Richard Kaufman reviews LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour season

 Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall

Richard Kaufman reviews a tough year for the Ladies European Tour and looks back at the ladies golf highlights of 2017.

It's the 40th anniversary of the LET next season and for a while in 2017, we wondered if we would get there. The golfing talent shows that there is plenty to be optimistic about over ladies golf in Europe, but the opportunities to show what they can do have been slim.

The early signs are that things will improve in 2018 and hopefully beyond, but it's difficult when looking back at the season that ended in Dubai not to place this review in the context of the turmoil behind the scenes.

Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall

 "How do we expect the best players in Europe to be at their most competitive when they are turning up to big events under-cooked?"

How can we judge the new wave of rookies when they haven't had the chance to get into a rhythm? When each round has the potential pressure of being so defining because the next one might be more than a month away?

How do you survive as a professional athlete when you keep your card on tour but made less than twenty thousand euros in the process?

Team USA claimed a 16.5-11.5 victory in Iowa

Enough negativity. --- As I said, 2017 offered plenty of positivity too.

The Solheim Cup seems a good place to start, even though in reality it was a convincing defeat for Team Europe.

 Saturday's second session was one of the best few hours of golf I have seen, male or female. The European players did everything they could to keep with their American counterparts, but Cristie Kerr and co were just too good.

 Annika Sorenstam might have, in hindsight, chosen her picks a little differently, but stars still emerged from her side.

 Anna Nordqvist picked herself off the sick bed to produce a stunning display in a singles match for the ages against Lexi Thompson, while Catriona Matthew came off the bench and proved to be super sub.

Catriona Matthew

It's not easy to replace a personality like Suzann Pettersen, but Matthew shone in her ninth and final appearance as a player. She now turns her attention to captaincy and Gleneagles 2019.

 Then there was Georgia Hall, who showed that the transition from the LET to the world stage is not such a big leap, with the Bournemouth star playing in all five sessions and not letting her high standards drop.

Hall won the LET's Order of Merit. Europe's No 1 will now travel across the pond as an LPGA Tour rookie, but she does so with nothing to fear. She may not yet be a winner in Europe, but her level of consistency has been remarkable.

 We saw that on a big stage, not only at the Solheim Cup but also at the Women's British Open where she finished third to In Kyung Kim.

Jodi Ewart-Shadoff made her second Solheim Cup appearance

There were two Brits in the top three at Kingsbarns, with Jodi Ewart Shadoff coming in as runner-up. Kim's redemption was another of the year's feel-good stories. t was great to hear her open up that week about how much that missed putt at the Kraft Nabisco had affected her, but that is now firmly behind her.

Let's be honest, the Evian Championship was a bit of a shambles! It appears to me that player power ruled in striking out the first round. To announce on day one that the event would be a 54-hole major championship was a bad call. The way things ended, in the worst conditions I have ever seen in a play-off, pretty much summed up the week.

Anna Nordqvist defeated Brittany Altomare in a play-off

Having said that, take nothing away from Anna Nordqvist who became a deserving two-time major winner. Anna Nordqvist defeated Brittany Altomare in a play-off Anna Nordqvist defeated Brittany Altomare in a play-off

Perhaps the most remarkable story of the year came in July, where Atthaya Thitikul was 14 years, 4 months and 19 days when she won the Thailand Championship. The schoolgirl amateur beat the pros and created history in what was an extraordinary performance.

 Some of the most recent big events on the LET have gone to players who have come over after playing most of the year in America. Cristie Kerr won in France, Aditi Ashok in Abu Dhabi, Celine Boutier in China and, most recently, Angel Yin in Dubai.

 How do we expect the best players in Europe to be at their most competitive when they are turning up to big events under-cooked?
How do you fulfil your potential when you are forced to peak at rare moments of the year?

 I know the new CEO Mark Lichtenhein and his team are working very hard to make improvements to the schedule in 2018, but it won't be easy.

 I think the next two years for the LET will be defining, with help being offered from the European Tour and the LPGA. Here's hoping they get it right.

Golf Review of the Year 

December 31, 2017, 10:00pm

Live on  

GEMMA DRYBURGH HAS SECURED HER LPGA CARD FOR 2018

Scot Gemma Dryburgh has secured her full LPGA card for the 2018 season! She finished in 13th place - 4 under by finishing with a 4 under par 68 in the 5th and final round.
She thanked everyone who has helped her over the years to get to this point, especially her parents!
" I wouldn’t be anywhere without them. Thanks to my coaches, my sponsors, and my friends. Sorry I can’t mention you all individually. Next stop Dubai! So excited for the 2018 season already! And thanks to everyone that has messaged me, I really appreciate all of the support. Hard work pays off"

England's Georgia Hall also secured her card with a 6 under par total

To read the full report go to the LPGA Website

SCOREBOARD

Link to LPGA Tour Qualifying School Stage III scores with one round to go

Leading 20 will gain LPGA Tour membership after 90 holes.
Gemma Dryburgh is in 28th position after 72 holes.

CLICK HERE

Aberdeen's Gemma Dryburgh makes a par start to LPGA Final Q School

Gemma Dryburgh

The fury of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament is off to another blistering start, as five players are tied for the lead with 68s after the first round of play at LPGA International, Daytona Beach, Florida.

Aberdeen's Gemma Dryburgh, the only Scot in the field of 165 players, 20 of whom will win LPGA Tour status at the end of five rounds. She shot a par-matching 72 and is joint 30th.

With 20 full-time LPGA cards up for grabs, five players carded a 4-under par on day one including Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (Buengkan, Thailand), Anne Van Dam (Arnhem, Netherlands), Nasa Hataoka (Ibaraki, Japan), Hyemin Kim (Seoul, South Korea) and Gabriella Then (Rancho Cucamonga, California).

