Heartbroken Pettersen Plays on at Women’s British Open

SUZANN PETTERSEN IS IN CARNOUSTIE, Scotland, this week for the $2.5 million Ricoh Women’s British Open, but her heart is in her native Norway where 95 people died in a terror attack by Anders Behring Breivik, who has reportedly confessed to the atrocities.

Pettersen wore a black armband during the third and fourth rounds at last week’s Evian Masters in Paris to show respect for the fallen Norwegians. Everyone would have understood if she had withdrawn from the tournament and flown home to Norway, where all sporting events were canceled through the weekend. Instead, the seven-time LPGA winner chose to keep playing.

“I think everyone at home would feel like you should go out there and play for us,” Pettersen told Golfweek’s Alistair Tait. “You go out there and you fight for your heart and you fight for your friends and fellow Norwegians at home.”

Pettersen has carried the burden of her homeland’s tragedy to Carnoustie, one of the world’s most demanding links courses. The Women’s British Open is an important championship, the season’s final major, but Pettersen has a different perspective on golf at the moment in light of the events back home.

“It’s still heartbreaking …. What’s amazing through all this is how we all stick together. We stay strong together.”

The Women’s British Open field includes 22 of the world’s top 23 golfers, including world No. 1 and defending champion Yani Tseng. Tseng’s 11-under total at Royal Birkdale last year edged Katherine Hull by a stroke.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: ktan.kh, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Golfweek: Evian Masters to Become 5th LPGA Major

THERE IS A FIFTH MAJOR after all. No, it’s not the long-debated Players Championship. It’s the LPGA’s popular Evian Masters played in Paris, France, according to Golfweek:

Beginning in 2013, Evian will be designated as a major championship, the LPGA’s fifth, sources told Golfweek.

The LPGA’s number of major championships has been a moving target over the years. The tour’s current majors—Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship, U.S. Women’s Open and Ricoh Women’s British Open—have been a foursome only since 2001. Before the British Open achieved major status, the du Maurier Classic was the tour’s fourth major, from 1979 to 2000.

Golfweek also reported that the Evian Masters course will be lengthened and other changes will be implemented to make the tournament worthy of its major designation. Evian has been a mainstay on the LPGA schedule and boasts a $3.25 million purse, same as the U.S. Women’s Open.

Jiyai Shin told Golfweek Evian’s new major status created “more chances to win.”

But a veteran player and major winner who requested anonymity said, “I originally probably would be opposed to something like that.”

In other news, So Yeon Ryu won the U.S. Women’s Open in a three-hole playoff at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Ryu birdied the final hole to catch clubhouse leader Hee Kyung Seo at 3 under par. The event rolled into Monday due to numerous weather delays.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo: Courtesy of Celso Flores, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Celebrating ‘WONDER GIRL’ by Don Van Natta Jr.

WHEN A FRIEND PUBLISHES a golf-related book and you run a golf blog, you don’t attempt to write an unbiased review. You celebrate. So this is a celebration of WONDER GIRL: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by New York Times bestselling author (and friend) Don Van Natta Jr.

The truth is, I’m not much of a review writer anyway. And I’m certainly biased when it comes to Don. If you knew him and his work like I do, you might be too. Even so, Don doesn’t need my praise when heavyweights like Tom Brokaw, Jeremy Schaap and James Dodson have unanimously declared WONDER GIRL to be the definitive account of the world’s greatest female athlete, “elegantly told, funny and tragic.”

“I haven’t enjoyed a sports biography this much in years,” noted Dodson, Ben Hogan’s biographer.

The reviews will roll in and they’ll be mostly good to great, as they should be, so I’ll tell you a bit about how I met Don and was lucky enough to converse with him when he was writing Babe’s story on weekends in the summer of 2009.

