Post by philknj on Jun 20, 2022 7:42:28 GMT
I was the second car in the shuttle lot ... had to get there early because Mi Hyang Lee was the first alternate for the earliest pro-ams ... maybe she would be needed, who knows. Logically, she’d have to warm up just-in-case, so I was there at the range when she arrived ... she gave me her usual greeting (“long time, no see”) and we exchanged fist bumps. She went to the far end to work on pitch shots. In the end, she was not needed for a pro-am.
Since I crossed Route 9 a few times, this report will be much easier to write by place and individual, not by chronology.
Pines course pro-ams:
Kathleen Ekey – distant memories ... she really caught my attention at the 2009 USWO
... now gaming Taylormade M2 driver, PXG irons and Callaway wedges.
Val Skinner – had Ping i210 irons and her remaining gear was Ping ... she barely had a backswing, but still put a drive in the fairway at #1 ... wore a straw fedora and had a heavy wrap around her left knee ... had a Siwanoy CC badge on her bag.
Belen Mozo – wore white sleeveless one-piece golf dress ... ‘Smokeshow’ nickname still applies ... drove her ball straight right at the dogleg-left par-4 13th hole ... when the ams asked her if she would look for that ball, she waved her arms dismissively towards the right and described that shot as some type of s***, which got a few laughs ... plays Cally driver, TM P-790 irons and TM wedges.
Christine Song – definitely an upgrade by replacing Melissa Mabanta on the original tee sheet ... used to be visor/shirt/shorts on the LPGA, but looked a little slimmer in cap/shirt/pants in this pro-am ... bottle blonde with a Karen haircut, I think ... Cally driver and irons, plus Cleveland RTX wedges w/ oil can finish ... bag and towel says Hammock Beach golf & spa resort, just south of St. Augustine, FL on Atlantic coast ... if repping for them is her day job, kudos to her ... hit superb FW or UT at par-3 3rd hole that was all over the flag, listed at 164 yards (caddie said it played like 180).
Sky Seo – dropped the ‘Hanule’ part of her name for marketing purposes, I guess ... first saw her at Raven’s Claw GC in 2018 with gorgeous Fourteen FH-900 irons, now gaming functional (but boring) Cally irons ... Central Aluminum is still main sponsor on bag, someone there must really love her ... went for the green in two at the par-5 2nd hole, but missed it left and lost the ball ... explained the shot as a 3-wood, then thrust her flattened hand and fingers forward and said “penetration!”
Lindsey Weaver-Wright ... replaced Allisen Corpuz on original pro-am tee sheet ... had ex-NY Knick John Starks in her group ... he must love golf ... I think he was the only celebrity amateur from the Cognizant Founders Cup to play down here ... hope he doesn’t play basketball anymore, because he’s way out of shape for it, but the golf game is alright ... hit the green at one of the par-3 holes.
Paige Spirinac ... showed up in a black sleeveless getup that could pass as a body sock, plus or minus a few strategic alterations for golf purposes ... still might not pass the current LPGA apparel regulations (which she’ll never have to worry about) ... displayed full backswing and good athletic form as she hit a going draw with the driver that fit the 13th hole ... Crazy Bob dumped her (or was it the reverse?), but her non-PXG weapons are probably better: TM Stealth driver, Mizuno JPX 921 irons and TM wedges ... I’m a little surprised that LIV golf hasn’t signed her up for personal appearances at its events (or maybe that’s in the works).
Driving Range:
Since Taylormade ditched its on-site servicing for the LPGA, Mr. Callaway might have taken over as the main guy on this tour ... if there were other brand reps there before Thursday, I didn’t see them. The repair van was still at the range, but I didn’t see the guy in it do any work ... he probably got it all done by Wednesday.
To his credit, Mr. Callaway is equally friendly with the minor leaguers and major leaguers. He chatted a while with Dori Carter and knew that Kyle Roig recently got married.
In-Kyung Kim has been with Callaway in recent years, but she might have received a whole new set of sticks this week. The woman who does the equipment survey was doing a prolonged examination of Inky’s clubs (including shafts) ... normally, the lady would be on the 1st or 10th tee before the opening shots of the first round, jotting down only gear changes in her notebook.
Inky thoroughly worked out one of her wedges under the watch of Mr. Callaway and a launch monitor. After reviewing the numbers, he walked the club over to the repair van and bent it himself. After more swings and more numbers, she gave Mr. Callaway a high-five of approval.
