First Olympic Golf Medals Rewarded In Nanjing

The Youth Olympic Games are currently taking place in Nanjing, China (and I'm sure you've ALL been watching) and for the first time in over a hundred years, Olympic medals have been rewarded in an official Olympic competition. Part of the reason this event hasn't gotten any coverage through the golf media is because the big name young golfers either decided not to play or were ineligible. The United States didn't even field a team, and only amateurs were eligible. Still, this was a landmark moment for golf as they continue to move towards Rio 2016.

On the boys' side, the gold went to Renato Paratore of Italy, silver to Marcus Kinhult of Sweden, and Danthai Boonma of Thailand. Paratore is the 5th ranked amateur player in the world and won a couple of European amateur events, including the Portuguese Amateur Championship. He's also played a few events on the European Tour, and made the cut at the Open de Espana back in May. Several members of the Italian press are already comparing Paratore to the Molinari Brothers, Matteo Manassero, and Costatino Rocca. It's amazing how quickly Italian golf has surged.

The the girls' side, Korea's So-Young Lee won the golf, Cheng Ssu-Chia of Taiwan won the silver, and Supamas Sangchan won the bronze, completing the Asian sweep of the girls division. So-Young Lee played in one event on the LPGA Tour this season, finishing T22 at the LOTTE Championship. She also qualified for this years US Women's Open, but withdrew before the start of competition. Lee has stated that she will turn pro after the Asian Games, so look for her on the KLPGA Tour next season.

There was also a mixed team event, which is not an event that will be on the schedule at Rio. Sweden took home the golf, Korea the silver, and Italy the bronze. Congratulations to all the medalists!

Two Year Winless Droughts End

- Now that Hunter Mahan has turned his game around and won his first event since 2012, perhaps we will finally see Mahan win his first major title. Mahan has been a borderline great player who goes in streaks, and now that he is on the other end of a bad streak, who knows what we will see from him. I think it is a safe bet that we will see Hunter Mahan in Scotland at the end of the season, and hopefully give a much needed boost to the American team.

- With this win, Mahan will continue his streak of playing in every FedEx Cup event since it's inception, as he is now a lock to make it to East Lake.

- Another 54 hole lead, another weekend without a trophy for Jim Furyk. This is starting to get old.

- Late career Stuart Appleby has been very interesting to watch. For a majority of the last couple of seasons, Appleby has not been a part of the conversation. Prior to this week, Appleby only had two top tens this season, and while he was making cuts, he never really had a run at a tournament. Every once and a while, though, much like this week, Appleby will make a charge and remind people of the great player he was and still has the ability to be. I hope we see Appleby win again on Tour, as he is one of my favorite players.

- Good for Cameron Tringale for finishing second a week after having to forfeit his winnings for a rules infraction at the PGA Championship. Perhaps calling the infraction on himself cleared his mind and relaxed him.

- Let me get this straight - Ernie Els can finish in the top 10 at the PGA Championship, then barely make the cut and finish towards the bottom at the Wyndham Championship, and turn around and get another top 10 at the Barclays? I don't understand you at all, Big Easy.

- It was becoming a common thing on this site to discuss So Yeon Ryu and her inability to close the deal in tournaments where she had the chance to lead. It became such a common trend that I swore not to write about her again until she wins again. Well, a month later, Ryu went wire to wire in Canada to pick up her first victory on the LPGA Tour. The reason I knocked her so often on this site was that I always thought Ryu was much better than her results. She's always had the skill level to not have more than two victories on Tour, and her notching top 10s and runner up finishes was proof of that. While it got a little close down the stretch, Ryu's incredibly solid play all week long shows the kind of player she can be. Ryu admitted on Instagram that she's waited a long time for this win, and perhaps with that mental hurdle gone, Ryu can start raking in trophies.

- Na Yeon Choi's runner up finish is only her third top ten of the season. I don't know how great players can suddenly stop playing well, but NYC looked like she was on track to become the number one player in the world until a fall from form the last two seasons has dropped her all the way to 15th in the rankings. Perhaps this is a return for form for the former US Women's Open champion, or perhaps it was just a good week in a friendly environment. Either way, it was great to see NYC back towards the top of the leaderboard.

