- Was the KEB-HanaBank Championship the best tournament of the year? There are a lot of great LPGA events to choose from, but this would certainly make the top five. Several lead changes, top players in contention, back nine charges - this tournament had it all.
- Not only are the Koreans retaking the Tour by winning tournaments, but they are also getting younger. Kyu Jung Baek is only 19 years old and a rookie on the KLPGA Tour. She's also won three times on that Tour, including a major. Baek knows how to win, and she will be an international presence in tournaments in the future. That being said, don't expect her to accept the LPGA membership that goes with her victory. She'll make it to the LPGA at some point in her career, and she'll be a winner on that Tour as well, but she's going to want to spend another year or two in Korea.
- Speaking of teenage icons on the KLPGA Tour, Hyo Joo Kim notched a top 10 this week. Kim said prior to the start of the tournament that she would accept membership on the LPGA Tour next year, but it sounds like she's going to split time between the LPGA and KLPGA Tours. One of her closest friends is Kyu Jung Baek, so perhaps Baek will follow the same route as Kim and golf part time on the LPGA Tour next season. I guess we will find out next year. What can't be disputed right now is that Kim is a superstar, and when she joins the LPGA, a lot of golfers are going to be getting headaches.
- Is Baek didn't play so well down the stretch, we would be talking about In Gee Chun and how she was able to win against the top players in the world. Still, this has to be a huge boost for one of the best players on the KLPGA Tour. As far as I can tell, this is the first time in this tournament's history where the KLPGA stars finished in the top two. All around, it was a great day for the home crowd, and the KLPGA Tour, who got some great exposure this weekend.
- You have to wonder what is going on inside Brittany Lincicome's head when she's standing over a short putt or walking up the 18th fairway. Twice this season, Lincicome had issues on the final hole that cost her an opportunity to win. Will she ever win again? You have to think she will get those issues worked out and hoist a trophy once again. Remember, So Yeon Ryu had similar issues for a year and a half until finally breaking through once again. Lincicome's time is coming.
- We were so close to witnessing a storybook week for Inbee Park. One more birdie would have put her into the sudden death playoff and, more importantly, would have secured the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings all on her wedding week. Still, it was a good week for someone who could have been excused if she was a little distracted. It will be interesting to see Park and Stacy Lewis back in action in two weeks. Right now, it would seem like Park is playing with far more confidence then Lewis, but these things can easily change.
- I would say this was a successful return from injury for Michelle Wie. Not only did she complete four rounds, but two weekend rounds of 67 got her in contention on Sunday. Wie could have been rusty. She could have finished in the middle of the field and accepted it as a good week, but Wie had her eyes set on winning. She appears to be completely fine now, which means she's going to make a final push towards the end of the season.
- It's hard to write about Ben Martin without sounding cliche. He's a young talent that saw success on the amateur level but struggled initially on the PGA Tour, but now he's finally reached those expectations and is a winner on the PGA Tour. Martin nearly gave this tournament away (or, better yet, Kevin Streelman nearly stole another one thanks to an unbelievable final round), so I don't know what to predict when it comes to Ben Martin's career. Perhaps all he needed was that first trophy to eliminate some of the nerves and get him prepared for this level. We won't have to wait long, as Martin is expected to play a few times before we get to Hawaii.
- Two men have finished in the top 10 in both opening tournaments this season - Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka. This isn't much of a surprise. Koepka is expected to do big things now that he has a full time membership on Tour. He has proven himself on the international level time and time again, and people are looking for him to break out. Matsuyama is a top 10 player in the world, in my eyes, and has the kind of game that can lead him to contend and possibly win in majors. Both did exactly what they were supposed to do to start the season. For Koepka, he is hoping that this strong start will lead to a strong performance in the final Race to Dubai events on the European Tour.
- I was already a believer in Adam Hadwin, who had a monster final round, but now I think I'm a believer in Carlos Ortiz. I had no idea what to expect from Ortiz, who won three times last season on the Web.com Tour but also struggled down the stretch. He seems to feel comfortable on this level, and has gotten better each tournament and each round he's played. I still think Hadwin will win Rookie of the Year, but Ortiz could have a really good year and even challenge him.
It's one thing to be a superstar in your home country on courses you have played on many times as a junior through to pro to being a superstar on the LPGA circuit and they are all already too old to break Ko's records she continues to set.
ReplyDeleteI think Ko's records may be unbreakable, but Hyo Joo Kim may be the first born to be made superstar I've seen since Ko started turning heads as a 15 year old. We are kind of spoiled with Ko - she is doing something great at such an incredibly young age that we forget that winning a major at the age of 19 is actually quite the accomplishment.
DeleteI'm just a little bit touchy on the subject after a couple of weeks on the Asian swing and having the commentators especially Karen Stupples talking about ever player in or near the lead being talked about with superlatives when their records do not justify it. Some ordinary players occasionally play well some have even won majors but you need to keep it in perspective.
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