Jenny Suh Thompson (formerly Jenny Suh) borrowed a few a demos from Mr. Callaway to try out. For someone who was here to do the Pines course pro-am, I was a little surprised by this move. After all, she’s not on the LPGA anymore, so why bother? Now I know why ... she is entered in the KPMG/LPGA Championship via a category called ‘Top Finisher PGA Women's Stroke Play’. What is that? Was she in some kind of tournament with teaching pros? Is she some kind of Omar Uresti sandbagger?! I guess she quit the tour to do more than become a dental hygienist (I think that’s what she did).
Bianca Pagdanganan began her routine on the range by going through twists and stretches with heavy elastic bands held by her caddie, who is built like a trainer ... it wouldn’t surprise me if he were her caddie and trainer. A girl was following her wearing an ICTSI visor ... does Bianca have a baby sis?
Practice green:
Caught the end of this conversation:
Jackie Schram (looper for Frida Kinhult): “I’m from Michigan.”
Other looper: “That’s a blue state, isn’t it?”
Schram: “Yeah, our governor’s a dumbass.”
(phone rings)
Schram: "Yeah ... contact the rep and find out what happened to our s**t.”
*****
Su Oh and Katherine Kirk had a long chat ... first touched on what tournaments they might be playing Down Under during the December/January timeframe. Discussed a few courses there (“didn’t ‘Claytes’ work on that one?”) ... Su was not keen on driving six hours alone into the wilderness for one of them (more of a destination than a golf course). Capt. Kirk said she has tennis elbow from doing too much housework and car washing, but it didn’t affect her golf. Su wants to get a LASIK procedure during the offseason ... will probably go to Korea for it (“they do it every day and its much cheaper”) ... she’s tired of waking up in the morning and not seeing anything. Capt. Kirk invited her to McGettigan’s for dinner later with a few other people. Su declined, said she planned to do Vietnamese with her mom, who recently arrived in the U.S. for the first time since 2019.
*******
As usual, Mitsuki Katahira of Japan’s TV Wowow was on the job keeping tabs on Team Japan. That also includes Karrie Webb, who has N.S. Pro logos on her bag and cap. Karrie loves Japan golf and the feeling is mutual ... the two sat down for a video interview in English. (see below)
********
Jeff DeCoen (looper for Katie Yoo) wore wild green duds, courtesy of LoudMouth Golf ... I hope he has a generous deal with them ... he doesn’t get out on this tour too often and his players are usually lower echelon.
Bay course pro-ams:
Bianca – followed her for a few holes on the back nine and with my crummy 2013 flip phone, I took the Money Shot of the Week at the 11th tee (see below).
Dani Holmqvist – total makeover in 2022 ... had Callaway woods and irons in 2021, along with Nike shoes and Chervo attire ... this year she is Titleist/Vokey/Footjoy, along with Michael Kors golf attire.
Gerina Mendoza – got a couple of pics at the par-5 9th tee.
Muni He – Found her at the 9th tee where one of the ams told her he learned about the Cultural Revolution by doing a college class trip to China in 1980 ... I wonder if she saves her more unorthodox outfits for pro-ams ... wore some kind of tubular, one piece, racerback thingy, which I never saw before (see below).
Brooke Matthews – caught up with her group at the par-4 6th tee ... they were 11-under with four holes remaining ... the leading team in the clubhouse was at -15, but these guys were talking about running the table to at least tie for the lead ... and that’s what they did ... not surprising as Matthews is no bunter and the four ams were all gorillas.
Special note on the weather:
For the first time in a few years, this course had some serious and sustained wind gusts with weird directional variations. For instance, all three par-5 holes were into the wind ... the wind blew from south to north for #9 and #18, but went west to east for #3!
Maria Fassi had a taste of it. She did not bring a driver here last October, but wisely had one now. With the blocks at the 460-mark on #9, she went all out as usual on her swing, but the ball went only 252. She still reached the green area with an iron from 208 ... or I think she did, because the ball was never found.
Having the wind at your back was not risk-free. The par-4 6th hole, moderately uphill and listed at 396, was in a jet stream towards the bay. Robynn Ree teed up a driver and hit it dead straight, but ran out of fairway. From the rough, I heard her caddie say she had 94 to the flag. Maybe less club would have been better?
