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Post by mr3putt on Jan 28, 2015 17:12:46 GMT
Happy You should put this in it's own folder to get the attention it deserves. Get work and details....kudos!! I appreciate the 'personal' stuff written about each pro. You often write about the importance of distance on the LPGA tour. "she certainly has the game to contend on the LPGA, especially given how important long hitting can be on this tour." "For one, she is another very long hitter, and that always helps more on the LPGA than KLPGA." Are you implying the importance of distance that is common among many of the top LPGA pros in order for the gals on the LPGA tour to contend or win vs. a shorter hitting KLPGA tour? Or are you discussing the importance of distance on LPGA courses vs. KLPGA courses. IMO....length is not only important on the LPGA....but all tours....men & women.....bomb and gouge does help...but ultimately we all know the lowest score wins not matter length or not. Thanks for the positive words!  IMO, length helps anywhere, but the kind of courses the KLPGA plays tend to be tighter and require stronger short games, whereas there seem to be a fair number of LPGA courses with little rough and generous driving areas, which really helps the longer hitters. That's why Mirim Lee, for instance, seemed to thrive more here than she did back in Korea. I think it will help Ha Na Jang, Sei Young Kim and possibly Ju Young Park as well, as they are all in Mirim's ballpark lengthwise. IMO....from what I've seen on live streams, the KLPGA courses don't seem that much more punitive or tighter than LPGA courses. I also haven't seen very punishing rough on the KLPGA courses. Not to say the LPGA plays a lot on the classic tree lined clubs with many trees or with thick rough......since golf is 'relatively' new in S. Korea.....there aren't as many tree lined parkland courses that have been able to mature with large trees where one needs to draw and fade shots off the tee blocks. I've said it before many of the KLPGA seem similar in design based on the new style of course architecture. Mirim Lee who has length has won because she played well those weeks and yes, length helps. I think length is more important on the LPGA because many of the LPGA pros who are winners and contenders have length....but we all know length isn't everything as of the top 20 distance LPGA pros......approx 40% are relative unknown pros. PS I saw a pic of Stacy Lewis....she looked very tanned and I don't think it's from the beach....looks like she's been beating balls. I think she was quite dis-satisfied with her 2014 season....so as usual...she's be contending many times in 2015....much to my dismay.....lol. It's kind of unbelievable she would only play the now discontinued 2009 ProV1x and now playing a Bridgestone B330-RX...she's been testing balls in the off-season. Lewis, although a Mizuno gal....has played the 'dated' R1 for quite some time. |
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 28, 2015 17:40:46 GMT
IMO....from what I've seen on live streams, the KLPGA courses don't seem that much more punitive or tighter than LPGA courses. I also haven't seen very punishing rough on the KLPGA courses. Not to say the LPGA plays a lot on the classic tree lined clubs with many trees or with thick rough......since golf is 'relatively' new in S. Korea.....there aren't as many tree lined parkland courses that have been able to mature with large trees where one needs to draw and fade shots off the tee blocks. I've said it before many of the KLPGA seem similar in design based on the new style of course architecture. Mirim Lee who has length has won because she played well those weeks and yes, length helps. I think length is more important on the LPGA because many of the LPGA pros who are winners and contenders have length....but we all know length isn't everything as of the top 20 distance LPGA pros......approx 40% are relative unknown pros. We've had this discussion before, but basically you're not understanding what I'm saying. Length is of course not the only thing that makes a winner on the LPGA, and of course there are players who probably only maintain tour cards because of their length but are not very good otherwise and thus don't win. None of that invalidates what I'm saying, which is that there are more courses in this league set up so that the fairways are fairly wide and the rough not that penal (and not just long grass, but trees blocking approaches, etc. You don't get a lot of desert courses in Korea!!). So basically, if you are a long, inaccurate bomber with a mediocre short game (not terrible short game, you have to be able to make some putts!), you have more of a chance of contending many weeks than if you are a short, accurate hitter with an excellent short game. And that is not the case so much in Korea IMO. I also disagree with your assessment of KLPGA courses. They tend to be hilly with narrow fairways. The rough isn't usually bad (though I recall some pretty tough rough, like at Hanwha), but it's certainly longer than, say, the Nabisco last year. And they have many more obstacles if you miss them, like trees and tricky hilly lies and whatnot, than many of the LPGA courses seem to. |
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Post by verdantgarden on Jan 29, 2015 4:48:17 GMT
Q: How will Ha-Na Jang handle her first round as an LPGA Pro?
A: With flying colors! She is riding a bogey-free career on the tour.
Q: Baek?
A: Not so much.
It's rather awkward they couldn't finish the first round of the season because of darkness.
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Post by centurion on Jan 29, 2015 13:58:50 GMT
Q: How will Ha-Na Jang handle her first round as an LPGA Pro? A: With flying colors! She is riding a bogey-free career on the tour. Q: Baek? A: Not so much. It's rather awkward they couldn't finish the first round of the season because of darkness. I don't know what they expected. They're playing a tournament on the East Coast in January. They only have so much sunshine to work with. |
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 29, 2015 17:51:22 GMT
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 29, 2015 19:13:10 GMT
Is there a dedicated LPGA photographer from Mania Report....or does Mania Report just pay/hire a freelance photographer who works that particular event.
