Monday, September 15, 2014

The Next Great Korean Superstar Has Arrived

- You can argue whether or not the Evian Championship should be a major, but what can not be argued is that Hyo Joo Kim delivered a major performance. Coming out of the gate on Thursday and shooting a 61 showed Hyo Joo's talent and shot making ability, and her birdie on the final hole on Sunday showed her performance under pressure. The question now is whether or not Hyo Joo joins the LPGA. I don't see any reason why she would stay on the KLPGA, as she no longer has anything to prove on that tour, but she is only 19 years old, so anything is possible.

- After struggling at the early part of the season and watching the Americans dominate the Tour, Koreans have won four of the last five events, including the final two majors.

- When Brittany Lincicome bogied the 18th hole at the LPGA Championship, it showed how much nerves play a factor going down the stretch, and the players who have won majors can swallow those nerves more than players who haven't. The exact opposite was true on Sunday, when Hall Of Famer Karrie Webb fell victim to the nerves on the 72nd hole. At this point, I no longer feel confident in any player that has a lead on Sunday, especially if someone with the resume as Webb can't cash in on a golden opportunity. All that being said, Webb isn't done winning, and she showed this week that she will remain a major factor for some time.

- So Yeon Ryu finally won a few weeks ago after putting together a string of near misses, so I wonder if Na Yeon Choi's drought is close to an end. After being silent all season, she has put together several tournaments where she was a factor on Sunday. It's still amazing that she hasn't won in close to two years, but I think that streak is about to end.

- Ha Na Jang has gotten use to finishing behind Hyo Joo Kim. Jang is currently number 2 on the KLPGA Tour money list, though Hyo Joo has separated herself from Jang on that list. If it weren't for Hyo Joo, not only would Jang be the clear favorite for Player Of The Year on that Tour, but we would be talking about Jang's performance on the major stage in the face of competition from the top players from all over the world. Jang is a great player, and if she ever decides to come over to the US, she'll be a contender for a lot of tournaments, but unfortunately, she's not as explosive as Hyo Joo is.

-Lydia Ko will win a major in 2015. I've seen enough to know that she's set to take over this Tour, and very, very soon.

- The PGA Tour has tried to make the FedEx Cup as lucrative as the major championship. Most players don't see it that way, but Billy Horschel did, as he made sure he prepped himself for the long haul in order to win the FedEx Cup. It paid off, as Horschel won the final two playoff events and walked away with the ten million dollar grand prize. Unfortunately, Horschel is not on the US Ryder Cup team, which hurts to have someone playing that hot sitting at home.

- I honestly think Rory McIlroy should have skipped one of the playoff events if he wanted a chance to win the Cup. He has a tremendous summer, but he also played a lot during the summer, so for him to play four straight tournaments after that was just too much to overcome. That being said, Horschel may have won the FedEx Cup, and he may have out-dueled Rory in two tournaments, but Rory is still the best player in the world.

- Best wishes to Greg Norman, who was involved in a chainsaw accident and almost lost his hand this weekend.

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