Post by philknj on Jun 9, 2017 17:08:32 GMT
I dropped by Galloway National GC before 8 AM and checked out the starter’s tee time sheet...a mixture of young to old, including Blair O’Neal, Elena Robles, Lori Kane, Alexandria Jacobsen, Val Skinner, Vickie Goetz-Ackerman, Karen Noble, Maggie Will, and Cathy Johnston-Forbes.
I took a walk among the carts looking at the gear. O’Neal is still with Cobra and gaming their Fly Z+ irons, including a 4-iron. Jacobsen’s bag is Callaway...she was an early Coates Golf staffer, but there is not a shred of Coates now. Also inspected Lori Kane’s bag on the course...has the latest TaylorMade 750 or 770 irons, with a strip of lead tape on the 5 thru 7 and the PW.
I made a pitstop inside the ultra-plush men’s locker room. It had framed articles on the wall that mentioned some aspect of the golf club. One of them covered the par-3 17th hole, so I had to see it for myself. The pro-am tee was about 180 yards, but I took a walk to the back, where it is 253 yards to the center of the green, 275 yards to the back, and a forced-carry over a bunker of 231 yards to the front. The hole has a direct view over the bay to Atlantic City.
I visited the holes on the west side of Route 9, which are #11 thru #15. Not coincidentally, the two players with the best optical values were also there, Robles and O’Neal.
Robles is a Volvik staffer...unfortunately, I don’t think she has the game to join the REAL Volvik staffers on the LPGA tour.
After watching her play, I don’t think it was a fluke that O’Neal was the only “harem” invitee to make the cut in Dubai last December. She hit consecutive iron shots that were as good as any you’ll see on the LPGA.
The par-4 13th is a long uphill hole with major bunkering on the left side. Her team used Blair’s drive, which was on the far-left side...I was on the right side...couldn’t see her lie. I don’t know what yardage she had to the pin, but it was clearly way more than a dropkick wedge. She stuffed it to within three feet.
The par-4 14th is downhill par-3 (at least 180) with the flag in the back-right corner. I was behind the green when Blair landed her ball to the right(!) of the flag and it rolled up about pin high for a birdie putt of maybe six feet.
I exited the course and drove to the shuttle bus area for the Seaview. The first player I saw was Gaby Lopez, who had started at #10 was getting ready to tee off at #1.
I picked up a pro-am tee sheet, but had no plan to follow anyone in particular. I was stunned to see So Yeon Ryu in the last group of the day teeing off at #10. That spot is normally filled by washouts and wannabes.
Made a stop at the main practice putting green. Dani Holmqvist filled in for Dumbo this week with a blank visor. Her caddy might have been her coach or daddy and wore some Team Sweden garb. I saw a chunky Asian woman handling Annie Park’s bag...maybe her mom was looping this week. Pat Hurst was helping Juli Inkster with her putting. I’m guessing Pat was here for one of the pro-ams at Atlantic City CC or the Seaview Pines course.
I took a stroll to the driving range, which has a left and right section. The right side is reserved for the pros. The left side is for the amateurs, but the pros can use it if the right side is filled up. Between the sections is a shack that washes and supplies the balls.
Brittany Lang was on the far-right section of the amateur range accompanied two guys...I assume one was her brother. Her husband was not there, but I saw him Friday. It looked like she was hitting some nice PXG 5-wood shots...after the last one she turned to the guys and said, “That was butter.”
Between shots, she asked the guys for their advice/opinion. First, she asked the guys to confirm that Manulife was bailing on the LPGA after this year...the consensus among them: true. Manulife is also one of her sponsors (I looked up Getty photos and she has had “Manulife” on her left shirt collar since late 2015). Brittany opined that for what she gets from them, “they ask for a lot.” Then she described her upcoming schedule...assuming she plays Shop-Rite on Sunday, she has to hustle up to Canada for a charity pro-am on Monday, and play the regular pro-am on Wednesday. She was hoping to have Tuesday off, but they recently asked her to attend and speak at a women’s luncheon on Tuesday at the club.
Brittany was told she’d have to speak for 30 minutes. One of the guys said, “it’ll be longer than that.” It’s not clear if she made a decision on attending or not, but I heard her say, “if you never say no, they’ll never stop asking.” She also threw this in on the venue: “Most of the players hate that course, but I like it.”
I spent the rest of the day checking out various pro-am groups. Nasa Hataoka was putting at #4, so I stationed myself behind the 5th tee box. Her looper did 99.9% of the talking...with a heavy Irish accent. Nasa is not in the LPGA...she is in The Twilight Zone.
The schedule said Maddie Sheils would tee off at 1 PM at #1, so I arrived ahead of time. She and her caddy walked past the 1st tee, past the Shop-Rite pavilion, and around the corner to the 10th tee. Not a problem, I waited...about 3-5 minutes later Maddie and caddy sheepishly walked back to the first tee. She has a nice face, roughly the same stature as Jennifer Song.
I passed by In Kyung Kim and her caddy...I assume he is new. Inky asked him, “What are your favorite fruits?”