Meeting Don

Don is an accidental friend, another personal example of how the virtual world of blogging can lead to a real-world friendship. During the 2008 election season, I got the crazy idea to stage a fictitious match play tournament called the Presidents Golf Championship at ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG. Who better to have as a guest analyst than the bestselling author of First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush? I had seen Don Van Natta’s byline on golf articles and knew about his presidential golf book.

Looking back on it now, I’m a bit surprised that I looked up the author and cold called him at his home on a Saturday morning to propose the guest analyst arrangement. Why would a bestselling author, New York Times investigative reporter and member of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams want to have anything to do with me and my golf blog?

But I made that call and Don took it. He jumped on board and we held the tournament. It was fun. (Eisenhower upset Kennedy in the finals.) During that same time, Don’s feature on First Golfer Barack Obama appeared in Golf Digest. Since then, he has been a good friend and a generous mentor and adviser on my own writing projects.

Discovering Babe

In July 2009 I met Don at Fitzgerald’s 1928, an eatery and tavern in his former Glen Ridge, New Jersey, neighborhood. During a long, enjoyable dinner, he told me about the challenges of bringing the incomparable Babe Didrikson Zaharias to life on the page. He was striving for a folksy narrative voice that would match the bigger-than-life sports hero from little Beaumont, Texas. Later he shared early chapters with me and occasionally sent lengthy emails about his progress on the manuscript.

After reading early draft chapters, I knew this would be a special biography of an extraordinary female athlete (and golfer) who was a half century ahead of her time. I’ve since read the entire book. It’s outstanding.

Babe would probably fail as a fictional character. Who would believe that a one-woman track team could win a National AAU Championship? Or that anyone (man or woman) could excel in multiple sports, including basketball, track and field, softball, baseball, tennis and golf? Or that a woman could almost single-handedly launch a ladies professional golf tour (the LPGA) in the 1950s?

Babe did it all, won at all. She was the greatest—and told everyone she was the greatest—long before Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali) stepped out of a Louisville, Kentucky, gym and dazzled the world with his lightning fists and brash poetic pronouncements. Babe mowed down every foe in her path until stricken with cancer. And, as you would expect, she didn’t back down when faced with the deadly disease.

Don delivers a complete and heartfelt portrait of Babe. He doesn’t gloss over Babe’s personal flaws. He is, after all, a veteran investigative reporter. But he also has succeeded at crafting a warm, folksy narrative, just as he set out to do. WONDER GIRL lopes along as gracefully as young Babe running and hurdling the hedges in her Beaumont neighborhood.

Check out WONDER GIRL at Amazon, Little, Brown and Company (publisher), Barnes & Noble and Borders.

−The Armchair Golfer

2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP, the year’s first major on the LPGA Tour, is underway at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. World No. 1 Yani Tseng edged Suzann Pettersen by a stroke to win last year. The event began in 1972 and became a major in 1983. Mission Hills measures 6,702 yards and plays to a par of 72.

Mika Miyazato and Sandra Gal lead after posting 67s, with the first round still in progress.

UPDATE: Brittany Lincicome and Stacy Lewis are tied for the first-round lead after firing 6-under 66s.

Purse: $2 million
Defending champion: Yani Tseng

2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship Leaderboard

Tournament preview
Final field
Pairings
Kraft Nabisco Championship website


TV SCHEDULE

All TV coverage of the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship is on Golf Channel.

Thu, Mar 31
6:30-9:30 PM ET

Fri, Apr 1
12:00-3:00 PM ET
6:30-9:30 PM ET

Sat, Apr 2
4:30-8:30 PM ET

Sun, Apr 3
4:30-8:30 PM ET

−The Armchair Golfer

Two in a Row for Karrie Webb

KARRIE WEBB RALLIED TO WIN the inaugural RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup on Sunday at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix. “I love coming out to the desert,” Webb said after closing with a 66 for a one-stroke victory over Brittany Lincicome and Paula Creamer. The Aussie’s scorecard included seven birdies and a bogey.

