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Post by HappyFan on Dec 10, 2014 17:53:13 GMT
This week marks the beginning of the 2015 season on the KLPGA! It seems like only yesterday we were wrapping up 2014... Each year, the KLPGA has one or two events in the Winter, then a long layoff, then the season starts in earnest. They haven't released the 2015 KLPGA schedule yet, but expect the next event to be sometime in April. But meanwhile, we have this event, co-sanctioned by the Chinese LPGA.  The defending champ is Ha Na Jang, while Hyo Joo Kim won it two years ago for her first KLPGA win as a tour member. Both are here again! Meanwhile, Mi Hyang Lee and MJ Hur are here to represent the LPGA tour. (I guess Jang and Hyo Joo represent the LPGA, too, now that I think about it!).  Hye Youn Kim has had a ton of success here; the last four years, she has finished first-first-second-second.  Action starts on the 12th! Here are some more pix: Hyo Joo and MJ hold court   Balloons!    Trophy  |
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Post by IceCat on Dec 11, 2014 10:14:39 GMT
The CLPGA contingent do have something on the line this week in their season finale, even if as is likely none of them lift the tournament trophy come Sunday.
With Shanshan Feng, who's come the closest to breaking the KLPGA's hammerlock on this event, playing in Dubai this week, the top ranked domestic player in the field is Xiyu Lin, who spent most of her year on the LPGA Tour where she finished a distant 6th in the Rookie of the Year race. She missed seven cuts and was DQed in Hawai'i in her 21 starts on Tour, highlighted by just 3 top 20's including her lone top 10 (T9 in Portland) to finish 81st on the Money List. The 90th-ranked player in the world hasn't played an LPGA event since the Blue Bay as she's gone on a tear on her home tour in November, nabbing two wins (including the Sanya Ladies Open, assuring her a two year exemption on the LET and a place at both the Women's British Open and Evian) and one other top 10 to zoom up to the top of the CLPGA Order of Merit. For the first time ever the top three on the CLPGA Order of Merit will have exemptions into the US Women's Open, so Xiyu certainly made the right call to play in Shenzhen rather than Dubai this week as a good finish will almost certainly cement her place in Lancaster, PA next summer.www.clpga.org/En/golf/tournaments/China-LPGA-Tour-Hyundai-China-Ladies-Open-2014/news_3733.htmlKevin
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Post by mr3putt on Dec 11, 2014 18:41:00 GMT
Thx for the info Ice. I think "Janet" Lin has a residence in Orlando.....I think she also attended a golf academy in Florida?  ? Yikes....I don't like that the pros are touching the trophy.....bad karma (aske any NHL player or Yani). |
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Post by HappyFan on Dec 12, 2014 17:45:31 GMT
Round 1: Char Young Kim Vaults into the leadGlamour girl Char Young Kim shot a scintillating 6 under par 66 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of this tournament. Kim had 8 birdies, including four in a row at one point, offset by two bogies.  Taiwanese player Pei-Yun Chien was second with a 66, while China's (and the LPGA's) Xiyu Lin was third with a 68. Among the Korean stars, In Gee Chun and defending champ Ha Na Jang produced 69s, while Hyo Joo Kim shot a 70.    From the LPGA, MJ Hur shot a 71, but Mi Hyang Lee only came up with a 75.  Hye Youn Kim, who has owned this event the past four years, shot a 74. Two more days! Scores: 1. Char Young Kim 66 -6 2. Pei-Yun Chien 67 -5 3. Xiyu Lin 68 -44. Bo Kyung Kim, In Gee Chun, Ha Na Jang, Ji Hyun Kim 2, Ji Ram Kweon, Su Yeon Jang, Hye In Yeom 69 -3 Notables: 11. Hyo Joo Kim 70 -2 14. MJ Hur 71 -115. Jeong Eun Lee 5, Min Young Lee, Shin Ae Ahn 72 Even 23. Ran Hong, Jin Young Ko 73 +1 33. Hye Youn Kim 74 +2 45. Mi Hyang Lee 75 +360. Je Yoon Yang, Min Sun Kim 5 76 +4 73. Da Na Kim, Shi Hyun Ahn 77 +5
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Post by mr3putt on Dec 13, 2014 6:50:49 GMT
WTF...no pictures of Sharon.
Char Young Kim is quite the looker....but dresses boring...she needs to take lessons on style from Sky & Sharon.
