- Stacy Lewis is the best. Period. End of story. There are some players that are really good, but none of them are as good as Lewis. She has won three times this year, and has finished second four other times this season. She has only finished outside the top 10 once this year. People won't remember Lewis' season compared to Inbee Park's season last year because she hasn't won as frequently, but it is among the best seasons we've seen, and she has the perfect opportunity to take it to a whole new level at the Women's British Open the next time we see the ladies tee it up.
- I feel as if Michelle Wie should have taken this week off. She was clearly out of gas on Sunday, which is understandable, but when you enter the weekend with a two shot lead and you can't cash it in because your exhausted, then perhaps you should have rested. Still, is Lewis is the clear number one on the LPGA, Wie may very well be number two.
- Sunday in Mobile turned into a Who's Who of great LPGA players. Lydia Ko, So Yeon Ryu, and Suzann Pettersen all had a chance to win on Sunday. With the top players playing almost every week, it shouldn't be weird to see big name players on the leaderboard each week, but now it's becoming harder and harder for players further down the money list to notch a top 10 with the big time players playing at a high level each and every week. I guess, to that point, props should go to Jennifer Rosales, who notched her first top 10 of the season this week.
- Who is Korean golfer who is next poised for a victory this season? Some may say it's Ryu, who always finds her way onto the leaderboard but doesn't seem to walk out with trophies. Others think it's Chella Choi, who has 21 career top 10's, but has yet to win on the LPGA Tour. I would argue that it's Meena Lee, who chased her fifth place finish at the US Open with a top 10 in Arkansas. Meena hasn't won since 2006, but is in the middle of one of the best stretches of her career. The only thing holding Meena back right now is her putting, as her driving accuracy and ball striking rank among the best on Tour.
- Lexi Thompson finally ran out of gas as she missed the cut this week for her second missed cut of the season but first since her major triumph. Combined with her 66th place finish at the Shoprite, I think it's safe to say that Lexi doesn't care much for three round tournaments.
- I think a lot of us forgot about Justin Rose. Not that he wasn't a great player - we all knew that. He's just been quiet all season. He hasn't been playing poorly, making us all wonder "what happened to Rose?" He also hasn't been playing lights out golf, either. He's steady and consistent, which makes him rather boring to some, but also makes him incredibly dangerous, especially in sometimes unpredictable majors. He has the kind of game to compete at the Open Championship, and he's entering hot.
- How are you feeling today if you're Brendan Steele? On one hand, you played well enough to qualify for the Open Championship. On the other, you would be in the playoff if it weren't for your double bogey on the 72nd hole. Honestly, you have to put it behind you, and start getting excited that you're going to play in your first ever Open Championship. Steele is riding a wave of two straight fifth place finishes. A performance like that at the Open can be life changing for him.
- You can't look at Shawn Stefani's FedEx Cup ranking as an indicator over whether it's shocking that he was in contention at the Quicken Loans National. Stefani only really got his career started in April, and immediately finished fifth place to secure status for the rest of the season. Since then, he's only missed two cuts. He has played almost every week since he returned in order to fight for a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs, so it's nice to see that rewarded. Here's hoping Stefani has a passport.
- The media is going to bury Patrick Reed this week after completely falling apart on Sunday, and maybe rightfully so. Reed put all the pressure on himself when he declared himself one of the top five players in the world. I know that was a long time ago, but if you're going to use that moniker, you need to play like it. One of the top five players in the world probably would have cashed in on that victory, or at least held on to notch a top 10. Reed completely blew up to where he wasn't even a factor coming down the stretch.
I'm not convinced Wie was just out of gas on Sunday. If you look at her rounds she hit only 7/13 fairways in the first round improved by two in the second and back to 7/13 in the last. While not hitting fairways in the woman's game is rarely as punishing as the men's your not going to win many tournaments only hitting about half or you shouldn't. Last round Stacey 13/13, Lydia 12/13, Cristie 12/13 and down the list... Once Michelle's putting also let her down she was gone. The rest I think you summed up nicely. The big move this week is RR #2 for Lydia and Stacy's consolidation at #1.
ReplyDeleteWie stated on Twitter that she ran out of gas, so I'm taking her at her word. Somehow Wie was able to notch a 66 on day one when she only hit 7 fairways. In golf, when you're truly tired, everything just starts to get worn down. You miss fairways, you miss putts, your concentration goes...Wie had all the signs of that Sunday.
DeleteIf you want further proof of getting completely winded, look at Reed on Sunday...though Wie's is from a whirlwind tour after her breakthrough major and Reed's is from cake.
What I was trying to point out was her hitting off the tee suggested she was low on gas right from the start. I guess my first sentence could be taken two ways....
DeleteOh, I took this as you were doubting the validity of it. I agree, and it was part of the reason I didn't have her in my Fantasy Four. The fact she even contended at all was a surprise to me.
DeleteI'm sure Michelle lost no fans by playing last week and probably gained a few. I doubt pulling out was even thought of. She comes across as someone who would not want let her fans down, let alone sponsors and the tournament even if perhaps it wasn't going to be quite up to her present standard after the prior days commitments.
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