I assume Mania Report must own the rights to these photos so they can put their own water mark/logo?
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 30, 2015 0:24:43 GMT
Is there a dedicated LPGA photographer from Mania Report....or does Mania Report just pay/hire a freelance photographer who works that particular event. I assume Mania Report must own the rights to these photos so they can put their own water mark/logo? I don't think ManiaReport sends a photog to every event. But they probably had someone in state to cover the PGA Show (there were pix from them I posted in the 19th Hole), so it was probably easy to send those guys over to cover this as well. SPOILERS for Round 2 Niiiiice second round by Ha Na Jang. It is a bit hard to justify that the #21 golfer in the world had to Monday qualify for this event, but she's showing what she can do, and it's awesome! 4 shot lead! Here's hoping she can keep it up and not come back to the field like she did at the Q-School last month. Fist pump watch:  So Yeon Ryu and Mirim Lee are also having good days, each at 4 under, although they were not able to finish their rounds. If they can get one or two more birdies and creep a bit closer, they can put themselves into the conversation for this title. NYC at 6 under very much in the hunt. On the downside, Inbee is not getting it done this week and her #1 status is in jeopardy, while Baek and Sei Young Kim will need to do a little more work before their next events. Baek was like this early last season, too. She had two wins on the KLPGA and a top five at the Swinging Skirts, but mixed that with some lackluster finishes in Australia and two missed cuts in Korea. It was definitely a disappointing week, but it wouldn't surprise me if she goes home, has a good cry, then comes out fighting next time. Go Sisters!!!!  |
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 30, 2015 0:32:42 GMT
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 30, 2015 1:23:10 GMT
Niiiiice second round by Ha Na Jang. It is a bit hard to justify that the #21 golfer in the world had to Monday qualify for this event, but she's showing what she can do, and it's awesome! 4 shot lead! Here's hoping she can keep it up and not come back to the field like she did at the Q-School last month. On the downside, Inbee is not getting it done this week and her #1 status is in jeopardy....... Could this be the renewed start of the S. Korean reign of terror....lol....so much for the Yank resurgence. I'm not feeling it for InBee this year. Unfortunately, Lewis is not going to slide....she wants it too much...and won't let anything get in her way including being a sore loser. But I predict she'll be eating some humble pie when the Yanks lose to the Euros at the Solheim.  |
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 30, 2015 1:37:11 GMT
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Post by mr3putt on Jan 30, 2015 6:21:08 GMT
I forgot Dean Herden's is on The Hulk's bag...that a huge plus for Ha Na playing the LPGA tour.
I've read nothing but very good things about Dean.
I guess Jason Hamilton bought The Dragon Lady, Lydia's mom, a great Xmas gift...he still looping for Ko.
I don't know if I'd be more unsure if I was working for Tina or Heather Cho...lol.
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Post by fanofseri on Jan 30, 2015 6:31:29 GMT
Looks like no love between those players. Creamer never was relevant and Park can't putt lights out forever. |
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 30, 2015 8:14:35 GMT
I forgot Dean Herden's is on The Hulk's bag...that a huge plus for Ha Na playing the LPGA tour. I've read nothing but very good things about Dean. I guess Jason Hamilton bought The Dragon Lady, Lydia's mom, a great Xmas gift...he still looping for Ko. I don't know if I'd be more unsure if I was working for Tina or Heather Cho...lol. I just today found out that Herden is on Ha Na's bag. Herden has a history of being an excellent looper for Korean stars; getting him on your bag is like winning an Oscar. Back when Jiyai Shin was just a young golfer setting the KLPGA on fire, Herden made a point of offering his services to her. It paid off when she got to the LPGA and soon after became the #1 women's golfer in the world. In 2011, Herden was taking time off to be with his ailing mother, but was convinced to carry the bag for a young KLPGA player at the US Women's Open. That player was So Yeon Ryu, and she went on to win. The player who lost to Ryu in the playoff was so impressed with Herden that she stole him from Ryu. Hee Kyung Seo employed Herden until she took her lengthy maternity break. Herden, meanwhile, helped Ryu find her caddie Tom Watson, whom she has been with ever since. He bounced around a bit most of last year, but now looks like he's settled on Ha Na Jang. In an interview at GolfChannel's site was the following: "Herden is very high on Jang’s potential. “By the end of 2016, she’s going to be No. 1 in the world,” Herden said. “Her ball striking is unbelievable. Her iron play reminds me a lot of Jiyai Shin’s.”" High praise indeed! |
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Post by HappyFan on Jan 30, 2015 8:24:52 GMT
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Post by centurion on Jan 30, 2015 13:53:19 GMT
If you play against each other enough, one of two things will happen - you will either grow a great friendship with that person, or you will grow to despise them. I'm pretty sure Inbee and Stacy absolutely hate each other. There's honestly nothing, cultural or personality wise that would unite these players. Lydia Ko, on the other hand, seems to get along with everyone. |
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