Post by philknj on Jun 4, 2015 21:08:53 GMT
I passed through the front gate shortly before the 7:55 AM tee offs at #1 by Sun Young Yoo, Q Baek, and Julieta Granada. Mi Hyang Lee was scheduled to tee off at #1 at 1:17 PM (w/ Catriona Matthew and Ariya Jutanugarn).
A visit to the main practice green across the street yielded a good story. A caddie with a ‘Richie B.’ name plate on his hat (looping for Lisa McCloskey) had a conversation with another guy:
RB: You know the 12th hole...that green...Donald Ross...I was caddying for Maria Hernandez...guess what her score was at #12?
Guy: I don’t know.
RB: Twelve!
Guy: What happened?
RB: She played ping-pong, back-and-forth over the green...she kept saying “loco, loco, loco!” She was using a 56-degree wedge...I suggested she use her putter and just knock it on anywhere, but she took no advice.
Upon further research, I confirmed that Maria made a 12 at #12 during Round Two of the 2010 Shop-Rite.
I returned to the course and back tracked the par-5 9th hole (476 yards). Three players had just teed off and one of them had mashed her drive to a spot about one yard behind a 201-yard sprinkler head (the hole was downwind). The volunteer in the right rough asked me who hit that. I looked at my sheet...this was the group of Jee Young Lee, Sophia Popov, and Kristy McPherson. I gave her the obvious answer: “Jee Young Lee hit that.” Boy, was I wrong...Popov had the longest one, while Lee was second, about 15 yards behind...KM was much further back.
The standard bearer had Lee at +5, while the other two were +1. A diverse group like this was worth following for a few holes. Popov capitalized on her drive with a birdie at #9, but gave it back with bogeys at #s 10 & ll. On the short walk to the 12th tee, she whacked her putter against the wood border of the cart path and thumped the grass bordering the tee box. She was generally the longest driver of this group. Her attire and gear appeared to be all Puma/Cobra. Her irons were a mixed set...the two longest were Fly Z+ and the rest were Fly Z.
Lee also birdied #9 and played par golf the rest of the way. She wore a brand called Macaw, which had a parrot logo...lots of colorful horizontal stripes in her top, while her pants were solid green. Remember how she was a threat to win any tournament her first couple of years on tour? Not anymore. Her swing looks the same...very much like Brittany Lincicome. But, unlike Bam Bam, she has lost noticeable distance with the driver and I don’t know why.
This was my first extended look at McPherson. She’s been around the block a few times, but she still keeps herself in pretty good shape, and she’s not a small woman. I didn’t realize her backswing was so long...goes far past horizontal, much like Jimin Kang. But, for all the effort she has put into her fitness and her swing, her typical drive goes high, straight...and not very far. Her attire was conservative, as usual...a plain white Greg Norman polo and a teal skort.
I left these three and hooked up with a more high profile group, Hee Young Park, Mo Martin, and MJ Hur. At -3 after 12 holes, Park was only two shots back of the lead. Mo was -1 and MJ was +2, so I decided to stay with them through the 18th hole.
The Rocket’s ascent continued with a birdie at #13. Then she had a third-stage misfire at the short par-3 17th (115 yards). This hole was against the wind two days earlier, but now it was downwind. Whatever she hit flew too far...I went down there and discovered her ball had cleared the bunker behind the right side of the green and was sitting in foot-high junk. Her ball was also about six feet below the green. She didn’t have much green to work with and popped the ball too gently...it landed in the junk between the green and the top of the bunker. She chipped on and two-putted for a double.
I didn’t watch the result of The Rocket’s drive at the par-5 18th, but she whacked the turf with her driver afterward...then bashed the ground a few more times (possibly to fix any damage she made with her first whack). But, no damage to her scorecard...she still made birdie and shot 68.
Per reputation, Mo was radar-like with her driver and still uses a TaylorMade R1...I recall seeing at least one other player using that fascinating fossil. Her only bogey on the back nine was a 270-degree lip-out for par at the Par-3 15th. She had four folks following her wearing ‘Go Mo!’ buttons.
MJ hit the skids with three straight bogeys, but finished with birdies on #16 & #18. This statuesque Sister always has a striking appearance to me, but even more so today...now with the Descente brand, she wore a top that was black on one side and white on the other (just on the front), but the vertical line separating the two colors was slightly off-center.