- Koreans go 1-2-3 on the leaderboard for the first time in 2014, which just so happens to be three tournaments after the International Crown. In fact, since the International Crown, Koreans have won every event on Tour, with two runner up finishes and eight top 10s for various Korean players. I don't know if the International Crown was the kick in the pants for the Korean players, or if they were just tired of hearing about the rise of the American players and the lack of success of Koreans on Tour this year, but they're back, and right before the international portion of the schedule.

- With Inbee Park's third place finish, coupled with Stacy Lewis's disappointing week, the gap between the two players has now shrunk to an incredibly small margin. Considering how dominating Lewis looked this seasons, and how Inbee struggled for part of 2014, it's astonishing that this has become a battle once again.

- Perhaps giving up your LPGA membership can benefit you after all. Former world number one JiYai Shin has won twice this season in Asia after forfeiting her LPGA membership, and now Momoko Ueda wins her first JLPGA event since 2011 after leaving the LPGA prior to the start of this season. While I enjoyed watching both players, I'd rather see them excel on a level even though I can't watch them than see them struggle in the US. Hopefully Momoko plays in the Mizuno Classic, an event she has won twice, towards the end of the season.

Wednesday Preview - The FedEx Cup Playoffs

This week is the Barclays, the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Normally, I would do a typical preview where I talk about the course and the field, but we're likely to see the same field of golfers for four weeks straight, so instead of making the same predictions each week, I decided to clump the entire stretch into one post. I decided to break down the fields into three groups - players 100 or below that could make a run, players in the middle of the pack who could surprise some people, and players I see contending and eventually winning the FedEx Cup. Sound like fun? Great!

Making The Leap:

Paul Casey (118) - Only played 15 events this season with Past Champions status, but recorded a top 25 in eight of those starts. Now that he has his card for next season secured, he can focus on winning on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2009, and possibly sneaking his way onto the Ryder Cup team. He was on the bubble entering the final event of the year, but would have easily made the playoffs if he played more events. I have a feeling Casey will be competitive in each playoff event, and make it all the way to East Lake.

Sang-Moon Bae (120) - Only player in the field that moved his way into the playoffs after being on the outside entering last week. Has zero top 10's this season, but the adrenaline of last week may translate into this week and give Bae a boost.

Lee Westwood (107) - Been a disappointing season for Westwood, but does have top 10s at the Masters and the Players, and briefly held the lead at the PGA Championship on Thursday. He's going to need a good run in the playoffs if he wants any chance at making the Ryder Cup team.


Don't Sleep On Them:

Retief Goosen (96) - Has made the cut in 13 straight tournaments, but has only four top 25s during that stretch. He's the kind of player that will just kind of hang around. I can easily see him making it to the BMW Championship with no attention being made to him. Quiet and consistent, just like he was in his prime.

Henrik Stenson (70) - Had a rough year after winning the FedEx Cup playoffs last season, but has only played 12 events on the PGA Tour this season after devoting a majority of his time to the European Tour. Finished T3 at the PGA Championship, so don't be surprised if he wins the first event of the playoffs and make a run to the cup, much like he did last season.

Hunter Mahan (62) - Has played in every FedEx Cup event since it's inception, but he needs a couple of big weeks in order to keep that streak alive. Had a down season, but has always performed well in stretches, and recorded a T7 finish at the PGA Championship following a top 25 at the Bridgestone.


Real Contenders:

Rickie Fowler (16) - Four majors, four top 5 finishes. He season outside of that is relatively mundane, but it can't be ignored that Fowler has performed his best at the biggest stages, and he seems to embrace the FedEx Cup as a big deal. Besides, his second victory HAS to be around the corner, right?

Sergio Garcia (7) - Eight top 10's in 13 stars is all that needs to be said about Sergio's season. In fact, the only thing that is missing from his resume this year is a victory. His T35 at the PGA Championship is more of an anomaly and speaks more about his comfort with Valhalla then it does about his current form. Look for him to be in the magic top 5 entering the Tour Championship.

