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Sports Best of 2017 : LPGA
2017.12.29 11:22
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Best of 2017 : LPGA  Park already had 10 wins on the LPGA of Korea Tour before she began her rookie season in the U.S. By the time the 2017 schedule was over, she had won the U.S. Women’s Open, risen to No. 1 in the rankings and clinched the Rookie of the Year Award. When she was named co-winner (with So Yeon Ryu) of the Player of the Year Award, she became the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win the ROY and POY awards in the same season.
 Lexi Thompson appeared to be on her way to winning the ANA Inspiration, two shots ahead as she walked to the 13th tee on Sunday. That’s when everything changed. Thompson was informed that, as a result of an email by a TV viewer, she was being penalized two strokes for incorrectly marking her ball on the 17th green on Saturday, and was being hit for another two strokes for subsequently signing an incorrect scorecard. Thompson was shaken, but regained her composure enough to get into a playoff with So Yeon Ryu, which she lost on the first extra hole.
 A 2-foot putt. That’s all Lexi Thompson had left on the final hole of the CME Group Tour Championship. Make it, and she likely would have won the season-ending tournament (Ariya Jutanugarn would have needed a closing birdie to force a playoff), which would have given her enough points to wrap up the Player of the Year Award. And she would have risen to No. 1 in the world for the first time. Shockingly, Thompson missed. She still ended up winning the Race to the CME Globe (and its $1 million bonus) and the Vare Trophy for low scoring average, but that short miss cost her plenty.
 It was a year of change for Lydia Ko. The New Zealander changed swing coaches, caddies and equipment. But the biggest change? No wins, after seasons of three, five and four triumphs. Once ranked No. 1 in the world, Ko has fallen to No. 9. Whether she can return to the winner’s circle will be one of the biggest stories of 2018.
 That South Koreans dominated the LPGA was not news. But the extent of their domination was. Eleven different South Korean players won a total of 15 events, matching the record set in 2015. Those 15 wins included three majors, which were won by So Yeon Ryu (ANA Inspiration), Sung Hyun Park (U.S. Women’s Open) and I.K. Kim (Ricoh Women’s British Open). Kim (pictured) led the way with three wins.
 The U.S. blanked Europe, 4-0, in the Day 1 afternoon fourballs, the first time the Americans had swept a session in Solheim Cup history, and went into the singles with a 10 ½-to-5 ½ lead. Needing only 3 ½ points to retain the cup, the U.S. halved the singles session for a 16 ½-to-11 ½ win. Cristie Kerr led the way for captain Juli Inkster’s team, going 3-0-1 for 3 ½ points.
 It’s not often a tournament winner – let alone a major championship winner, gets lost because of another, more compelling story about another player in the field, but that’s what happened to So Yeon Ryu. Lexi Thompson bounced back from her controversial penalty to get into a playoff. Her opponent: So Yeon Ryu. Ryu birdied the first extra hole to capture her second major title (she also won the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open). In June Ryu won her second event of the year and ascended to the world No. 1 ranking. At the end of the year she was no longer No. 1, but she was the co-Player of the Year with new No. 1 Sung Hyun Park
 In an up-and-down year, Michelle Wie was mostly up. Despite missing six weeks after undergoing emergency appendectomy surgery, Wie made the cut in a career-high 20 events (out of 24 starts) and earned $930,575, second only to the $1,924,796 she took home in 2014, the year she won the U.S. Women’s Open. The only thing missing from her resume was a victory.
 After a career that saw her amass 18 wins, including four majors, Meg Mallon was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In addition to her individual accomplishments (which included winning two U.S. Women’s Opens), Mallon played on eight Solheim Cup teams and was captain of the 2013 squad.
 Joining Meg Mallon as former LPGA players inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame was Lorena Ochoa of Mexico. Ochoa’s LPGA career was short but meteoric. In a mere seven years she won 27 times, including two majors, and spent 158 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1.
 Former world No. 1 Lewis had gone three years and 82 starts without a victory until she won the Cambia Portland Classic in November. Before the tournament began she had said she would donate her winnings to relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey, which had devastated Houston, where she grew up. With her win, that amounted to $195,000 .
 For the second year in a row, Brooke Henderson was a two-time winner. In June she outdistanced Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie by two shots to win the Meijer LPGA Classic, and in October she cruised to a five-shot win in the McKayson New Zealand Women's Open. With five career wins, Henderson, 20, trails only the legendary Sandra Post (eight) among Canadians.
 Who could forget I.K. Kim’s 14-inch miss on the final hole of regulation in the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Instead of celebrating her first major, Kim went into a playoff with Sun-Young Yoo, which Yoo won. In 2017 Kim finally captured that elusive major, winning the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
 Cristie Kerr was just a few days shy of her 40th birthday when she won the LaCoste Ladies Open in France. She has said that one of her goals is to keep winning into her 40s, but that wasn’t the foremost thought in her mind at the time. Kerr, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, said she played with two cancer victims in mind. “I’m sorry,” she told reporters after winning, “but f--- cancer. I’m so sorry to say the F-word, but I’m so sick of people losing people to cancer.” Oh, and that part about wanting to win into her 40s? She did that, too, capturing the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia three weeks later.