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Post by HappyFan on Dec 13, 2014 16:25:51 GMT
Round 2: Don't Look Now - Hyo Joo Kim Takes Share of LeadHyo Joo Kim shot a morning round of 67 - six birdies and one bogey - to move to 7 under total and a share of the lead with Ji Hyun Kim 2 (note that Ji Hyun Kim 1 is T-11th right now; don't get them confused!).  In Gee Chun, playing in the afternoon, shot a 69 to move to 6 under, just a shot back. Could be a showdown brewing!  The top Chinese player and the only non-Korean still in the top ten is Xiyu Lin. She shot a 71 and is at 5 under. The LPGA stars struggled. MJ Hur fell to +1 after a 74. Mi Hyang Lee shot a 70 and is tied with Hur. Ha Na Jang is at 4 under and still very much in this! Min Young Lee shot a 68 and is tied with Jang. One more day! (Note: sorry about the lack of photos; there are very few pix for this event for some reason) Scores: 1. Hyo Joo Kim 67 -7 - Ji Hyun Kim 2 68 -7 3. In Gee Chun 69 -6 - Char Young Kim 72 -6 5. Xiyu Lin 71 -5- Su Yeon Jang 70 -5 - Hye In Yeom 70 -5 Notables: 8. Min Young Lee 68 -4 - Ha Na Jang 71 -4 14. Jin Young Ko 69 -2 18. Hye Youn Kim 70 Even - Shin Ae Ahn 72 Even 28. Mi Hyang Lee 60 +1
- MJ Hur 74 +1
35. Ran Hong 73 +2 48. Min Sun Kim 5 72 +4 64. Je Yoon Yang 74 +6 - Shi Hyun Ahn 73 +6 Missed cut Da Na Kim 75 +8
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Post by mr3putt on Dec 14, 2014 8:46:45 GMT
(Note: sorry about the lack of photos; there are very few pix for this event for some reason) It's China.....everything is censored and inspected....we had to surrender our passports every night to the different hotels on our China tour trip. Our tour guide said if Bin Laden was hiding in China....the Chinese would have found him in 2 weeks...lol. |
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Post by mr3putt on Dec 14, 2014 8:53:30 GMT
Great win by HYK.
Love her swing/action on her wedges shots......she also seems quite confident with the flat stick...she doesn't stand over her putts for a long time.
HJK needs to ask Santa for a waterproof rain suit....she got destroyed with a water shower by 10 of her KLPGA peers.
Chun made it close bit faltered coming home.
1st time I've seen Xiyu (Janet) Lin play....a really loose swing...especially with her driver...she seems stuck at the top and then tries to save it coming through.
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Post by HappyFan on Dec 14, 2014 8:56:49 GMT
Round 3: Spectacular Mano-a-Mano Between Chun and Kim, with Hyo Joo Coming Out on Top
What a great way to end the season! The top players on the KLPGA tour all came to play, and it resulted in an entertaining shootout for the title. Ha Na Jang and Min Young Lee were in the third to last group; In Gee Chun was in the second-to-last group, and Hyo Joo Kim was in the final group. Jang started the day with four straight birdies to vault to 8 under. But lest Jang thought that would mean something, Hyo Joo quickly set her right by making FIVE straight birdies starting at hole 2. By the turn, Kim was 6 under for the day and had a four shot lead over In Gee Chun, who was three under on the front, and Jang.   Things got even better on the back. Starting on 8, In Gee Chun made five straight birdies of her own; on the last of those holes, the 12th, the ball just missed going in for a holeout eagle. While that was going on, Hyo Joo hit a rare roadbump on the par 3 13th. She seemed to have been distracted on the tee shot, and her ball plugged in the bunker. She somehow got it out but still made bogey. The two shot swing between her on 13 and Chun making yet another birdie on 14 meant that they were tied at the top at 13 under. Amazingly, Chun had made four shots up on the seemingly unstoppable Hyo Joo Kim.  They remained tied for the next few holes until Hyo Joo made a birdie on the par 5 16th, while Chun only made par.  Chun left her ball well short on her birdie try on 17, but dug deep and saved par to remain one back. But on the next hole, it looked as if her drive found the water. But NO! It was dry but in the rough, and she finessed her approach onto the green, where it rolled to the fringe twenty feet back. In Gee basically had a must make birdie, but she blew it past the hole and three putted for bogey. That was pretty much game-set-match, and Hyo Joo finished up with a two putt from 8 feet a few minutes later.  For Hyo Joo Kim, it was another brilliant performance, her 6th KLPGA win of the 2014 calendar year. For Chun, she produced a scintillating 66 and still lost. Disappointing, perhaps, but she shot a great round and confirmed she will be a force to be reckoned with in 2015. Great job, ladies! See you in a few months! Scores: 1. Hyo Joo Kim 65 -14 2. In Gee Chun 66 -12 3. Xiyu Lin 68 -9- Ha Na Jang 67 -9 5. Ji Hyun Kim 68 -7 Notables: 6. Min Young Lee 70 -6 - Jin Young Ko 68 -6 9. Ji Hyun Kim 2 74 -5 11. Hye Youn Kim 68 -4 - Char Young Kim 74 -4 20. MJ Hur 70 -1
