LPGA Tour 2014

[mrbluu]

Good to see Michelle Wie get another win!!

[3Puttpete]

Good to see Michelle Wie get another win!!

Good to see Michelle Wie

[sms316]

Dykes on spikes. Pics?

[Gw 86]

Good to see minjee lee open with one of the five under par rounds . Hopefully another good round to make the cut although I suspect she will be aiming a lot higher than that

[Lagerlover]

Good to see Michelle Wie Are you her doctor?

[3Puttpete]

Didn't you cook once upon a time? I assume you know your way around a chick pea.

[jimandr]

This appears to be the right place to comment on the US Womens Open.

Minjee Lee is a star. It is only a matter of time before she turns professional and becomes a top 10 player.

I just saw the highlights of the 11 year old player, who shot 78 and beat quite a few good players, including Stacey Keating.

She hits it about 230yds (210m), and recorded two birdies. No longer will we be able to insult someone by saying they hit it like a girl. She hits it further than me and is clearly a much better player than me.

I need a hug.

[oncewasagolfer]

See there is an 11 year old playing in this weeks u.s. open will probably be burnt out by 15.

[spanner039]

Just watching the highlights now, really for those that said the men's version was dull, the girls is without a doubt the most lackluster event I have ever seen. At least there is love/hate with the men, the girls are all just as sour and expressionless as ladies day at studley park.

As for the 11 year old it's a pathetic sign as to how crap this event is. A desperate attempt to get some publicity.

And for the record I like ladies

[Wenz]

Apparently the 11yo is really good. Anyone confirm?

[sms316]

Apparently the 11yo is really good. Anyone confirm? Ask Robert Hughes.

[Captain Nemo]

Or Rolf Harris?

[spanner039]

Or the Vatican's Promoter of Justice

Think we got that covered now

[jimandr]

Just watching the highlights now, really for those that said the men's version was dull, the girls is without a doubt the most lackluster event I have ever seen. At least there is love/hate with the men, the girls are all just as sour and expressionless as ladies day at studley park.

As for the 11 year old it's a pathetic sign as to how crap this event is. A desperate attempt to get some publicity.

And for the record I like ladies

She qualified. She did not get invited. What do you want them to do, prevent people under a certain age from entering qualifying tournaments.

As to your other point, it is the US Open on a really difficult course. They are all grinding out scores, and there is very little to celebrate. I smile when I get a par, but they don't.

To be fair though, it isn't much different in their regular events. Quite a few of them don't really look like they enjoy the game. Maybe that is what happens when they become very good at a young age, as many of the women seem to do.

Anybody else see the amateur girl who was leading at one stage hit the par 5 10th in two, putt the next one off the green, and finish with a 7. We haven't even got a thread for that.

[Lagerlover]

I need a hug.

You had your chance at Coffs...

[Tank33]

My money's on Michelle Wie

[spanner039]

She qualified. She did not get invited. What do you want them to do, prevent people under a certain age from entering qualifying tournaments.

Yes

[Gw 86]

My money's on Michelle Wie I hope so it's been a long time coming from all the hype when she was a teenager .

[oldracer]

Watched the 11 year old in the crap this morning and not able to get out, have to say she looked all of 11, bit sad really

[spanner039]

Watched the 11 year old in the crap this morning and not able to get out, have to say she looked all of 11, bit sad really

That's my point, no doubt a talent but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch.

[Jackson]

Is there an issue with ladies golf when an 11 year old is qualifying for a major? How bad are the other top amateurs if an 11 year old, no matter how talented, is beating them?

[spanner039]

Is there an issue with ladies golf when an 11 year old is qualifying for a major? How bad are the other top amateurs if an 11 year old, no matter how talented, is beating them?

That's my point again, the LPGA is rooted. The current players are just boring, faceless and all look the same.

[oldracer]

yep I think they have created the side show to pump up the event, again what a shame

[Tank33]

I don't think its such a bad thing..

Didn't we have all these world class female tennis players under 20?
I know the female tennis players getting older now. Serena Williams is no.1 at 28.
But it used to be all teenagers winning big tournaments such as Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Carlonine Wozniacki and so on.
And I think it was more fun to watch then than now.

I believe LPGA should lower the age restrictions to something similar to women's tennis.
A 14 y.o tennis player can play 8 pro tournaments a year.

I know it might be too young but that's the reality of womens sports. They seem to peak much younger than men.

And for me, it's always more exciting to watch Lexi Thompson than Karrie Webb.

[Tank33]

And for me, it's always more exciting to watch Lexi Thompson than Karrie Webb.