By the way, if you thought the tall trees on the Pines course might impede the wind, well, I don’t think they do. I felt no difference on that course.
I left the Seaview hoping that Friday’s first round winds would be just as strong as Thursday’s, so I could see a good old-fashioned bloodbath.
Since I crossed Route 9 a few times, this report will be much easier to write by place and individual, not by chronology.
Kathleen Ekey – distant memories ... she really caught my attention at the 2009 USWO
... now gaming Taylormade M2 driver, PXG irons and Callaway wedges.Val Skinner – had Ping i210 irons and her remaining gear was Ping ... she barely had a backswing, but still put a drive in the fairway at #1 ... wore a straw fedora and had a heavy wrap around her left knee ... had a Siwanoy CC badge on her bag.
Belen Mozo – wore white sleeveless one-piece golf dress ... ‘Smokeshow’ nickname still applies ... drove her ball straight right at the dogleg-left par-4 13th hole ... when the ams asked her if she would look for that ball, she waved her arms dismissively towards the right and described that shot as some type of s***, which got a few laughs ... plays Cally driver, TM P-790 irons and TM wedges.
Christine Song – definitely an upgrade by replacing Melissa Mabanta on the original tee sheet ... used to be visor/shirt/shorts on the LPGA, but looked a little slimmer in cap/shirt/pants in this pro-am ... bottle blonde with a Karen haircut, I think ... Cally driver and irons, plus Cleveland RTX wedges w/ oil can finish ... bag and towel says Hammock Beach golf & spa resort, just south of St. Augustine, FL on Atlantic coast ... if repping for them is her day job, kudos to her ... hit superb FW or UT at par-3 3rd hole that was all over the flag, listed at 164 yards (caddie said it played like 180).
Sky Seo – dropped the ‘Hanule’ part of her name for marketing purposes, I guess ... first saw her at Raven’s Claw GC in 2018 with gorgeous Fourteen FH-900 irons, now gaming functional (but boring) Cally irons ... Central Aluminum is still main sponsor on bag, someone there must really love her ... went for the green in two at the par-5 2nd hole, but missed it left and lost the ball ... explained the shot as a 3-wood, then thrust her flattened hand and fingers forward and said “penetration!”
Lindsey Weaver-Wright ... replaced Allisen Corpuz on original pro-am tee sheet ... had ex-NY Knick John Starks in her group ... he must love golf ... I think he was the only celebrity amateur from the Cognizant Founders Cup to play down here ... hope he doesn’t play basketball anymore, because he’s way out of shape for it, but the golf game is alright ... hit the green at one of the par-3 holes.
Paige Spirinac ... showed up in a black sleeveless getup that could pass as a body sock, plus or minus a few strategic alterations for golf purposes ... still might not pass the current LPGA apparel regulations (which she’ll never have to worry about) ... displayed full backswing and good athletic form as she hit a going draw with the driver that fit the 13th hole ... Crazy Bob dumped her (or was it the reverse?), but her non-PXG weapons are probably better: TM Stealth driver, Mizuno JPX 921 irons and TM wedges ... I’m a little surprised that LIV golf hasn’t signed her up for personal appearances at its events (or maybe that’s in the works).
Since Taylormade ditched its on-site servicing for the LPGA, Mr. Callaway might have taken over as the main guy on this tour ... if there were other brand reps there before Thursday, I didn’t see them. The repair van was still at the range, but I didn’t see the guy in it do any work ... he probably got it all done by Wednesday.
To his credit, Mr. Callaway is equally friendly with the minor leaguers and major leaguers. He chatted a while with Dori Carter and knew that Kyle Roig recently got married.
In-Kyung Kim has been with Callaway in recent years, but she might have received a whole new set of sticks this week. The woman who does the equipment survey was doing a prolonged examination of Inky’s clubs (including shafts) ... normally, the lady would be on the 1st or 10th tee before the opening shots of the first round, jotting down only gear changes in her notebook.
Inky thoroughly worked out one of her wedges under the watch of Mr. Callaway and a launch monitor. After reviewing the numbers, he walked the club over to the repair van and bent it himself. After more swings and more numbers, she gave Mr. Callaway a high-five of approval.