Webb ended a two-year win drought three weeks ago at the HSBC Champions in Singapore. Now she has claimed back-to-back titles. Impressive stuff. With 38 wins, seven of them majors, the 36-year-old Webb is already in the Hall of Fame.

Webb needed a chip and a putt to save her par on the 72nd hole. She hit a good one and sank the three-footer. Then she waited on the driving range as Lincicome came to the final hole needing a birdie to win, or a par to tie and force a playoff. Like Webb, Lincicome came up just short with her approach shot. Unlike Webb, Lincicome chipped 10 feet by the hole and missed the come-backer to lose by one.

More surprising was the fact that Lincicome didn’t know how she stood as she came to the final green. She doesn’t watch leaderboards—ever. “For some strange reason,” she said, “I had it in my mind that Cristie Kerr was running away with it.”

I can understand not watching leaderboards for most of a tournament—if that’s your mental makeup. But if you’re in contention on Sunday, I think you have to look at some point as you’re playing the back nine. That is, if you’re playing to win. How else are you going to know what you need to do?

After the round, Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez told Lincicome to start looking at the leaderboards. Constant scoreboard watcher Webb needs no such advice.

Webb’s victory total of $200,000 will go to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Japan relief efforts.

Third-round leader Angela Stanford stumbled to a 75 to finish alone in fifth.

−The Armchair Golfer

Yani Tseng Set to Play for Japanese Children

THE INAUGURAL RR DONNELLEY LPGA Founders Cup, which tees off on Thursday in Phoenix, has a $1 million purse. But none of the 134 players will dip into it. All the purse money from the new tournament that honors the 13 founders of the LPGA will be directed to charitable causes: $500,000 to the LPGA Foundation and $500,000 to the designated charities of the top-10 finishers.

One player who will likely be near the top when the tournament winds down on Sunday is Yani Tseng, the 22-year-old LPGA star who sits atop the Rolex Rankings as the women’s world No. 1 golfer. After winning three times in 2010, including the Women’s British Open, Tseng captured the season-opening Honda LPGA Thailand. She is a force.

This week she’ll be playing for Japan. After researching charities online, Tseng selected the UNICEF Tap Project, which is raising funds to aid Japanese children affected by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for children,” Tseng said at LPGA.com, “so I hope my play in Phoenix can help this great cause.”

The concept and implementation of the new tournament have stirred plenty of debate in recent weeks. But now that the players are on board and it’s time to tee it up, many are sharpening their focus on charitable causes. At the moment, none loom larger than the relief efforts in Japan.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

VIDEO: Commish Mike Whan Introduces LPGA Founders Cup

I CAN TELL THAT LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan is a marketing guy. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s a good thing, actually. The commish is a good pitch man, just what these challenging economic times call for—especially for the ladies tour.

In the video, Whan introduces the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, an inaugural event that pays tribute to the 13 women who founded the LPGA Tour. The tournament will be played on March 18-20 in Phoenix, the new season’s first LPGA stop in the United States. There are a total of 25 events on the 2011 schedule. A dozen are overseas.

I like the concept of the founders tournament. Whan sells it well. The part that’s stirred debate is the charity aspect of the event. The entire $1.3 million purse will go to the LPGA Foundation and the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program. In other words, the ladies will play for free. Apparently, they will receive money for travel and other tournament-related expenses, such as lodging, meals and paying their caddies.

This might be a bad idea, as some have suggested. You shouldn’t give away the product, the argument goes. It devalues the ladies game.

But, like a true marketing guy, Whan is willing to try something new, to test it, and see how it works. Whether or not it works, you always learn from doing a marketing experiment. I don’t think it will do harm to the women’s game.

The ladies need events and domestic title sponsors. This adds one to the schedule. They’ve always played for less money. At this one tournament, they’ll take it to the extreme.

−The Armchair Golfer

Anna Rawson Checks Out

ANNA RAWSON WILL TAKE a one-year break from golf, reported Beth Ann Baldry of Golfweek. In addition to hanging up the sticks for now, Rawson also thinks it may be time to leave modeling. The 29-year-old Australian who has been on 30 magazine covers feels like she’s “too old.”

