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Post by HappyFan on Jan 28, 2024 23:05:04 GMT
This is easily the most important event on the WPGA (Australian) tour, so I'll give it its own thread. It will be contested February 1 - 4. Once upon a time the event was co-sanctioned by the LPGA. It is one of those events where the men and women play the same course, but they don't compete against each other. Jiyai Shin won her 62nd pro event here last year and will be back to defend her title. She won two more events in Japan after this, so she's going for her 65th win next week. But the big news is that this will probably be the return to action of Ina Yoon in a real women's event! Here is an article talking about it.This will be the first time Ina has played a women's event of some importance since July of 2022. How ready is she? This is not a super deep field, but does she have what it takes to compete? How rusty will she be? Fingers crossed that we might even be able to see it if Golf Channel picks up the coverage; they have been known to show it in the past. |
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 29, 2024 17:50:32 GMT
It looks like Golf Channel won't be showing this one, but they WILL be showing the Asian Amateur event this week from Thailand that features Min Sol Kim and Hyo Song Lee. I'll start a thread for that (or continue the one that exists if there is one).
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Post by legitimategolf on Jan 29, 2024 19:01:04 GMT
Sorry for getting off topic but how long will the LPGA continue to call their players ladies? I doubt they can do so indefinitely. It already sounds antiquated. LPGA and LET are like the last women organizations in the whole world that still use the word with a straight face. "Ladies" in this context closer to a 19th century parlance than 21st. Australian WPGA and KPMGWPGA Championship are at least attempting to respect themselves.
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bullfinch
Full Member
UK based fan of women's golf and Korean players in particular
Posts: 168
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Post by bullfinch on Jan 29, 2024 21:14:45 GMT
Wimbledon still has the ladies singles in tennis but I do accept it’s the WTA as the worldwide organisation
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Post by philknj on Jan 29, 2024 23:34:18 GMT
The above link has all the info ... the field includes Ilhee Lee, Pei Ying Tsai and Waitwait Zhang.
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bullfinch
Full Member
UK based fan of women's golf and Korean players in particular
Posts: 168
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Post by bullfinch on Jan 30, 2024 14:36:07 GMT
I know Jiyai Shin is the defending champ and is there but just seen on Instagram Jenny Shin is back in Oz. Must be another holiday for her!
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Post by fanofseri on Jan 31, 2024 3:27:24 GMT
Shin must have her new old man by her side. How much longer can we wait?
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Post by philknj on Jan 31, 2024 10:57:47 GMT
Ilhee Lee and The Shinster
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 31, 2024 18:52:42 GMT
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 31, 2024 19:02:55 GMT
Ina's tee time is 12:51 PM. She will be playing with Tsai Fei-Ying, a JLPGA regular who is ranked 305th in the world, and Australia's Crystal Bloom, who is ranked 601st. Ina is currently 332nd in the world, having fallen from a high of 67. It's been over 500 days since she last competed in an event that counts towards world rankings. Good luck to her! Here's an article with some current quotes about her preparation. Ina claims through her management company that she is about 50% of her KLPGA level right now, and that she has been training with and taking advice from Jiyai Shin this past month. You just knew Jiyai was going to be there for her, didn't you? She's the best. |
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Post by HappyFan on Feb 1, 2024 7:07:50 GMT
Round 1
Not a great first day back for Ina... Two birdies, two bogies, and two doubles, 4 over par, t-60th at the moment. I was expecting perhaps a little better, but I'm not surprised her first significant round of golf in a year and a half was a bit dicey. Here's hoping she'll knock a little rust off tomorrow! Even Ilhee and Webb beat her, and she definitely doesn't want that to happen if she can help it.
The most well known Sisters all pretty much shot 2 under, with Cecilia Cho shooting a 5 under. The round is not quite done, but here's is the current leaderboard:
Scores:
1. Karis Davidson -7
2. Kelsey Bennett -6
T3 Sarah Jane Smith, Ashley Lau, Cecilia Cho -5
Notables:
T14 Il Hee Lee, Jiyai Shin, Min A Yoon -2
T20 Su Oh -1
T38 Karrie Webb +2
T50 HyeJi Yang +3 (not done)
T60 Ina Yoon +4
88 Doyeon Park +11
Hwaiting!