Adam Scott (15) - Amazing to me that Scott is 15th in the standings, but that is attributed entirely to his lack of production in the majors this season. He's the defending champion of the Barclays, so he has some experience winning in the playoffs. Will be completely under the radar thanks to the new World Number One.


Your FedEx Cup Champion:

Rory McIlroy (1) - My only question mark is whether Rory really wants to give it his all during the entire stretch of the playoffs. He's the best player in the world and can win any tournament as long as he maintains his focus. Three wins in three events, which includes a World Golf Championship and two majors. Could be considered one of the all time greatest seasons of golf if he were to also cash the ten million dollar check.

Wednesday Preview - Canadian Pacific Women's Open

The ladies of the LPGA Tour head back across the northern border for the Canadian Pacific Women's Open. The tournament used to be a major on the LPGA from 1979 until 2000, and still carries the stigma of a significant tournament, and in fact has one of the richest purses on the LPGA Tour, which is quite hilarious when you consider the last two years the winner has not cashed that large check.

Course: London Hunt & Country Club, which enters the rotation for the first time. This course was absolutely ravished by the winter season, but the club and the greens keepers have done a fantastic job getting the course in tournament shape. Seeing as this is the first time we are seeing this course, I will make no prediction on the final tally.

Strength Of Field: B+. Michelle Wie is the only really significant player missing from the field. The top 5 in the world all return to battle it out once again.

Extra Tidbits: A Canadian has not won this event since the first tournament back in 1973...Two years ago, Lydia Ko won the Canadian Women's Open to become the youngest champion on a major professional golf tour at 15 years old. She returned last year to defend her title...Seven players have won two or more tournaments on the LPGA this season. Stacy Lewis is the leader with three victories. Inbee Park's LPGA Championship victory made her the most recent to double up in 2014. Only Paula Creamer, Lexi Thompson, Lizette Salas, Mo Martin and Mirim Lee have one victory in 2014...Charley Hull, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Stephanie Meadow are among the players receiving sponsor's exemptions this week. Emma Jandal, Jillian Hollis, Elizabeth Tong, and Emme De Groot (I am Groot!) are your Monday qualifiers.

Fantasy Four:

Lydia Ko - I have no reason to pick against her in Canada, especially considering how well she's playing this season. It would be an historic feat if Ko were to pull off the three peat, but if anyone is capable of doing it, I believe she is.

Inbee Park - Best player on Tour for the past three weeks. Her win at the LPGA Championship showed that she has restored confidence in her ability to seal the deal when in a position to win. Was the runner up two years ago, and cashed the first place check when Ko was still an amateur.

Mirim Lee - Consider me a believer after her top 10 performance last week. Might be playing the best golf of anyone not named Inbee over the past three tournaments. I have no reason to believe she can't keep up her strong performances.

Stacy Lewis - Is still the number one player on Tour, though may need another win soon if she wishes to keep that distinction. Backdoored a top 10 last week, which she seems to be doing a lot of lately with strong final rounds. Her middle two rounds have been her downfall, as her strong final rounds occur after she's already out of the tournament. Last week was her first top 10 since her win in Arkansas.

(SLEEPER) Meena Lee - Finished just outside the top 10 at the LPGA Championship, which continues her strong performances this year as she's already notched four top 10's, including the US Women's Open. Hasn't won since 2006, and is extremely overdue. With Inbee and Mirim winning the last two weeks, it may be time for a run of Korean champions. 

Koreans Have Risen Again On The LPGA

- After two weeks of blowing leads late in tournaments, it is only fitting that Inbee Park wins the LPGA Championship by coming from behind. We can sometimes forget how hard it is to win a professional golf tournament, and no one has made it harder on themselves than Inbee has, so to see her rewarded in this fashion seems right. Now that she strung together three great weeks, and cashed in on another victory, I wonder if she's going to give Stacy Lewis a real run towards the end of the season. They have one more major that could be a deciding factor.

- I know everyone is saying that Brittany Lincicome proved herself to be the next American major winner, but I can't see that as being true. Personally, this may have been Lincicome's best opportunity to win, as her career has started to take a slight downturn the past two seasons. Of course, Lincicome is still only 28, so she'll have several more opportunities, but who knows if she'll ever get another great opportunity like she got heading up the 72nd hole of the LPGA Championship. I know IK Kim is still looking for her breakthrough from a similar situation.