Rawson finished 134th on the LPGA money list in 2010 and didn’t enter Q-School. She’s had one top 10 in three years on the tour. If she plays next season, it will be on sponsor exemptions. The USC grad is engaged and plans to explore business opportunities in 2011.

Rawson added that she’s “open to everything,” including a return to golf.

−The Armchair Golfer

Player Caddies for Player on Ladies’ Legends Tour

MEAGHAN FRANCELLA IS A tour veteran who has won on the LPGA and Futures tours. But last week Francella was a caddie for 18-time LPGA Tour winner Meg Mallon at the ISPS Legends Tour Open Championship at Innisbrook Resort and Spa in Palm Harbor, Florida. It was an off week for Francella on the LPGA circuit, so she picked up her friend’s golf bag during the 45-and-older LPGA-member event. She probably would have felt more comfortable playing.

“I was pretty nervous on the first two holes because I didn’t want to get in the way,” Francella said at LPGA.com. “Meg doesn’t need much. She can hit all the shots and some of the shots she hits are unbelievable.”

(Photo: Meaghan Francella)

Besides helping a friend, Francella said she learned from watching the Hall of Famers, Solheim Cup captains and players, and other veterans in the legends field.

“She’s a really good player and should be a top-20 player on the LPGA Tour,” Mallon said about Francella. “Maybe this will be a great experience for her to watch these players this week.”

Francella has one win since joining the LPGA Tour in 2006 and is currently ranked 56th on the money list.

Thirteen-time LPGA Tour winner Rosie Jones won the 36-hole Legends Tour event with a 9-under total of 135.

−The Armchair Golfer

2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 LORENA OCHOA INVITATIONAL is underway at Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico. Cristie Kerr is the first-round leader after firing a 64, a tournament record. Defending champion Michelle Wie withdrew due to two cysts near her spine and a bulging disc, according to Golfweek.

Purse: $1.1 million
Defending champion: Michelle Wie

Final field
Pairings
Interviews
Tournament website

2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational Leaderboard


TV SCHEDULE

All TV coverage of the 2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational is on Golf Channel.

Fri, Nov 12
4:00-6:30 PM ET

Sat, Nov 13
4:00-6:30 PM ET

Sun, Nov 14
4:00-6:30 PM ET

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Pablo Lancaster-Jones/Flickr)

76 Wins and Still Counting for Laura Davies

LAURA DAVIES WON HER 76th career title on Sunday at the Spanish Women’s Open on the Ladies European Tour, edging Christina Kim (United States), Rebecca Hudson (England) and Frances Bonhad (Australia) by two strokes.

It was Davies’s fourth win this season. Her other 2010 victories came in New Zealand, Germany and Austria. I think we can all agree that Laura, 46, is very good at winning golf tournaments, whether or not she makes it into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Laura Davies’s career wins:
43 Ladies European Tour
20 LPGA
13 Other tours
76 professional wins

This one almost got away from Davies. In the final round, she made the turn in 32 and had a three-shot lead when she carded a dreaded snowman on the 13th hole. The quadruple-bogey eight was caused by a tee shot that veered left and crashed down on a steep rocky slope. The adventure continued. When Davies finally walked off the green she was tied at 10 under with England’s Lisa Hall. Then Laura played the closing five holes in 1-under par for the win.

By the way, Ms. Davies broke her own record as oldest winner (46 years, 11 months, 14 days) on the Ladies European Tour. I won’t be surprised when she breaks it again. Anybody want to predict her final win total?

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

LPGA Statement About Erica Blasberg

FOLLOWING THE NEWS THAT Erica Blasberg’s death was ruled a suicide, the LPGA issued a statement from Chief Communications Officer David Higdon at LPGA.com:

We are saddened to hear the news that Erica Blasberg’s death was the result of suicide, as she had so much to live for. Our deepest condolences go out to Erica’s family and loved ones. The LPGA is a family, and as a family, we mourn together. This is uncharted territory for us as no one here recalls a case of suicide in the 60-year history of the LPGA.