Actually, I think female pro golfers should start grunting like tennis players for more audiences. :P

[sms316]

I'm pretty sure that despite being able to play the odd event or major the age requirement to join the LPGA Tour is 18 unless exempted (Lexi Thomson and Lydia Ko are recent exemptions).

[Tank33]

I'm pretty sure that despite being able to play the odd event or major the age requirement to join the LPGA Tour is 18 unless exempted (Lexi Thomson and Lydia Ko are recent exemptions).

That's the reason for my argument. If a female tennis player can make money playing tournaments from 14, mind you they make better money than golfers. Why would you prevent them from making money from golf tournaments because of their age?

In a major tennis games such as Aus Open, female players get the same amount of money as male counterparts.

In 2014 the Aus Tennis Open winners cashed in $2,650,000 both men and women.

Is the women's tennis as exciting as the men's? NO
Do they get the same attention as the men's game? NO
Are they able to receive the same kind of financial backing as the men's game? NO

YET, the game organisers are able to pay the female competitors the same kind of money.
You could say the men's game earn all the money then they pay a large portion to the women.
But is it a bad thing? Good money attracts better players.
Better quality games attract more attention and interest, hence the money.

Now lets look at golf.

Male US Open golf winner was paid $1,620,000
Female US Open golf winner gets $720,000

Money's just not there compared to other pro games, plus you have to be over 18. If you have to spend your prime years as an athlete, winning amateur honours spending $$$$$ out of your pocket just to compete.
Which game would you play? That's why LPGA is not as successful as WTA.

Coming up with the good money is a challenge but they should lower the age restrictions to let younger players who are good enough make money.
Having that age restriction only serves one purpose - protecting purses of older people who lost ability to win and to attract audiences.

Golf should follow the footsteps of tennis and reach gender equality at least in the majors.
If they have to pay less to boys to achieve that, they should do that.

At the end of the day, male golfers play the majors for the honour than the money.
They should use more of that money to promote the women's game.

[Tank33]

Oh I forgot, even men's golf as a pro sports is struggling to attract money compared to other sports.

With Tiger's prolonged absence, PGA tour will become as boring as LPGA.

Maybe I am too passionate about the game. lol

At the end of the day, I wouldn't care if I couldn't watch all these pros play the game on TV as long as I can get out on the course playing it myself whichever way it goes.

To me, golf is not a spectators sports and I get more enjoyment from playing it myself whereas even if I enjoy watching the rugby league, soccer or baseball, I don't even dream to play any of them myself. Just happy to sit and watch.

I wonder how many non golfers wake up in the morning to watch US open golf, only a handful.

Such a boring game to watch even for such small dedicated audiences. No wonder they usually struggle to find money to promote.

[sms316]

Tank - if you think that prize money for the women should be the same as for the men then you are full of shit.

At least in tennis there is the perve factor.

[Shane788]

It was hard to watch that 11 year old play, just doesn't look right, the interviews were awkward and she needs to rub that sunscreen into her face.

[Jackson]

The interview with her holding an icecream was strange... Surely someone could get her another one after the interview so she could throw that one. Obviously set up, but I'm not sure why...

[Ferrins]

Nice mumble pants on Yang.

[Jackson]

Disappointing finishing round by Minjee, but a top 25 finish still pretty damn good.

[mrbluu]

Michelle Wie, major winner!!!

[Captain Nemo]

Bout time, all the talent in the world ****ed up by money hungry Tiger Parents when she was younger so it seamed.
Good to see her back on track, should raise the profile of women's golf a bit more...

[mrbluu]

Bout time, all the talent in the world ****ed up by money hungry Tiger Parents when she was younger so it seamed.Good to see her back on track, should raise the profile of women's golf a bit more... She also too 3 or 4 years off to do a uni degree, that hurt her golf a lot.

[3Puttpete]

She also too 3 or 4 years off to do a uni degree, that hurt her golf a lot.

I think it was the other way round

[Mububban]

She's been around forever and she's only 24? Here's hoping she's sorted out her problems, maybe told the parents to F off? Could finally be the start of her 'real" career from now on, good on her

[Captain Nemo]

She also too 3 or 4 years off to do a uni degree, that hurt her golf a lot.

I'm not sure about that, if that's the case why did she start on tour so young.
You'd have to think to stay in the college system, get her education then come out on tour.
Good for here though, good to see someone diff win a women's major...

[s12raider]

Wie had clever physio strapping which 'may' have played some level of distraction to players - similar to the pink ball being played by the player (name escapes me) projecting a Sergeant Pepper-esque ensemble.
Wie played very well and her striking was on-song.
However it (the entire match) was possibly one of the most boring games I've watched - it was so slow and painful to watch.
I did like the young Irish lass use of 'twerk' when setting up for tee-offs though. :-)

[3oneday]

I liked watching her...... A lot :)

[jimandr]

I watched the replay last night, and even though I knew the result, it was more interesting than I thought it might be.