- Lydia Ko is ready to be a major winner. Nothing has made me realize that more than her performance on Sunday, trying to chase down the leaders late as they were trying to pull away from her. Ko's bogies on the final two holes derailed her chances, but she gave more of a charge at it than anyone else. Physically, she may be the best player on Tour, and if she can get through a few mental hurdles, she may be almost unstoppable.

- I am now convinced that Mirim Lee is ready to be a big time player on the LPGA Tour. I wanted to see how Mirim would be able to handle her first major following her first victory on Tour, and she handled it better than most could have expected. She stumbled on the back 9 on Sunday, but she did not completely implode and shoot 80 like she could have. I believe this, more than her victory last week, will give Mirim confidence moving forward.

- Two weeks, two wins for Koreans on the LPGA Tour after everyone was applauding the rise of the American golfers this season. This is not to say that the Koreans are ready to retake their dominance, but it is great for all parties involved to have both American and Korean players playing well. Asia is one of the biggest markets for the LPGA, and if their stars are playing well, they will continue to support the product. A battle for supremacy between Korean and American stars on the LPGA can only be a positive thing for that Tour.

- I remember a few years ago the golf world was talking about the young guns being ready to step up and take over the PGA Tour when guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were ready to step away. Right towards the top of that conversation were Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas. Kim has been nowhere to be seen the past several years, and Villegas has struggled, notching only two top 10's since 2011. His victory at the Wyndham Championship turned back the clock a few years and showed us the kind of skills he is able to possess if he were to play at the top of his game. The win was Villegas' first top 10 of the season, so I'm not ready to say he's going to become this great player again, but it is a great step in the right direction for the Columbian.

- The Wyndham became a scene of pure disappointment for many players, such as Freddie Jacobson, Heath Slocum, and Brad Fritch, and while every golf writer will focus on the negative, I will, instead, discuss the positive. Sang-Moon Bae's final round 66 was enough to move him from 126 in the FedEx Cup standings to inside the top 125, giving him a tee time for next week. Also helping his cause was bubble boy Paul Casey, who was sitting right at 125 when the week started and was able to put together a decent tournament and get himself into the playoffs. For most players, the playoffs start at the Barclays, but for Casey and Bae, the playoffs started this week, which may give them some extra motivation and confidence heading into next week. The previously mentioned Slocum was able to translate his narrow entry into the playoffs in 2009 into a victory, so there is some previous history on this sort of thing happening.

News Grab-Bag: 8/15/2014

- This was news that was released last week, but it looks like the breaks on Michelle Wie's great season have officially been hit. Wie, who is sitting out of this week's LPGA Championship, is expected to miss 3-5 weeks with a finger injury. The injury bug appears to be going around on the LPGA, with Se Ri Pak sidelined with a wrist injury until the Evian Masters, and Lydia Ko and Mo Martin all playing through injuries this week. With players on that Tour playing almost every week, is it not a surprise to see some of them get hampered by injuries.

- Tiger Woods has made Captain Tom Watson's decision a little easier, as he announced this week that he is taking himself out of Ryder Cup consideration. Woods stated that his back was not fully healed when he returned last month, something most people speculated entering the PGA Championship, and that he would shut it down until his World Challenge in December.

- After missing the cut at the Wydnham Championship, David Duval stated that he is not done playing professional golf, and will still try to regain his PGA Tour card, if not for next season, than beyond. Duval stated at the beginning of the season that this year would be his last if he was unable to regain playing privileges, but said that an arm injury cost him several tournaments the moment he was starting to play well. Duval is currently No. 200 on the FedEx Cup standings, and the top 200 gain entry into the Web.com Tour finals for a chance at receiving a Tour card for next year. Duval will now wait to see if anyone knocks him out of that position.

- Best wishes go to Paula Creamer's long time caddie Colin Cann, who had back spasms flare up prior to the start of the second round and had to sit it out. Cann has been Creamer's caddie her entire 10 year career. Creamer would go on to shoot 77 and miss the cut, so hopefully Cann can get some rest.