 The first player from China to become a member of the LPGA, win a tournament and win a major, “Jenny Money” (her American nickname of choice) in November became the first player from China to rise to the No. 1 world ranking. In all she won three times in 2017, joining I.K. Kim as the year’s only three-time winners.
 It was truly an up-and-down year – make that up and down and up again – for Ariya Jutanugarn. The first Thai player ever to win an LPGA event had top-10 finishes in nine of her first 13 starts, culminating with a win in the Manulife LPGA Classic in June. That elevated her to the No. 1 world ranking. After that, however, she went into a bit of a tailspin, with five missed cuts and a WD in her next eight events. She gradually turned her game around, putting an exclamation point on her season by winning the CME Group Tour Championship.
 The LPGA said goodbye to one of its most accomplished caddies when Greg Sheridan died of cancer on Nov. 22 at age 63. Sheridan had been on the bag for Kathy Whitworth’s record 88th (and last) LPGA win. He had carried for Hall of Famer Beth Daniel at the height of her career. More recently, he was Natalie Gulbis’ regular caddie. A tweet by fellow caddie Matthew Galloway summed up Sheridan’s place in the game. “Best Greg story,” Galloway tweeted, “coming up 18 at [the LPGA Founders Cup], all the founders were in their chairs. Greg goes, `Yep, caddied for her, her and her.’ Legend.”
 With back-to-back U.S. Women’s Amateur titles to her credit, Danielle Kang was an eagerly awaited addition to the LPGA after she gained conditional status from her performance at the 2011 Q-School. But in five years she went winless, with only one top-3 finish in 122 starts. Then came the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Tied with Chella Choi after 54 holes at Olympia Fields, Kang closed with a 68 to edge Brooke Henderson by one stroke.
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Comment 7
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황규정*65
2017.12.29 12:05
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방준재*70
2017.12.29 13:30
Nicely reported Summation of 2017 LPGA world, thanks to you, Sunbaenim.
I am very proud of our young generation's achievement in 2017 including
new kids on the K-Pop scene, BTS (Bangtan Boys).
Freezing Cold Wave in NY area continues and take care.
Happy New Year, Sir.
PS;
I shall move this presentation to our HS Webpage to it's Golf Section.
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황규정*65
2017.12.29 22:53
Thanks for your comment! Dr Bang!
We are here at my daughter's house and my son will join us today
for the year end and New Year Celebration together.The weather is getting milder?,26 F in high,ha ,ha. here at Mamaroneck,NY
and dust on the ground by snow made scenery more beautiful and make me
happy at the moment.Year 2017 is fading away and the New Year is approching with some satisfactions
and some regrets.Nevertherless
Our life is beautiful and might as well enjoy it while you can.
Have a wonderful and healthy New Year! Dr Bang! KJ
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할배:
어디서 이런 걸 다 모으셨오?
굉장하오이다. 또 감사합니다.
백효
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황규정*65
2017.12.30 04:22
찾는것보다 옮겨오는것이 시간이 걸리네요.눈이 점점 침침해서 말이오.
2018년은 LPGA가 꽤나 재미있을듯.Rolex World Ranking 1위는
물론 신인상도 쟁쟁한 선수들이 즐비해서 고진영선수가 따논 당상은 아닐듯.좌지간 흥미로울것 입네다. 새해에 할배도 그리고 중전마마님도 건강하시고
행복 하시요. 규정 -
황선생님, 한 페이지에 일년의 역사를 보여주셨습니다.
평소에 게으르게 넘겼던 장면들을 소개해 주셔서 감사합니다.
새해에도 건강하시고 복 많이 받으시고
손주들 사랑 듬뿍듬뿍 받으시기 바랍니다.
Happy New Year!
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황규정*65
2017.12.30 10:52
감사합니다.
연말에 식구들이 모여 북적대서 짬내기가 힘드네요.
새해에도 두 내외분 건강하시고 행복 하십시요. 규정
Golf Channel announced 'Best of 2017 : LPGA' as a summary of LPGA in 2017.
The top story was picked as triple crowns winning and winning World ranking
N0 1 by Sung Hyun Park as a rookie.
Two huge mishaps hindered for Lexi Thompson from best yaar in her career and
possibly best player of LPGA in 2017.
Korean players again were dominant with 15 record tying wins(4 majors including
Korean born player out of 5).
Stacy Lewis won finally in 3 years and donated whole prize money to hurricane victims
in Texas and her gesture was brilliant as her winning.
Julie Inkster led USA team again beat European team soundly in Solheim Cup 2017.
World best women golf players will compete fiercelly again in 34 tournaments
including 5 majors in 2018 and we sure are looking forward for this!
Again commissioner Whan did a whale of job for LPGA improving consistantly. KJ