24. Mi Hyang Lee 71 Even
34. Ran Hong 72 +2 - Shin Ae Ahn 74 +2 49. Min Sun Kim 5 73 +5 61. Je Yoon Yang 74 +8
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Post by HappyFan on Dec 14, 2014 16:21:20 GMT
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Post by centurion on Dec 15, 2014 16:02:20 GMT
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Post by HappyFan on Dec 15, 2014 17:36:01 GMT
She might have my vote, too (tune in to the SeoulSisters awards in a few weeks to find out the answer!  ). In Gee has nothing to be ashamed of at all. I read an article after round 2 where she said she was going to aggressively go for the win, she played great, made up a four shot deficit... But man, when Hyo Joo is on her game, she is tough to stop. Another article has a quote from Hyo Joo to the effect that she really buckled down when In Gee caught her, and when Hyo Joo buckles down, she often winds up with a trophy! I also read that Chun seems to play particularly well on Jack Nicklaus designed courses; apparently three of her four wins came on those, and this was also a Nicklaus course. Hyo Joo rose to 8th on the Rolex Rankings this week, Chun to 20th. The article also said that she was originally not intending to play the event, but the KLPGA convinced her to do it. I wonder how much influence the KLPGA is going to have on Hyo Joo in shaping her schedule next year? Hopefully she learns how to say 'no' when necessary... The article also said that Hyo Joo will return to Korea and get her Lasik eye surgery. There will be a two week recovery, following which she will start her Winter training in earnest. |
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Post by mr3putt on Dec 15, 2014 22:33:45 GMT
That 7 hole playoff was brutal......7 holes and only 2 birdies between Chalmers and Scott. Pathetic wedge shots too....they never really stuck any in close. I can only imagine how bad Adam's putting will be once he loses the broom stick. I would have bet a LPGA pro would have beat those two in the playoff (from the approach shots). Kayner & Fraser also choked it up in Thailand and basically gave Westwood the win. That Amata Springs course is pretty good....I remember watching Guan Tianlang win the 2012 Pac Asia Am in Nov to obtain his invite to the 2013 Masters. Guan played but only had a good final rd. |
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Post by mr3putt on Dec 15, 2014 22:36:21 GMT
She might have my vote, too (tune in to the SeoulSisters awards in a few weeks to find out the answer! ). In Gee has nothing to be ashamed of at all. I read an article after round 2 where she said she was going to aggressively go for the win, she played great, made up a four shot deficit... But man, when Hyo Joo is on her game, she is tough to stop. Another article has a quote from Hyo Joo to the effect that she really buckled down when In Gee caught her, and when Hyo Joo buckles down, she often winds up with a trophy! I also read that Chun seems to play particularly well on Jack Nicklaus designed courses; apparently three of her four wins came on those, and this was also a Nicklaus course. Hyo Joo rose to 8th on the Rolex Rankings this week, Chun to 20th. The article also said that she was originally not intending to play the event, but the KLPGA convinced her to do it. I wonder how much influence the KLPGA is going to have on Hyo Joo in shaping her schedule next year? Hopefully she learns how to say 'no' when necessary... The article also said that Hyo Joo will return to Korea and get her Lasik eye surgery. There will be a two week recovery, following which she will start her Winter training in earnest. Chun must like a fade......some of Nicklaus's courses have some fade bias. Let's not forget the fine that would have been imposed by either or both the KLPGA or sponsor if Sky played in the 2013 LPGA Q school. |
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Post by centurion on Dec 16, 2014 4:21:29 GMT
The article also said that she was originally not intending to play the event, but the KLPGA convinced her to do it. I wonder how much influence the KLPGA is going to have on Hyo Joo in shaping her schedule next year? Hopefully she learns how to say 'no' when necessary... The KLPGA is squeezing as much out of Hyo Joo as they can right now because they know they won't have much influence on her when she starts making a massive amount of money in the States. Then the KLPGA will be begging instead of demanding, like they do with players like Ryu and Hur. |
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