The right player won, and she won by being the best player for the week. Michelle Wie is probably the most interesting player on the tour, with her combination of talent, history and mental fragility, so it was good to see her recover from a bad hole when she could easily have had a late collapse.

I'm a bit conflicted on the wisdom of following the men around Pinehurst though. In both tournaments, it was good to watch for one round just to watch them play a different style of golf, but after a while it became a bit dull watching the players struggle for pars all day.

I don't think the women lost anything in comparison to the men, but the golf just wasn't very exciting, so we didn't really see the best parts of the women's game.

But, the USGA seems to think that hard equals good, so they got what they wanted, two weeks in a row. I'm sort of thinking that if the women want to follow the men on the same course they might be better off doing so after a PGA, where hopefully the scores are lower.

[mrbluu]

I'm not sure about that, if that's the case why did she start on tour so young.
You'd have to think to stay in the college system, get her education then come out on tour.
Good for here though, good to see someone diff win a women's major...

She started early cos she was good a very young age. I think she played in the last group on Sunday in a major (could have been the US Open) as an Amateur when she was 14 or something like that.

Her parents are academics so she always wanted to go the Stanford.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2012-03/gwar-michelle-wie-education

[Captain Nemo]

Good on her...

[pauly]

I watched the replay last night, and even though I knew the result, it was more interesting than I thought it might be.

The right player won, and she won by being the best player for the week. Michelle Wie is probably the most interesting player on the tour, with her combination of talent, history and mental fragility, so it was good to see her recover from a bad hole when she could easily have had a late collapse.

I'm a bit conflicted on the wisdom of following the men around Pinehurst though. In both tournaments, it was good to watch for one round just to watch them play a different style of golf, but after a while it became a bit dull watching the players struggle for pars all day.

I don't think the women lost anything in comparison to the men, but the golf just wasn't very exciting, so we didn't really see the best parts of the women's game.

But, the USGA seems to think that hard equals good, so they got what they wanted, two weeks in a row. I'm sort of thinking that if the women want to follow the men on the same course they might be better off doing so after a PGA, where hopefully the scores are lower.

It also is difficult to set up fairly for the ladies as the disparity between the shortest hitter and the longest hitter is really quite massive (wie has 115mph~ vs some at less than 85mph). They shorten it up and someone like MW can hit 3 wood all day and still be left with 130y max on what were super difficult holes for the men (540y par 4's with hyb->5/6 iron shots in)

That being said I actually thought it was good to see the ladies play the same course, but that underlying feeling that it truly wasn't the same course as it's impossible to set up the same because of the distance disparity within the LPGA never escaped me.
I assume the Olympics will be done in the same fashion using the same course with different tees (possibly ladies first then mens afterwards?)

[3Puttpete]

They set it up (as best they could) so the chicks were playing the same clubs into greens.

[mrbluu]

It also is difficult to set up fairly for the ladies as the disparity between the shortest hitter and the longest hitter is really quite massive (wie has 115mph~ vs some at less than 85mph). They shorten it up and someone like MW can hit 3 wood all day and still be left with 130y max on what were super difficult holes for the men (540y par 4's with hyb->5/6 iron shots in)

That being said I actually thought it was good to see the ladies play the same course, but that underlying feeling that it truly wasn't the same course as it's impossible to set up the same because of the distance disparity within the LPGA never escaped me.
I assume the Olympics will be done in the same fashion using the same course with different tees (possibly ladies first then mens afterwards?)

I doubt she is 115mph I thought she was closer to 105mph (I could be wrong though).

I was of the understanding that the guys on the PGA average less than that. I remember seeing Brandt Snedeker being only around 110mph.

[BUSHY]

Women's US Open ratings up 89% over last year.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/ratings-final-round-womens-open-89/?cid=twitter-gc-a-womens-open-ratings-062314

[Mububban]

Women's US Open ratings up 89% over last year.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/ratings-final-round-womens-open-89/?cid=twitter-gc-a-womens-open-ratings-062314

It's got to be a good thing being so close to the men's tournament, as both are spoken of by news outlets in the same story, "And next week on this very same course...."

[BUSHY]

I'm very excited for the tour. It's great to see her come through. She might finally have the confidence to go with her prodigious talents. Big numbers in terms of exposure. Bigger than a metranomic Korean winning 3 straight.

[pauly]

after some hasty research it appears you are closer than my guess, 107mph apparently

[Shreko]

Just watching the highlights now, really for those that said the men's version was dull, the girls is without a doubt the most lackluster event I have ever seen. At least there is love/hate with the men, the girls are all just as sour and expressionless as ladies day at studley park.