Marina Alex arrived at the 14th tee and was greeted by an old volunteer who said he went to the same high school as Marina in Wayne, NJ. Alex said her parents have moved to Florida, but still has many relatives in northern NJ.
Jacqui Concolino fired up a cigarette while waiting to hit at the 12th tee, which was rare sight...can’t recall seeing any other playing smoking or vaping. Same with the loopers...even Mardi Lunn might be cutting back. Concolino had some unusual clubhead movements before hitting the ball, so I followed her to the par-4 13th tee for another look. She did some fidgety moves and then addressed the ball with the heel of the clubhead before starting her backswing. I think Fuzzy Zoeller has the same heel set up.
I made a brief visit to the par-5 3rd hole and Long Driver Will Hogue was there again. He had a light breeze at his back the day before, but now the wind had reversed direction and was stronger. He definitely lost some distance and accuracy as a result.
I followed Karen Chung’s group for a few holes on the back nine...if I recall correctly, that’s the group that had an injury. I was walking up the left side of the 16th fairway and an emergency golf cart with flashing lights was parked ahead looking at the swollen right ankle of this guy. The EMTs put some ice on it, but there wasn’t much they could do...suggested he get an x-ray. They asked where he was staying (“The Borgata”) and suggested a place to go for further treatment. They got him in the EMT cart and drove away. I don’t know how well this guy knew his playing partners, but they thought it was hilarious, making stale jokes like the EMTs were really cops picking up this guy for carrying drugs. I asked what happened and they said he stepped off a curb awkwardly and his ankle blew up within 30 seconds.
After Chung’s group teed off at the par-3 17th, I waited for SY Ryu bringing up the rear and followed her thru the 18th hole. She continued to #1 for her second nine holes, but I did not. It was a strange scene at the main practice green after 6:30 PM...the #3 player in the world had just finished her pro-am...and attracted almost no attention...not many players or spectators present. She called for “Tommy” to do or get something before she began her practice.
On the shuttle ride back to the parking area, I noticed a player walking through the parking lot of a restaurant diagonally across from the Shop-Rite on E. Jimmie Leeds Road. The guy sitting next to me said it was Celine Herbin.
I went into Shop-Rite after being dropped off...I picked up a box of their granola bars, which were on sale. I continued down the back aisle and thought, “that’s a good price, I should get another box.” When I turned around, Danielle Kang and an Asian girl I did not recognize were coming in my direction. After getting the second box, I had an idea...meanwhile, I thought about the second girl...three small white marks or stripes on the jacket collar...Adidas...got it, that’s Mina Harigae. I hovered not too close, but not too far, and got behind them at the express checkout line. Unfortunately, there is no useful dirt to report. Kang did all the talking, a lot of giggly gossip about persons unknown...I tuned it out. But, it’s nice to see the stars hanging out with the down-and-outers.
I took a walk among the carts looking at the gear. O’Neal is still with Cobra and gaming their Fly Z+ irons, including a 4-iron. Jacobsen’s bag is Callaway...she was an early Coates Golf staffer, but there is not a shred of Coates now. Also inspected Lori Kane’s bag on the course...has the latest TaylorMade 750 or 770 irons, with a strip of lead tape on the 5 thru 7 and the PW.
I made a pitstop inside the ultra-plush men’s locker room. It had framed articles on the wall that mentioned some aspect of the golf club. One of them covered the par-3 17th hole, so I had to see it for myself. The pro-am tee was about 180 yards, but I took a walk to the back, where it is 253 yards to the center of the green, 275 yards to the back, and a forced-carry over a bunker of 231 yards to the front. The hole has a direct view over the bay to Atlantic City.
I visited the holes on the west side of Route 9, which are #11 thru #15. Not coincidentally, the two players with the best optical values were also there, Robles and O’Neal.
Robles is a Volvik staffer...unfortunately, I don’t think she has the game to join the REAL Volvik staffers on the LPGA tour.
After watching her play, I don’t think it was a fluke that O’Neal was the only “harem” invitee to make the cut in Dubai last December. She hit consecutive iron shots that were as good as any you’ll see on the LPGA.
The par-4 13th is a long uphill hole with major bunkering on the left side. Her team used Blair’s drive, which was on the far-left side...I was on the right side...couldn’t see her lie. I don’t know what yardage she had to the pin, but it was clearly way more than a dropkick wedge. She stuffed it to within three feet.
The par-4 14th is downhill par-3 (at least 180) with the flag in the back-right corner. I was behind the green when Blair landed her ball to the right(!) of the flag and it rolled up about pin high for a birdie putt of maybe six feet.
I exited the course and drove to the shuttle bus area for the Seaview. The first player I saw was Gaby Lopez, who had started at #10 was getting ready to tee off at #1.
I picked up a pro-am tee sheet, but had no plan to follow anyone in particular. I was stunned to see So Yeon Ryu in the last group of the day teeing off at #10. That spot is normally filled by washouts and wannabes.
Made a stop at the main practice putting green. Dani Holmqvist filled in for Dumbo this week with a blank visor. Her caddy might have been her coach or daddy and wore some Team Sweden garb. I saw a chunky Asian woman handling Annie Park’s bag...maybe her mom was looping this week. Pat Hurst was helping Juli Inkster with her putting. I’m guessing Pat was here for one of the pro-ams at Atlantic City CC or the Seaview Pines course.
