- Well, that didn't take very long. One week after coming narrowly close to taking down the number one player in the world and winning her second LPGA Title, Amy Yang chased down Stacy Lewis in the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand to win Tour title number 2. This is Yang's third top 5 in four events this season, and she now leads the money list, the Chase For The CME Globe, and the Player Of The Year standings. It is still incredibly early in the year, but Amy Yang is on track to completely shatter everyone's expectations and have by far her best season on Tour. The key to Yang's success? Her ball striking - she ranks second on Tour in greens in regulation.
- Speaking of Stacy Lewis, if she were able to convert every time she was in contention to win a tournament, she would have 1,341 LPGA titles. I may be exaggerating a bit, but it is amazing to me that someone who is one of the best players in their sport can leave so many opportunities on the table. This time, it was an incredibly poor weekend that did her in. Lewis had a commanding lead in this tournament after opening rounds of 66-64. but could not break par in either of her weekend rounds. Sometimes, there are players who just rise up and beat you, but Lewis let this one slip out from under her.
- What I saw this weekend gave me more proof that Lydia Ko is going to be number one for a while. With Stacy Lewis playing poorly on the weekend and handing away the title, and Inbee Park notching a back door top 10 after two rough opening rounds, Ko was able to shoot a second round 61 in New Zealand and easily walk away with the LET tournament in her home country. The gap is starting to widen, and we still haven't reached the first major of the season.
- The upside that Mirim Lee has is tremendous. After winning twice last season, she finished T2 in Thailand this week to pick up where she left off. She will fly under the radar for most of her career. She will likely never be the best player in the world, but she will settle for a couple of major titles.
- I caution everyone not to get too excited about Beatriz Recari's performance this week. Sure, it was great to see her back in contention of an LPGA tournament, but this was really Recari's first good week in quite some time, and it was really just one good round, her final round 63, that got her there. It's her first top 10 of the season, and only her second in two seasons, and in between she missed the cut in the Bahamas. I would love to see Recari contending on a regular basis once again, but I want to see her making cuts more frequently first.
- Padraig Harrington, where have you been?! After struggling mightily the past couple of years, Harrington was able to eliminate his demons, at least for one week, and win on the PGA Tour for the first time in seven years. At one point, it looked like Harrington would take over at the number one player in the world, and the last few years it looked like Harrington was headed towards retirement. This perhaps isn't a career resurgence for Harrington, but seeing him win again is an absolute joy, and it's great for golf.
- How ironic is it that Harrington gets back into the winner's circle two weeks after he was denied the opportunity to lead the European Ryder Cup team? Harrington doesn't get to lead that team, but he does get to play The Masters once again, and, perhaps, if he wins again or if he's able to capitalize on this momentum, perhaps he will make the team on his own merits.
- So far, it has been an amazing 2015 for the PGA Tour. Big names winning tournaments, drama that comes down to the final hole, great (and not so great) shots down the stretch, playoffs - 2015 might have already exceeded 2014, and we haven't even played The Masters yet.
- Who is Daniel Berger? We're quickly finding out. After beginning his rookie season with two missed cuts, he has been playing some fantastic golf. Coming off a top 10 at Pebble Beach, Berger's final round 64 got him the clubhouse lead, and then he sat back and watched everyone crumble around him in order to get into a playoff. He might not have won it, but it was still a great tournament for the rookie, who is quickly making a name for himself on Tour.
- Patrick Reed was in contention until he dumped a ball in the water on the 15th, but it was still a good week for a man who is quickly making a case to be the best American golfer. Reed would need to win a major for that to happen - after all, Bubba Watson has two green jackets - but I would not be surprised if Reed were to win one of the big ones and get himself into the top 5 players of the world. Reed would silence most of his critics if he were able to do so.
- Another week, another tournament where Paul Casey is in contention. He has come back from the depths to now be in contention every time he tees it up, but that story will soon be replaced by one that asks when Casey is going to be able to cash in on these opportunities. I'm sure Augusta is on his mind, as well, so Casey will be pushing to try and win before April. There are a few tournaments left in Florida that suit his eye, so this may end up being a good trip for Casey. His golf has come around and his personal life is in a good place, so I think Casey is about to get back in the winner's circle and get back to contending in majors.
- Is anyone more of a sleeper than Jamie Donaldson? He's the 26th ranked player in the world, a Ryder Cupper, and a three time European Tour champion, and yet I rarely hear him talked about. Watch Donaldson in the majors this year. He could be someone who contends a few times without every getting the spotlight on him.
- I doubt Ian Poulter will ever want to see water again after that horrendous final round. I can't consider myself a Poulter fan, mainly because I root for the United States in the Ryder Cup and I know what he's done to us, but that was difficult to watch. No golfer, no matter if you're a weekend hacker or a professional, wants to go through a day where you put five balls in the water. That just takes the fun out of golf. Seeing him birdie the final two holes and post five under par tells me that he won't allow that to permanently effect him, which is good.
- Over 200 players tee'd it up in South Africa looking for a spot in the Open Championship, and in the end it was three Brits who walked away with an invitation to St. Andrews. Andy Sullivan, the winner of the Joburg Open, as well as Anthony Wall and David Howell. This was Sullivan's second win this season, both of which have taken place in South Africa. He has been playing solid golf this season, so he will be expecting more from his first major championship than to just enjoy the scenery. Wall is a journeyman player that has been around for some time, though his only win on the European Tour took place back in 2000. He has already played in five Open Championships, so this will not be new territory for him. The biggest name, however, is Howell, who was once a top 10 player in the world and played on two Ryder Cup teams. Howell's career slipped badly and was on the edge of obscurity, but a victory in 2013 revitalized him. He finished T15 in the Open last year. He struggled during the Desert Series earlier this year, so to see him contend again is a good sign of things to come.
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