We will continue to honor the life of Erica Blasberg as we have since we first heard about her death in May. As a player, Erica was a talented, fierce competitor and a dedicated athlete. Away from the competition, she was passionate about doing whatever she could to help others. She established a golf tournament to benefit the Foundation for Community and Family Health. It provided shoes, school supplies, vaccination shots and much more for less fortunate families in her hometown of Corona, California. Erica not only loved to play on the LPGA Tour, but she also played in more than 20 pro-ams a year that helped raise awareness and money for numerous charitable causes.

Through the LPGA medical services team, the LPGA is helping all our members who are coping with this tragic loss.

Golf writer and blogger Shane Bacon was a friend of Erica’s who also caddied for her at an LPGA event. Shane wrote a heartfelt remembrance of her in May at Devil Ball Golf.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

The Rules Geek: Juli Inkster and the Donut DQ

Editor’s note: The Rules Geek is an occasional and potentially annoying feature at ARMCHAIR GOLF.

JULI INKSTER UNKNOWINGLY BREACHED Rule 14-3 at the Safeco Classic over the weekend and was disqualified after completing her round. The Hall of Famer was three strokes off the lead when she used a weighted device known as a “donut” on her 9 iron to warm up on the 10th tee.

A TV viewer who watched Inkster on Golf Channel emailed tournament officials who in turn alerted the LPGA rules folks. After being informed of the DQ, Inktser left the course without speaking to reporters. She later issued this brief statement:

“It had no effect on my game whatsoever, but it is what it is. I’m very disappointed.”

If you read 14-3. Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Unusual Use of Equipment on pages 48 and 49 in the 2010-2011 The Rules of Golf, you might be scratching your head as to the Inkster rules breach. That’s because the infraction pertains to a USGA decision related to 14-3:

14-3/10 Use of Training or Swing Aid During Round

Q. During a round, may a player make a stroke or a practice swing using a club with a weighted headcover or “donut” on it, or use any other device designed as a training or swing aid?

A. No. The player would be using an artificial device to assist him in his play in breach of Rule 14-3, but see also Decision 4-4a/7 for use of a weighted training club.

Inkster clearly violated the rule. Case closed. Should she have known the rule? You might already know how The Rules Geek feels about that.

That said, The Rules Geek doesn’t like TV tattletales. It’s weird. Stop it, OK? Unless you can stake your life on iron-clad proof of intent.

The Rules Geek sez rules were made to be followed. Got a rules-related tip or story? Send it to The Rules Geek at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

More Rules Geek:
Phil Mickelson and the Proper Drop
Abnormal Ground Conditions Aid Amateur
Hunter Mahan’s Driver Replacement

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

LPGA Getaway on the Greens Sweepstakes

I DON'T KNOW WHERE you live, but California is much nicer in March than a lot of places so I thought I should alert you to a sweepstakes opportunity that landed in my email inbox. The LPGA Getaway on the Greens Sweepstakes is made possible by Mirassou Winery, the LPGA and Callaway. Following are a few details about the prizes.

One (1) Grand Prize Winner and a guest will receive roundtrip airfare to California and Clubhouse passes to the KIA Classic Presented by J Golf in March, 2011. The Grand Prize winner and a guest will also enjoy:

• VIP accommodations and spa treatments
• VIP LPGA experiences at the tournament, including event access and meeting LPGA Tour members
• A Calloway VIP Custom Fitting Experience, with both winner and guest to receive a set of custom fitted clubs
• Dinner with 6th Generation of America’s Oldest Winemaking Family, David Mirassou

There will also be Three (3) First Prize Winners who will be flown to the event and Ten (10) Second Prize Winners who will receive autographed LPGA merchandise.