As for the 11 year old it's a pathetic sign as to how crap this event is. A desperate attempt to get some publicity.

And for the record I like ladies

I like ladies too, for the record, and funnily enough they are called pro's as well:razz:

[Coldtopper]

I like ladies too, for the record, and funnily enough they are called pro's as well:razz: Playing with lady pro's is great fun and expensive!

15% was usually the difference in yardage between mens and ladys or a couple of clubs in overall ball flight distance.

[Shortylook]

Michelle wie's rig is very tidy

[markTHEblake]

Her parents are academics so she always wanted to go the Stanford.
a mate of mine always gets a good bag to carry at the Australian Ladies Masters as he has a friend in the right place. I think it was last year, this fella says something like
"I could get you Michelle Wie if you want, but I wouldnt do that to you "
"why not?"
"you wont be able to handle the parents"

[aym]

I like ladies too, for the record, and funnily enough they are called pro's as well:razz:

Dont mind watching the girls play, unlike some of you hulks their swing speed is probably closer to me anyway... I reckon 70% of the ladies can out drive me...

[Shortylook]

Dont mind watching the girls play, unlike some of you hulks their swing speed is probably closer to me anyway... I reckon 70% of the ladies can out drive me...
70% Id say 100% for me mate

[aym]

70% Id say 100% for me mate

I might be with you there.. http://www.cbssports.com/golf/stats/stats_leaders/LPGA/2014/drivingDistance

Every now and then I bomb on 230-240m.. most the time around 210-220... dammit.. maybe I should just give up..

[Golfwhang]

http://www.cbssports.com/golf/stats/...rivingDistance
wow I thought Michelle wie was the longest
she's behind tiny lewis

[Shane788]

Couldn't believe how many yardage books she had in her pocket, hers, fowlers and Bradley's.

[jimandr]

I'm not sure whether I said it earlier in this thread or somewhere else, but one of the reasons why I like the LPGA is that the top players turn up every week, and one of the top players usually wins. There are hardly ever any fluke wins by no-names.

Then this week, Mo Martin wins the Womens British.

She has had one career top 10, then wins what should be the hardest major to win.

She has a good swing, and she sometimes pokes up for a round or two then fades away, except for this week.

So much for tough courses and tough weather (and it was tough) making the cream rise to the top.

Based on this result, I expect Pablo Larrazabal or John Senden (wouldn't that be good) to win the Open next week.

[jimandr]

Anybody catch (or catching) the teams matchplay event that is on my foxtel right now?

Being golf, and looking like rain outside, I'll keep watching.

I certainly saw why Katherine Kirk and Lindsay Wright aren't contenders any more. 6 up with 7 to play in a best ball and they finish up square.

[Volts]

Anybody catch (or catching) the teams matchplay event that is on my foxtel right now?

I like it. Hope it's successful enough to keep sponsors happy. Would like to see at least 2 more countries in the mix.

[Shane788]

Surprising win by Inbee Park, great putts on 17 & 18 to get to the playoff.

[jimandr]

The Evian Masters is the 5th Major on the LPGA tour, and it is on at the moment.

Casual viewers may have missed the first round already, but the main thing they may miss if they don't view the second round is Christina Kim's pre-shot routine.

Looking at her is scary under normal circumstances, but right now, her swing is painful to look at.

She appears to be suffering swing yips. She is making at least 10 Mike Weir style half swings before she hits the ball, getting longer each time. It looks like she is having trouble pulling the trigger because she is so uncomfortable over the ball.

I've never seen anything like it.

[Shane788]

Karrie Webb really gave that away..

[oldracer]

Karrie Webb really gave that away..mmm last two approach shots not up to it

[Shane788]

mmm last two approach shots not up to it

Not at all, she could of done a lot better than what she did with the 3rd on 18 aswell.

[jimandr]

I'm switching between the Hong Kong Open and the LPGA at the moment, but spending more time on the LPGA on Fox 3, admiring the swings of players I've never heard of.

The event is in Korea, so there are local players who don't play on the Tour on TV. Not only are they contending, right now the top 2 are domestic players, beating the best from the tour.

It is no wonder, as their swings are just magnificent. It is clear they have some very good coaching in Korea.

[AusOdy]

Playoff now

[jimandr]

If you don't know the result, check out the last hour of the replay of the Mizuno Classic on Fox later tonight.

The most amazing golf you'll ever see.

Don't watch it with the sound turned off though. The graphics are in Japanese, so you need the commentary (which is clearly post-recorded) to work out who is who.

[Shane788]

That play off was unreal!