I took a stroll to the driving range, which has a left and right section. The right side is reserved for the pros. The left side is for the amateurs, but the pros can use it if the right side is filled up. Between the sections is a shack that washes and supplies the balls.
Brittany Lang was on the far-right section of the amateur range accompanied two guys...I assume one was her brother. Her husband was not there, but I saw him Friday. It looked like she was hitting some nice PXG 5-wood shots...after the last one she turned to the guys and said, “That was butter.”
Between shots, she asked the guys for their advice/opinion. First, she asked the guys to confirm that Manulife was bailing on the LPGA after this year...the consensus among them: true. Manulife is also one of her sponsors (I looked up Getty photos and she has had “Manulife” on her left shirt collar since late 2015). Brittany opined that for what she gets from them, “they ask for a lot.” Then she described her upcoming schedule...assuming she plays Shop-Rite on Sunday, she has to hustle up to Canada for a charity pro-am on Monday, and play the regular pro-am on Wednesday. She was hoping to have Tuesday off, but they recently asked her to attend and speak at a women’s luncheon on Tuesday at the club.
Brittany was told she’d have to speak for 30 minutes. One of the guys said, “it’ll be longer than that.” It’s not clear if she made a decision on attending or not, but I heard her say, “if you never say no, they’ll never stop asking.” She also threw this in on the venue: “Most of the players hate that course, but I like it.”
I spent the rest of the day checking out various pro-am groups. Nasa Hataoka was putting at #4, so I stationed myself behind the 5th tee box. Her looper did 99.9% of the talking...with a heavy Irish accent. Nasa is not in the LPGA...she is in The Twilight Zone.
The schedule said Maddie Sheils would tee off at 1 PM at #1, so I arrived ahead of time. She and her caddy walked past the 1st tee, past the Shop-Rite pavilion, and around the corner to the 10th tee. Not a problem, I waited...about 3-5 minutes later Maddie and caddy sheepishly walked back to the first tee. She has a nice face, roughly the same stature as Jennifer Song.
I passed by In Kyung Kim and her caddy...I assume he is new. Inky asked him, “What are your favorite fruits?”
Marina Alex arrived at the 14th tee and was greeted by an old volunteer who said he went to the same high school as Marina in Wayne, NJ. Alex said her parents have moved to Florida, but still has many relatives in northern NJ.
Jacqui Concolino fired up a cigarette while waiting to hit at the 12th tee, which was rare sight...can’t recall seeing any other playing smoking or vaping. Same with the loopers...even Mardi Lunn might be cutting back. Concolino had some unusual clubhead movements before hitting the ball, so I followed her to the par-4 13th tee for another look. She did some fidgety moves and then addressed the ball with the heel of the clubhead before starting her backswing. I think Fuzzy Zoeller has the same heel set up.
I made a brief visit to the par-5 3rd hole and Long Driver Will Hogue was there again. He had a light breeze at his back the day before, but now the wind had reversed direction and was stronger. He definitely lost some distance and accuracy as a result.
I followed Karen Chung’s group for a few holes on the back nine...if I recall correctly, that’s the group that had an injury. I was walking up the left side of the 16th fairway and an emergency golf cart with flashing lights was parked ahead looking at the swollen right ankle of this guy. The EMTs put some ice on it, but there wasn’t much they could do...suggested he get an x-ray. They asked where he was staying (“The Borgata”) and suggested a place to go for further treatment. They got him in the EMT cart and drove away. I don’t know how well this guy knew his playing partners, but they thought it was hilarious, making stale jokes like the EMTs were really cops picking up this guy for carrying drugs. I asked what happened and they said he stepped off a curb awkwardly and his ankle blew up within 30 seconds.
After Chung’s group teed off at the par-3 17th, I waited for SY Ryu bringing up the rear and followed her thru the 18th hole. She continued to #1 for her second nine holes, but I did not. It was a strange scene at the main practice green after 6:30 PM...the #3 player in the world had just finished her pro-am...and attracted almost no attention...not many players or spectators present. She called for “Tommy” to do or get something before she began her practice.
On the shuttle ride back to the parking area, I noticed a player walking through the parking lot of a restaurant diagonally across from the Shop-Rite on E. Jimmie Leeds Road. The guy sitting next to me said it was Celine Herbin.
I went into Shop-Rite after being dropped off...I picked up a box of their granola bars, which were on sale. I continued down the back aisle and thought, “that’s a good price, I should get another box.” When I turned around, Danielle Kang and an Asian girl I did not recognize were coming in my direction. After getting the second box, I had an idea...meanwhile, I thought about the second girl...three small white marks or stripes on the jacket collar...Adidas...got it, that’s Mina Harigae. I hovered not too close, but not too far, and got behind them at the express checkout line. Unfortunately, there is no useful dirt to report. Kang did all the talking, a lot of giggly gossip about persons unknown...I tuned it out. But, it’s nice to see the stars hanging out with the down-and-outers.