Jenny Suh Thompson (formerly Jenny Suh) borrowed a few a demos from Mr. Callaway to try out. For someone who was here to do the Pines course pro-am, I was a little surprised by this move. After all, she’s not on the LPGA anymore, so why bother? Now I know why ... she is entered in the KPMG/LPGA Championship via a category called ‘Top Finisher PGA Women's Stroke Play’. What is that? Was she in some kind of tournament with teaching pros? Is she some kind of Omar Uresti sandbagger?! I guess she quit the tour to do more than become a dental hygienist (I think that’s what she did).
Bianca Pagdanganan began her routine on the range by going through twists and stretches with heavy elastic bands held by her caddie, who is built like a trainer ... it wouldn’t surprise me if he were her caddie and trainer. A girl was following her wearing an ICTSI visor ... does Bianca have a baby sis?
Caught the end of this conversation:
Jackie Schram (looper for Frida Kinhult): “I’m from Michigan.”
Other looper: “That’s a blue state, isn’t it?”
Schram: “Yeah, our governor’s a dumbass.”
(phone rings)
Schram: "Yeah ... contact the rep and find out what happened to our s**t.”
*****
Su Oh and Katherine Kirk had a long chat ... first touched on what tournaments they might be playing Down Under during the December/January timeframe. Discussed a few courses there (“didn’t ‘Claytes’ work on that one?”) ... Su was not keen on driving six hours alone into the wilderness for one of them (more of a destination than a golf course). Capt. Kirk said she has tennis elbow from doing too much housework and car washing, but it didn’t affect her golf. Su wants to get a LASIK procedure during the offseason ... will probably go to Korea for it (“they do it every day and its much cheaper”) ... she’s tired of waking up in the morning and not seeing anything. Capt. Kirk invited her to McGettigan’s for dinner later with a few other people. Su declined, said she planned to do Vietnamese with her mom, who recently arrived in the U.S. for the first time since 2019.
*******
As usual, Mitsuki Katahira of Japan’s TV Wowow was on the job keeping tabs on Team Japan. That also includes Karrie Webb, who has N.S. Pro logos on her bag and cap. Karrie loves Japan golf and the feeling is mutual ... the two sat down for a video interview in English. (see below)
********
Jeff DeCoen (looper for Katie Yoo) wore wild green duds, courtesy of LoudMouth Golf ... I hope he has a generous deal with them ... he doesn’t get out on this tour too often and his players are usually lower echelon.
Bay course pro-ams:
Bianca – followed her for a few holes on the back nine and with my crummy 2013 flip phone, I took the Money Shot of the Week at the 11th tee (see below).
Dani Holmqvist – total makeover in 2022 ... had Callaway woods and irons in 2021, along with Nike shoes and Chervo attire ... this year she is Titleist/Vokey/Footjoy, along with Michael Kors golf attire.
Gerina Mendoza – got a couple of pics at the par-5 9th tee.
Muni He – Found her at the 9th tee where one of the ams told her he learned about the Cultural Revolution by doing a college class trip to China in 1980 ... I wonder if she saves her more unorthodox outfits for pro-ams ... wore some kind of tubular, one piece, racerback thingy, which I never saw before (see below).
Brooke Matthews – caught up with her group at the par-4 6th tee ... they were 11-under with four holes remaining ... the leading team in the clubhouse was at -15, but these guys were talking about running the table to at least tie for the lead ... and that’s what they did ... not surprising as Matthews is no bunter and the four ams were all gorillas.
For the first time in a few years, this course had some serious and sustained wind gusts with weird directional variations. For instance, all three par-5 holes were into the wind ... the wind blew from south to north for #9 and #18, but went west to east for #3!
Maria Fassi had a taste of it. She did not bring a driver here last October, but wisely had one now. With the blocks at the 460-mark on #9, she went all out as usual on her swing, but the ball went only 252. She still reached the green area with an iron from 208 ... or I think she did, because the ball was never found.
Having the wind at your back was not risk-free. The par-4 6th hole, moderately uphill and listed at 396, was in a jet stream towards the bay. Robynn Ree teed up a driver and hit it dead straight, but ran out of fairway. From the rough, I heard her caddie say she had 94 to the flag. Maybe less club would have been better?
By the way, if you thought the tall trees on the Pines course might impede the wind, well, I don’t think they do. I felt no difference on that course.
I left the Seaview hoping that Friday’s first round winds would be just as strong as Thursday’s, so I could see a good old-fashioned bloodbath.
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