More info and how to enter

−The Armchair Golfer

Common Courses: Bethpage Red

They’re not Pebble, Bandon, Kiawah, or Pinehurst. Common courses are the modest 9- and 18-hole munis and semi-private clubs that most golfers play. Although this one, contributed by A.J. Voelpel, is arguably not all that common.

By A.J. Voelpel
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

WELCOME TO BETHPAGE STATE PARK, home to more doglegs than Cruella De Vil’s closet.

It is here, obviously, where you’ll find the famed Black course—a two-time host of our nation’s greatest championship. What you may not be aware of is that the Black, such a prominent collection of 18 holes, hangs storm clouds over a neighboring course that’s nearly as difficult. A par-70 track that annually hosts the Long Island Open. I’m talking cold blood and broken hearts … all things colored Bethpage Red.

It’s no coincidence that the intelligence over at Golf.com included the Red in their list of “America’s Most Underrated Golf Courses.” And there’s no denying the Red’s claim to fame; it dons arguably the most challenging starting hole from Queens to Montauk. The brutal opener even runs parallel to the 18th of the Black, like a pre-bout stare down. Little brother has never shied away from a fight.

The 471-yard par-4 demands a ruler-straight drive into the short grass, avoiding the gnarly fescue to the left and Jones Beach to the right. The second shot will be long, unless Bubba Watson snuck in a celebrity shot. From 100 yards out, the fairway begins to climb up a steep hill—which is generally reserved for sledding in the winter—and ends atop a vast green. Club-catching rough armors a surface that runs primarily back to front. Take a five and run, because the Red starts barking on the next tee.

Okay, deep breath: The par-4 2nd turns swiftly right to left, the 3rd and 5th (the only par-5 on the front) swiftly left to right, and then the 6th fairway nearly makes a u-turn, without signaling, to a newly tilted green. No. 9—the No. 1 handicapped hole—plays just under 466 from the tips, and also bends sharply to the left. The tendency on the tee is to go right. Do that and you’ll face another humbling approach.

Long Back Nine

Exhale. After going out in just under 3,400 yards, the (dare I say) “simple” part is over. Now quickly inhale once again! The back nine tends to make babies cry; five of the six par-4s extend over 462 yards from the back tees. The loner is the split-fairway, 400-yard par-4 13th. If the wind isn’t howling, it’s your best chance for a birdie.

Both No. 10 and 11 turn directly to the right. The 466-yard 14th cuts to the left and the 482-yard monster 15th rises uphill and turns to the right. The 560-yard par-5 16th turns 90 degrees to the right also. However, if you carry the corner (about 285 yards), you’ll chop the distance in half. The second shot is normally a layup, especially with the delicate, lumpy green.

Dizzy yet? Well the par-3 17th offers a break from length and angle and is only a buck 60ish, straightaway. Two large bunkers guard the front of a fairly accessible green. A two is absolutely within reason.

A few years back, the 18th tee box was extended some 50 yards, being mutated into a daunting finishing hole, much to the contrary of the its Black counterpart. A downhill tee shot must carry at least 260 to have a mid-iron approach in. The amphitheater setting around the giant green was mentioned as a potential replacement finisher to the Black for last year’s U.S. Open. The putting surface runs quickly back to front, left to right, so position is key for a two putt.

Tour Worthy

With the remarkable condition the park keeps the Red in, it’s only a matter of time before a PGA or LPGA tournament stops by for a visit. In the meantime, make a visit to Bethpage for yourself. Play the Black in the morning and follow it with a dance on the Red.

Then go to sleep and don’t wake up for the next six days.

A.J. Voelpel is an avid golfer and the editor of West Islip Patch. He lives in Westbury, New York.

More common courses:
Mangrove Bay Golf Course
Balboa Park Golf Course
Desert Aire Golf Course

(Image: Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr)

Erica Blasberg, 1984-2010

LPGA PLAYER ERICA BLASBERG has died of unknown causes, according to the tour and Blasberg’s agent as reported by several media outlets. She was 25. Erica was a collegiate star at the University of Arizona who joined the LPGA Tour in 2004. Her best year on tour was in 2008.