This week, we learned of the passing of comedic genius and one of the greatest actors of all time, Robin Williams. Williams has an absolutely hilarious stand up routine, with one joke revolving around the creation of golf. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's NSFW, as there are quite a few swears in it, but every golfer, and every fan of comedy should at least watch this skit, and the whole show, if you can.

Oh Captain, My Captain! Thank you for all the laughs you have given us!

My Picks For The 2014 LPGA Championship

This week is the fourth of five LPGA majors, as the LPGA heads to Rochester for the final time for the 2014 LPGA Championship. Frankly, this is my least favorite of the majors as it is the least inclusive. Only LPGA players can qualify for the event, which means Hyo Joo Kim, who has been dominating the KLPGA this season, is ineligible to participate. Regardless, this is still a major tournament and with so many players playing well this year, this could be the tournament that could define a year.

The course in Rochester has tight fairways, so I stayed away from some long hitters that didn't have the driving accuracy. Other than that, there is no formula other than picking the players who have played well this year. The LPGA, more than any other major on the schedule, rewards the top players.

Likely To Not Contend:
Lexi Thompson - This course is just too tight for Thompson, who has never finished inside the top 10 at the LPGA Championship and hasn't recorded a top 10 on Tour since the US Open. I expect her form to return before the end of the season, but this isn't the place to do it.

Yani Tseng - A lot of people like Yani this week because of her past history, but she has never played at Monroe Golf Club before. With everybody seeing the course for the first time, I expect Yani to finish in the middle of the road this week.

Mirim Lee - The only rookie other than Lydia Ko to win on the LPGA Tour this year. Mirim Lee contending would make for a great story, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Her previous finishes in majors are a T26 and a missed cut. She's playing better now than she did at any other point of the season, but I need to see more before thinking she can contend for a major.

Keep An Eye On:
Haru Nomura - Only missed one cut this season, but last week's fourth place finish was only her second top 10 of the season. A lot of middling results, but has shown improvements, and should be slightly encouraged that she made the cut in her previous two major performances. She has been the best player from Japan this season, and yet she slides under the radar, which may be perfect for her. After a couple of seasons bouncing between Asia and the LPGA Tour, she has locked up her card for next season.

Sleeper Pick:
Amy Yang - Four top 10's this season, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship and US Open. Not even sure she qualifies as a sleeper anymore, but her recent performances in majors should be enough to give people notice.

Contenders:
5) Shanshan Feng - Winner two years ago at Locust Hill. Notched a top 10 last week after finishing tied for second at the Women's British Open. Her next win is coming very soon, but may be overlooked considering some of the names playing at the highest level.

4) Suzann Pettersen - Starting to return to form after an injury seemed to derail her early in the season. If she is completely healthy, she should have no problem returning to her winning form. While she has been completely forgotten about this season, she is still only forth on the Rolex World Rankings.

Numbers 3, 2, and 1:
I have honestly gone back and forth several times with all three players in my top 3, and I can not decide on which one I have the most confidence in to win the LPGA Championship. Naturally, they are the top 3 players in the Rolex World Rankings, and someone can make a case for all three of them, but I can also make a case AGAINST all three.
Lydia Ko may have the most momentum and confidence entering the LPGA Championship, but I still have a hard time seeing a 17 year old winning a major, even if that 17 year old is defying everything we ever knew about age in sports.
Stacy Lewis finished outside the top 10 by one stroke last week, but that was all because of her final round 66. Prior to that, Lewis looked out of it, which may be a result of the stunning exit of Team USA from the International Crown early in the event. Still, she is the best player in the world and should be considered the favorite.
Inbee Park is the defending champion and has played incredibly well the past several weeks, but she also has had two chances to close the deal on victories - one at the Women's British Open and one last week at the Meijer. I worry about players who give away leads late in a tournament, but Inbee's the caliber of golfer that can easily rebound.

I'm honestly completely torn. I know I'm supposed to pick one player, but right now, I simply can not do this. What I will say, though, is if all three of these players are in contention heading into the weekend, then we can expect yet another fantastic LPGA major.