2019.07.16 14:43
AFPJuly 16, 2019
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Sisters Moriya (R) and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand will play together in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the LPGA's first official team event that tees off on Wednesday (AFP Photo/DONALD MIRALLE)
MoreLos Angeles (AFP) - The LPGA's first official team event tees off with a pair of sister acts and a veteran Solheim Cup duo spicing up the field for the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.
The 72 two-woman teams will compete for a $2 million purse at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan, where Wednesday's first round and Friday's third round will feature an alternate-shot format and the second and fourth rounds will be best-ball.
The teams won't go head-to-head in match-play style, instead they will play out each hole for a stroke-play score.
"I think just the anticipation of this event has been all year," said Canadian Brooke Henderson, who will team with compatriot Alena Sharp.
"I think stepping on the first tee tomorrow there's going to be a lot of adrenaline."
Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn will play together and are grouped in the first and second round with US sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda.
"I've always wanted to play some sort of team event with my sister and what a great opportunity to be able to do that," Jessica Korda said, adding that it's great preparation for the Solheim Cup match play showdown with Europe for which both Kordas are already qualified.
Team Europe’s Solheim Captain Catriona Matthew and vice-captain Suzann Pettersen will play together, Pettersen returning from maternity leave for her first LPGA appearance since the Tour Championship in 2017.
They'll be playing alongside the Swedish duo of Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist.
Some of the world's top players, including world number one Park Sung-hyun, are skipping the event as they prepare for next week's Evian Championship in France, which will be quickly followed by the Women's British Open.
South Korea's Ko Jin-young and Australian Minjee Lee -- at number two and three in the world -- are the highest-ranked team.
Former world number one Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Chun In-gee of South Korea -- who own four major titles between them -- will team up.
Ko, winner of 15 LPGA titles, was looking forward to having the support of a teammate.
"Golf is a very individual game, it's just you and your caddie out there," she said.
"It's nice that you have a partner that you can rely on, and even if it doesn't go your way, you're out there supporting each other. I think that's the great thing about team play."
2019.07.16 15:17
2019.07.16 21:26
It is exciting news indeed, especially for Michiganders.
Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational is the similar format as
Zurich Classic of PGA, which has been a popuar event for
mostly entertainment purpose than serious golf.
The format is 72 pairs to competing in fourball and foursome
manners like Solheim Cup and 25 pairs will be competing
at the weekend.
Sister pairs, patriotic pairs, and old Solheim or UL pairs
It will be very entertaining, I bet!
Even though they will be paid pretty similar to average
LPGA tournaments, but it will not be credited for important
stats as Race to CME Globe and player of the year, etc. KJ
2019.07.21 02:33
MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) -- Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura ran away with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on Saturday, shooting an 11-under 59 in best-ball play for a six-stroke victory.
Clanton and Suwannapura took a five-shot lead into the final round after shooting an alternate-shot 63 on Friday at Midland Country Club in the LPGA Tour's first-year team event. They finished at 27-under 253.
''It's pretty awesome,'' Suwannapura said. ''I couldn't ask for a better partner.''
Suwannapura won her second tour title, and Clanton her first.
Clanton earned spots the next two weeks in the Evian Championship and Women's British Open. The first Auburn University player to win on the tour, she began the season without a full LPGA Tour card after finishing $8 out of the top 100 on the 2018 money list. Clanton has split time this year on the LPGA Tour and developmental Symetra Tour, winning the Symetra Tour's El Dorado Shootout in April.
''I couldn't even dream up to have won a Symetra event earlier this year and then to come out and win with Jasmine,'' Clanton said. ''It's so funny, this is the tournament that I wanted to come and play in. I was like, 'Team event, I'm in, let's go.' So, I'm blessed for the opportunity, I'm blessed that Jasmine came and let me come play with her.''
Jin Young Ko and Minjee Lee closed with a 58 to finish second.
''We both played better than we did the last time we played four-balls,'' Lee said. ''We just had a better rhythm out there. I think we just fed off each other. Jin Young had so many birdies today, so I just tried to keep up pretty much.''
''I've had full status before, but it will allow for me to kind of sit back and relax a little bit and kind of set my own schedule,'' Clanton said. ''I think it's just going to free me up because it's been something that I've been working on. I guess I was quite down for the first couple years.''
Suwannapura, from Thailand, also won the Marathon Classic last year.
Clanton and Suwannapura each bogeyed the first hole, then each had eight birdies.
''Actually, felt pretty good on the first tee,'' Clanton said. ''Didn't hit a great shot into the green, but I'm not going to lie, the majority of my rounds start with bogeys. So I told Jasmine, I was like, 'Dude, we're ready. We're ready to go. We got it out of the way. we'll go low.'''
Sisters Ariya Jutanugarn and Moriya Jutanugarn tied for third with Na Yeon Choi and Jenny Shin at 20 under. They each shot 61.
''So much fun,'' Ariya Jutanugarn said. ''Need to be patient with alternate shot, but also even best ball we still have to be patient because we feel like you going to make birdie hole after hole, but it's not going to happen.''
Canadians Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp were fifth at 19 under after a 61.
It is good to know the State of Michigan is hosting another inaugural LPGA
team event at Midland Country Club.
Midland is one of Tri-City, with the other two being Saginaw and Bay City,
and is the city of Dow Chemical Co. or where Dow Chemical Co. is.
Dow Chemical Co. is of course a huge company where a number of
서울대학교 공과대학 화공과 출신들이 있습니다.
The City of Midland is known to have the highest density of PhDs per capita
among cities in USA(I heard but never verified)and is said to have the highest IQ average
of the population among all the cities of USA.(heard but never verified)
I never played golf at Midland CC although I played at its neighbor CC, Bay City CC.