It was past Noon when I paid a visit to the swag tents between the entrance and the first tee. In terms of food giveaways, this was by far the best year ever. There was no need to buy lunch on the course. Shop-Rite had samples of their Black Bear brand of meats...my “sample” was a full-size bratwurst in a bun! Between that and the granola bars and juice boxes I was already carrying, I was set for food. I also picked up a Melona bar, a Korean frozen treat that tasted like honeydew melon mixed with vanilla ice cream. There was a lot of stuff I skipped, but maybe next year I’ll pig out! Also picked up a few Golfsmith coupons...I assume the winner of the $250 gift card drawing I entered has already been notified!
I returned to the course and dropped by the green of the par-5 3rd hole. Jenny Shin was serving as Rules Official, showing Sei Young Kim how to take a drop away from something on the green’s fringe (probably a sprinkler head, but I couldn’t see it). Ha Na Jang was also in this group.
While the Shin group was on the 7th green, Ariya Jutanugarn (playing #6) climbed to the top of the 10-foot high junk mound left of that green. After the players putted out, Ariya chopped her ball onto the 7th fairway, then hit an approach to the 6th green.
I did some general circulating before dropping by the short par-4 10th tee. Candy Hannemann’s LPGA return officially started here. Rookie Jing Yan was in her group and donned a Washington Huskies cap. Another Husky showed up two groups later, Soobin Kim, only 5-2, but she looks strong. She may deserve ‘The Hulk’ nickname more than Ha Na Jang. Struck her tee shot without wearing a glove.
I intercepted Mi Hyang Lee’s group as they were approaching the par-3 11th tee box. Mi Hyang was +2, but any good luck I carried was picked up by Catriona Matthew, who birdied 11, 12, and 13. Catrina’s age (45) is just a number...when she took a practice swing at #11, I thought, “Whoa, that was a pretty loud swoosh!”
More historical trivia: Catriona Lambert (later Matthew) was on the British side when I attended the last day of 1990 Curtis Cup. But, she’s not the player that caught my attention. I was fascinated by her teammate Kathryn Imrie, who swung a club like an Iron Byon machine...a short girl but plenty of power. I paced off one of her drives at 255, which was HUGE back then (a good womens pro drive was about 230 in 1990). She later became Kathryn Marshall and had some modest LPGA success, including one victory, but Catriona’s career blows her away – 4 wins and 100 top-10s!
The third player in this group, Ariya Jutanugarn, completely mystified me. It started at the 13th hole, a straight-away par-4 of 405 with decent width, which served as a drive measuring hole. She’s one of the longest drivers on this tour, so I was anxious to see her wallop the big stick...but she teed off with the same iron she used at the short par-4 12th. Why? I know some of these holes take the driver out of your hands, but not on ALL of them.
Ariya, who is built like a vending machine, absolutely squashed that iron again at the par-4 14th tee. I had to check out that club...as the caddie slipped it into the bag, I saw a ‘2’ on it. The sole had a groove cut into it and was filled in with black paint...I could not make out the brand. Even Catriona felt compelled to make a discreet look into Ariya’s bag. I also looked in Catriona’s bag...her wedges are 52, 54, & 60. That’s an unusual progression, no?
Surely, Ariya would take out driver at the par-4 16th...just blast it over the right side bunkers and you’d be left with a wedge, but, no, she goes with 2-iron again. Same story at the par-5 18th...everybody hits driver, but she goes with 2-iron. From the head covers, I could tell she was carrying a driver, but why toss away your power advantage to the field? I don’t get it. Maybe she lacks confidence in the driver.
I haven’t forgotten about Mi Hyang! As I’m walking ahead of her to one of the tees, she says, “I like your outfit.” I was wearing a blue long-sleeve Lacoste polo shirt with white & blue plaid pants. Ha ha, not only does she have a beautiful swing, but she’s perceptive too! She lost a stroke at #13, but birdied #s 17 & 18 to finish +1. She seems to have a good working relationship with her caddie Ivan. After she did all her post-round stuff at the 18th green, she extended me a handshake and reminded me again to Facebook her for a grounds pass to the KPMG. Amazing...I never ask her for special favors, she just gives. Let me repeat a question I posted in my Shop-Rite report from last year: IS SHE THE BEST?!
