UNICEF Tap Project, which is raising funds to aid Japanese children affected by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for children,” Tseng said at LPGA.com, “so I hope my play in Phoenix can help this great cause.”

The concept and implementation of the new tournament have stirred plenty of debate in recent weeks. But now that the players are on board and it’s time to tee it up, many are sharpening their focus on charitable causes. At the moment, none loom larger than the relief efforts in Japan.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

The Ladies Tee Off in Thailand

HERE COME THE LADIES. Finally. The 2011 LPGA season gets underway on Thursday at the Honda LPGA Thailand. A field of 60, including new World No. 1 Yani Tseng, will tee it up at the Pattaya Old Course at Siam Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. The 22-year-old Tseng was last season’s Rolex Player of the Year. She has superstar potential.

World No. 6 Ai Miyazato is the defending champion. A year ago Miyazato chipped in for birdie on the final hole to beat Suzann Pettersen by a shot. She went on to win the following week on her way to five 2010 victories. Her favorite pizza topping is pepperoni. And she doesn’t like cilantro. (It’s true. I read it at LPGA.com.)

(Photo: “I’m pretty sure this is my driver.” It’s been a long layoff for Ai Miyazato and all the ladies.)

Miyazato told USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio that she hasn’t played a competitive round of golf in two and a half months. Nonetheless, Ai said she’s ready to go after spending much of her offseason in Phoenix. She worked on getting the clubhead more square at the top of her backswing.

A long offseason is probably nice. But the rust can set in quickly. World No. 4 Cristie Kerr spent her break working on fitness—and relaxing. Kerr took five weeks off from playing golf, starting up again in mid-January. Her goals for 2011 are to bag another major and have a multiple win season.

Other LPGA players who are expected to contend for top honors such as player of the year and the money title include Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen, Na Yeon Choi, I.K. Kim, Sun Ju Ahn, Song-Hee Kim, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie.

The season opener is the first of 25 LPGA events on the 2011 calendar. The ladies tour has lost nine events since the economy tanked in late 2008. The Solheim Cup will be played in late September in Ireland.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

The Ladies Parity Golf Association (LPGA)

THERE ARE SIX LADIES vying for the Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average) and the LPGA money title: Yani Tseng, Ai Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Suzanne Pettersen and Na Yeon Choi. The post-Annika, post-Lorena LPGA has a new and very crowded look at the top. That’s why I was thinking we could start calling it the Ladies Parity Golf Association. We know they’re pros, so why not use the “P” for something that fits today’s LPGA?

They’ll settle POY, the money title and other season-ending issues at the LPGA Tour Championship in two weeks at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.

(Photo: Yani Tseng / Keith Allison, Flickr)

It’s been crazy since Lorena Ochoa retired in May. The top spot in the Rolex Rankings (women’s world No. 1, not to be confused with Rolex Player of the Year) has turned over nine times among three players—Miyazato, Shin and Kerr. Shin is the current No. 1 and holds a slim .49 edge over Pettersen. Kerr is third and Tseng fourth.

The money title has come down to Shin and Choi. In addition, Choi, with a 69.77 scoring average, has a .09 lead over Kerr in the Vare Trophy race.

If I counted correctly, there have been 15 winners in 25 events thus far. Miyazato, Tseng, Kerr, Shin and Choi have multiple wins this season. The LPGA is an extremely competitive tour these days. That’s a positive.

But is parity a good thing? Mega stars like Sorenstam, Ochoa and, for the men, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, have brought more exposure to professional golf, a minor sport that struggles for attention—and always will.

Parity can be good for core fans. I’m in favor of it. For me, dominance gets boring. But does parity make the LPGA a harder sell when it comes to attracting a larger following? Mike Whan might not say so, but I think it does.

−The Armchair Golfer

Yani Tseng Smiles Her Way to Second Major

2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship Recap
Winner: Yani Tseng
Score: 13 under, 275 (69, 71, 67, 68)
Quote: “Stay focused. That’s what I wanted to do, and keep smiling.”
Fact: Favorite club is 8-iron.
Thought: Has tool set to be a dominant player.

ALL PLAYERS LOOK GOOD when they’re winning a golf tournament, because they’re obviously playing well during that particular week. The golf ball is generally going where the players want it to, and a considerable number of putts are usually falling into the cup. That was certainly the case for Yani Tseng at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the year’s first major on the LPGA Tour. Tseng fired 135 on the weekend to nip Suzann Pettersen by a shot. It’s the third win and second major title for the 21-year-old Taiwanese player. In her rookie season she won the 2008 LPGA Championship in a playoff with Maria Hjorth.

Tseng, however, strikes many onlookers as more than a good player who can put together an occasional win. She has talent galore and a bag full of shots. With experience and the right mental approach, she could win a lot more LPGA tournaments and several majors before she’s through. Evidently, she recently had a lengthy chat with a Hall of Famer that was quite helpful.

“I really want to thank Annika Sorenstam,” Yani said Sunday after taking the winner’s traditional jump into the pond beside the 18th green, “because she came to my house and we sit down and talk about two hours, and she helped me a lot about my game, about the mentals, and she told me go step by step.”

With the major victory, Tseng moved up to second in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Jiyai Shin dropped to third. Lorena Ochoa has held the top spot for 155 consecutive weeks, but with the likes of Tseng, Shin and others elevating their games, I wonder how long it will be before Ochoa is knocked off her pedestal.

−The Armchair Golfer