My sincere condolences to her family and friends, including her pal and sometimes caddie Shane Bacon, who wrote this remembrance at Devil Ball Golf.

“Erica was a beautiful person,” Shane wrote, “and that has nothing to do with her always talked-about looks. She loved to smile, laugh and poke fun at the friends around her. It was good natured, and making Erica laugh meant you accomplished something.”

−The Armchair Golfer

Yani Tseng Smiles Her Way to Second Major

2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship Recap
Winner: Yani Tseng
Score: 13 under, 275 (69, 71, 67, 68)
Quote: “Stay focused. That’s what I wanted to do, and keep smiling.”
Fact: Favorite club is 8-iron.
Thought: Has tool set to be a dominant player.

ALL PLAYERS LOOK GOOD when they’re winning a golf tournament, because they’re obviously playing well during that particular week. The golf ball is generally going where the players want it to, and a considerable number of putts are usually falling into the cup. That was certainly the case for Yani Tseng at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the year’s first major on the LPGA Tour. Tseng fired 135 on the weekend to nip Suzann Pettersen by a shot. It’s the third win and second major title for the 21-year-old Taiwanese player. In her rookie season she won the 2008 LPGA Championship in a playoff with Maria Hjorth.

Tseng, however, strikes many onlookers as more than a good player who can put together an occasional win. She has talent galore and a bag full of shots. With experience and the right mental approach, she could win a lot more LPGA tournaments and several majors before she’s through. Evidently, she recently had a lengthy chat with a Hall of Famer that was quite helpful.

“I really want to thank Annika Sorenstam,” Yani said Sunday after taking the winner’s traditional jump into the pond beside the 18th green, “because she came to my house and we sit down and talk about two hours, and she helped me a lot about my game, about the mentals, and she told me go step by step.”

With the major victory, Tseng moved up to second in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Jiyai Shin dropped to third. Lorena Ochoa has held the top spot for 155 consecutive weeks, but with the likes of Tseng, Shin and others elevating their games, I wonder how long it will be before Ochoa is knocked off her pedestal.

−The Armchair Golfer

Congrats to Juli Inkster, Patty Berg Award Winner

I’VE ALWAYS LIKED JULI Inkster. I think it’s because she comes across as a real person with a life outside of golf (not that others don’t have a life) and at the same time is hyper competitive and exudes a fun spirit on the golf course.

Inkster was named the 2010 recipient of the Patty Berg Award, given in honor of the LPGA founder (one of 13) and Hall of Famer. The award is given to individuals who exemplify diplomacy, sportsmanship and goodwill, and make lasting contributions to the game of golf. Check, check, check and check. Inkster is more than deserving.

“She [Berg] always demonstrated what being a professional is all about,” Juli said at LPGA.com. “She gave so much of herself to the LPGA. Receiving this award with Patty’s name on it, and thinking of all the special individuals before me who have received it, leaves me truly humbled.”

Inkster has had a tremendous career in golf. She entered both the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999, which was the same year she became only the second woman in LPGA history to complete the modern-day LPGA Career Grand Slam. Early on, Inkster won three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur titles. Um, that’s dominant. She never slowed down after turning professional, collecting more than 30 victories, including seven majors. She also played on eight U.S. Solheim Cup teams.

I’d love to see Inkster win again, but if it doesn’t happen she will still have a room full of trophies and awards to admire. Congrats, Juli, on adding another one.

First 2010 LPGA Major

The Kraft Nabisco Championship, the year’s first major, tees off on Thursday in Rancho Mirage, California. Brittany Lincicome is the defending champion. The field is deep, which should produce a lot of excitement like last year when Lincicome eagled the final hole to win her first major. Visit LPGA.com and Mostly Harmless for previews and predictions.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Harry Limey/Flickr)