A visit to the main practice green across the street yielded a good story. A caddie with a ‘Richie B.’ name plate on his hat (looping for Lisa McCloskey) had a conversation with another guy:
RB: You know the 12th hole...that green...Donald Ross...I was caddying for Maria Hernandez...guess what her score was at #12?
Guy: I don’t know.
RB: Twelve!
Guy: What happened?
RB: She played ping-pong, back-and-forth over the green...she kept saying “loco, loco, loco!” She was using a 56-degree wedge...I suggested she use her putter and just knock it on anywhere, but she took no advice.
Upon further research, I confirmed that Maria made a 12 at #12 during Round Two of the 2010 Shop-Rite.
I returned to the course and back tracked the par-5 9th hole (476 yards). Three players had just teed off and one of them had mashed her drive to a spot about one yard behind a 201-yard sprinkler head (the hole was downwind). The volunteer in the right rough asked me who hit that. I looked at my sheet...this was the group of Jee Young Lee, Sophia Popov, and Kristy McPherson. I gave her the obvious answer: “Jee Young Lee hit that.” Boy, was I wrong...Popov had the longest one, while Lee was second, about 15 yards behind...KM was much further back.
The standard bearer had Lee at +5, while the other two were +1. A diverse group like this was worth following for a few holes. Popov capitalized on her drive with a birdie at #9, but gave it back with bogeys at #s 10 & ll. On the short walk to the 12th tee, she whacked her putter against the wood border of the cart path and thumped the grass bordering the tee box. She was generally the longest driver of this group. Her attire and gear appeared to be all Puma/Cobra. Her irons were a mixed set...the two longest were Fly Z+ and the rest were Fly Z.
Lee also birdied #9 and played par golf the rest of the way. She wore a brand called Macaw, which had a parrot logo...lots of colorful horizontal stripes in her top, while her pants were solid green. Remember how she was a threat to win any tournament her first couple of years on tour? Not anymore. Her swing looks the same...very much like Brittany Lincicome. But, unlike Bam Bam, she has lost noticeable distance with the driver and I don’t know why.
This was my first extended look at McPherson. She’s been around the block a few times, but she still keeps herself in pretty good shape, and she’s not a small woman. I didn’t realize her backswing was so long...goes far past horizontal, much like Jimin Kang. But, for all the effort she has put into her fitness and her swing, her typical drive goes high, straight...and not very far. Her attire was conservative, as usual...a plain white Greg Norman polo and a teal skort.
I left these three and hooked up with a more high profile group, Hee Young Park, Mo Martin, and MJ Hur. At -3 after 12 holes, Park was only two shots back of the lead. Mo was -1 and MJ was +2, so I decided to stay with them through the 18th hole.
The Rocket’s ascent continued with a birdie at #13. Then she had a third-stage misfire at the short par-3 17th (115 yards). This hole was against the wind two days earlier, but now it was downwind. Whatever she hit flew too far...I went down there and discovered her ball had cleared the bunker behind the right side of the green and was sitting in foot-high junk. Her ball was also about six feet below the green. She didn’t have much green to work with and popped the ball too gently...it landed in the junk between the green and the top of the bunker. She chipped on and two-putted for a double.
I didn’t watch the result of The Rocket’s drive at the par-5 18th, but she whacked the turf with her driver afterward...then bashed the ground a few more times (possibly to fix any damage she made with her first whack). But, no damage to her scorecard...she still made birdie and shot 68.
Per reputation, Mo was radar-like with her driver and still uses a TaylorMade R1...I recall seeing at least one other player using that fascinating fossil. Her only bogey on the back nine was a 270-degree lip-out for par at the Par-3 15th. She had four folks following her wearing ‘Go Mo!’ buttons.
MJ hit the skids with three straight bogeys, but finished with birdies on #16 & #18. This statuesque Sister always has a striking appearance to me, but even more so today...now with the Descente brand, she wore a top that was black on one side and white on the other (just on the front), but the vertical line separating the two colors was slightly off-center.