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Post by HappyFan on Feb 1, 2024 18:30:50 GMT
Some photos? The captions are unclear, but I think these are actual pix from round 1:   It was a good opening nine for Ina, +1, but she faltered with the two doubles on the back. Fingers crossed she can do a bit better tomorrow! Hwaiting! |
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Post by spectator1 on Feb 1, 2024 22:31:17 GMT
I was there yesterday, with the sunburn to prove it. Its great to watch the pro's, with no ropes, take on a course you played for 10yrs.
My main mission was the Shinster and also Ina, of course. Playing with Jiyai was aussie who always seems competitive at this event, Karis Davidson. Not bad, not bad. R1 leader, all managed while pushing her own buggy. I spoke with her dad a few years back and he lamented her need for more strength. Maybe he's snuck some weights into her bag and she's getting a good work out on the links. Karis was chatty and seemed relaxed, good luck to her.
Jiyai Shin is awesome. Just like on the tv, she acknowledges any and all crowd support with a grin and a wave. She miss-judge two wedges into short sided bunkers to end her 2nd nine. The first she saved from a dirty lie in a pot deeper than she is tall, the 2nd was even tougher and cost her a shot. Still all smiles.
Yoon Ina. Dressed all in black (those photo's are not from R1). Might want to pass on that if she makes it to the weekend, its going to heat up. Ina is thick. The Hwasa of Kgolf. Very powerful looking and just built differently (compared to this field anyway). I haven't seen her walking before today so it may be her normal, but she moved like she'd done a fire walk yesterday and it went horribly wrong. Seemed very "ginger" when walking. Hope she's ok. Like Jiyai she was all class when being complemented herself and not shy to encourage her fellow players.
The smiles were few and far between tho, her game seems not quite where it could be. Distance control was iffy. There were plenty of back pins today and she managed to go long on a few. Her short game was a mix bag, a couple of chips showed great touch and a couple let her down. Her speed was evident, the aussie in her group could get it out there but on a couple downwind holes Ina got her easilly and must have pushed 290m. Some of her drives did seem to spin up into the wind tho, costing here many metres. Tsai Peiying was the shortest but the pick of the group today. She was dying her putts to the hole and it cost her a couple times, her ball ending up sitting on the lip. She could have been 3 lower easilly. Also, she gave off great vibes.
We also checked out Min A Yoon's group, including Shannon Tan. The style contrast between those two is quite remarkable. What they had in common was striping it. Min A flushed her 3wd on the 14th but straight into a fairway pot. Its kind of a blind tee shot to a left to right dogleg. She had to lay up, the fwy bunkers here are deep hit a beautiful wedge of about 90m to a tricky pin but missed the 6ft par save. I hope she remembers the line she took off the tee if she's in contention on sunday. A bogey on the short par5 18th hole ended a dissapointing back nine. An old friend of mine is carrying for Shannon Tan. He was wrapped, her "Texas" bag was 1/3rd the weight that he lugged last year. -4 for her, great start.
We followed the great Karrie Webb for a couple of holes.. the upside was a Su Oh sighting. She seemed cranky. Oh well. I saw her later on at the range with what looked like a swing coach so who knows maybe she finds her happy place.
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Post by HappyFan on Feb 2, 2024 3:45:40 GMT
Thanks for the report! And welcome to the board. It's frustrating how hard it is to find definitive photos of Ina playing this week on the Korean web; you'd think they'd send someone to Australia to cover this event. The morning wave is done with round 2. Ina had a much better day although still inconsistent. This time she shot an even par round on the other course: five birdies, three bogies and a double. That score beats most of the people playing the course this morning; feels like the scores are worse today. So Ina's t-48th at the moment and is safe to make the cut I think. Min A Yoon, meanwhile, had a fantastic second day, a 5 under par 68 to move to 7 under, which currently is a shot out of the lead. Six birdies and a bogey. Davidson, who just started her round, just made a birdie to move ahead of her. Also a great day for Jennifer Chang, a 4 under par round to move to 2 under total and currently t-10th. Cecilia Cho, meanwhile, shot a 78 and fell to +1. Il Hee and Jiyai just started their days, both +1 for the day after a few holes, -1 total. Hwaiting!  |
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Post by HappyFan on Feb 2, 2024 7:00:45 GMT
Jiyai nearly makes an ace at the 7th in round 2. She's making a move in tough conditions...
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