It was past Noon when I paid a visit to the swag tents between the entrance and the first tee. In terms of food giveaways, this was by far the best year ever. There was no need to buy lunch on the course. Shop-Rite had samples of their Black Bear brand of meats...my “sample” was a full-size bratwurst in a bun! Between that and the granola bars and juice boxes I was already carrying, I was set for food. I also picked up a Melona bar, a Korean frozen treat that tasted like honeydew melon mixed with vanilla ice cream. There was a lot of stuff I skipped, but maybe next year I’ll pig out! Also picked up a few Golfsmith coupons...I assume the winner of the $250 gift card drawing I entered has already been notified!
I returned to the course and dropped by the green of the par-5 3rd hole. Jenny Shin was serving as Rules Official, showing Sei Young Kim how to take a drop away from something on the green’s fringe (probably a sprinkler head, but I couldn’t see it). Ha Na Jang was also in this group.
While the Shin group was on the 7th green, Ariya Jutanugarn (playing #6) climbed to the top of the 10-foot high junk mound left of that green. After the players putted out, Ariya chopped her ball onto the 7th fairway, then hit an approach to the 6th green.
I did some general circulating before dropping by the short par-4 10th tee. Candy Hannemann’s LPGA return officially started here. Rookie Jing Yan was in her group and donned a Washington Huskies cap. Another Husky showed up two groups later, Soobin Kim, only 5-2, but she looks strong. She may deserve ‘The Hulk’ nickname more than Ha Na Jang. Struck her tee shot without wearing a glove.
I intercepted Mi Hyang Lee’s group as they were approaching the par-3 11th tee box. Mi Hyang was +2, but any good luck I carried was picked up by Catriona Matthew, who birdied 11, 12, and 13. Catrina’s age (45) is just a number...when she took a practice swing at #11, I thought, “Whoa, that was a pretty loud swoosh!”
More historical trivia: Catriona Lambert (later Matthew) was on the British side when I attended the last day of 1990 Curtis Cup. But, she’s not the player that caught my attention. I was fascinated by her teammate Kathryn Imrie, who swung a club like an Iron Byon machine...a short girl but plenty of power. I paced off one of her drives at 255, which was HUGE back then (a good womens pro drive was about 230 in 1990). She later became Kathryn Marshall and had some modest LPGA success, including one victory, but Catriona’s career blows her away – 4 wins and 100 top-10s!
The third player in this group, Ariya Jutanugarn, completely mystified me. It started at the 13th hole, a straight-away par-4 of 405 with decent width, which served as a drive measuring hole. She’s one of the longest drivers on this tour, so I was anxious to see her wallop the big stick...but she teed off with the same iron she used at the short par-4 12th. Why? I know some of these holes take the driver out of your hands, but not on ALL of them.
Ariya, who is built like a vending machine, absolutely squashed that iron again at the par-4 14th tee. I had to check out that club...as the caddie slipped it into the bag, I saw a ‘2’ on it. The sole had a groove cut into it and was filled in with black paint...I could not make out the brand. Even Catriona felt compelled to make a discreet look into Ariya’s bag. I also looked in Catriona’s bag...her wedges are 52, 54, & 60. That’s an unusual progression, no?
Surely, Ariya would take out driver at the par-4 16th...just blast it over the right side bunkers and you’d be left with a wedge, but, no, she goes with 2-iron again. Same story at the par-5 18th...everybody hits driver, but she goes with 2-iron. From the head covers, I could tell she was carrying a driver, but why toss away your power advantage to the field? I don’t get it. Maybe she lacks confidence in the driver.
I haven’t forgotten about Mi Hyang! As I’m walking ahead of her to one of the tees, she says, “I like your outfit.” I was wearing a blue long-sleeve Lacoste polo shirt with white & blue plaid pants. Ha ha, not only does she have a beautiful swing, but she’s perceptive too! She lost a stroke at #13, but birdied #s 17 & 18 to finish +1. She seems to have a good working relationship with her caddie Ivan. After she did all her post-round stuff at the 18th green, she extended me a handshake and reminded me again to Facebook her for a grounds pass to the KPMG. Amazing...I never ask her for special favors, she just gives. Let me repeat a question I posted in my Shop-Rite report from last year: IS SHE THE BEST?!