Overall, 29 competitors (representing 15 countries) fired 1-under or better. 

To read more -- CLICK HERE

LIVE SCORING --

GEORGIA PLAYS DOWN PRESSURE AHEAD OF LPGA Q SCHOOL

Georgia Hall is refusing to put pressure on herself as she aims to secure her full LPGA Tour status at the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School, which gets underway on Wednesday.

The Ladies European Tour Order of Merit No 1 is one of 166 players looking to earn their card for 2018 this week, held over five rounds across two courses at LPGA International.

Only the top 20 players after 90 holes will book full-time LPGA Tour privileges, while those finishing in places 21-45 will earn conditional status for next season.

Hall finished in a share of third at the Women's British Open

The world No 41 topped the standings during Stage II of Qualifying School last month and Hall is targeting a similar performance to cement her status as a worldwide player.

"It's just another tournament week and I'm not going to put any pressure on myself," Hall said. "Leading up to Solheim, and after that as well, has been a little bit of pressure. I haven't really felt it

SCOTLAND-BASED ALLEN EXPLAINS WHY SHE CHANGED CADDIES

Scotland-based Beth Allen Opens Up About Caddie Change and missing Final Stage Q-School

Photo Credit: Scott A. Miller

Written By:Jennifer Meyer@Jenn7771

Digital Content Manager for LPGA and Symetra Tour.



Player and caddie break-ups can be a sensitive subject.

So often it is about friendship, a bond that's been built over time and not just about a game.  It was no different when Scotland-based American Beth Allen and long-time caddie, Sophie Gustafson, called it quits after the U.S. Women's Open back in July.

"The decision was really difficult for me," Allen told LPGA.com. "Soph and I had a great two years together including three wins and winning the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit in 2016. I have never been more successful or more comfortable with anyone else on the bag, and I learned so much from her which I will forever be grateful for."

Allen said she started to struggle after Hawaii.  She made only one cut before arriving at the U.S. Women's Open and, as many players would, she changed caddies in the midst of a bad streak.

"I thought a new start might help and Soph was supportive of that decision," said Allen.

Allen has worked with a couple of different caddies since the two parted ways back in July.  She has worked mostly with friend Thad Kael and had some success.  He helped her get back on her feet in Portland and Indy finishing T-29 and T-19 respectively. The two have been friends since Allen turned pro in 2005.

"He's a fantastic caddie who genuinely loves what he does, and we have a lot of fun together," said Allen.

Allen doesn't have a long-term solution, though she didn't rule out the possibility of re-hiring Gustafson.

"She is still very supportive of my golf and always there for me which is really special to me. I hope that we work together again at some point in the future," said Allen.

Allen admits she couldn't pinpoint the one reason behind the struggle, but said she lost some confidence in her putting this year.   

"The standard of golf is so high on the LPGA so when you are struggling like I was, it is so hard to make money, and I am not used to missing cuts, so I found it really hard mentally. Practicing on weekends watching leaderboards is literally the worst."

Allen did have a couple of solid performances at the end of the season which gives her status for the 2018 LPGA Tour season.  She decided to forgo the Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament because she believes she'll still get into 12-15 events next year.  She also hopes for a couple of sponsor invites to play in the Kia Classic, which is in her hometown, and The Australian Open, one of her favorite events.

"I really do want to play in Europe more in 2018 as Scotland is now my home and I think being away from my life there really contributed to some of my struggles in 2017," said Allen.

Allen will finish her 2017 season on the Ladies European Tour at the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic in December. Dubai is not a bad place to end the year, but Allen admits she ready for a fresh start in 2018. 

She plans to take advantage of the short off-season spending quality time with her loved ones in Scotland and California.  

Mix that with the right amount of rest, practice and getting some new equipment dialed in and it makes for a prosperous 2018.

"I am planning on starting my season in the Bahamas and going from there to Australia to play the LET event in Victoria," said Allen. "As I mentioned before, I want to play both tours and just try to enjoy myself and play freely."

Park and Ryu become the first in LPGA history to share Rolex Player of the Year Award

NAPLES, Fla., November 19, 2017 – 2017 LPGA major champions Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu, the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings representing the Republic of Korea, became the first LPGA golfers to share the Rolex Player of the Year Award at the conclusion of Sunday’s CME Group Tour Championship.

To read more go to the LPGA WEBSITE

LPGA ANNOUNES Q-SERIES FOR 2018

One of the biggest changes coming to the LPGA in 2018 is the revamping of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament, the process whereby players from the United States and all over the world compete to earn membership onto the LPGA. This year, a record 361 players started Stage I in California. 

It’s currently a three-step process where non-members generally start at Stage I in California. This year, exactly 90 players advanced from Stage I to Stage II, which takes place in Venice, Florida. The top 80 and ties advance from Stage II to Final Stage, where the top 20 earn what is considered “full” LPGA membership while finishers 21 through 45 earn “partial” or “conditional” LPGA membership.

What’s Staying the Same?

Stage I and Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament are not going anywhere. Recent college graduates, those testing the waters early and the influx of players around the world hoping to reach the LPGA will still have to grind through the five-round gauntlet that is Stage I, which some consider the hardest because of the pressure and the 115–degree summer temps in the dessert.

What’s Changing?

Instead of Stage II feeding into Final Stage, it will feed into the Symetra Tour, for the most part. There will be some exceptions where top finishers at Stage II will qualify for the Q-Series.

Final Stage in Daytona Beach will be replaced by this new concept called the Q-Series, which will take place in October. It will be two, four-day tournaments on two separate golf courses in the same market and scores will be cumulative over the eight rounds of competition.

Who Qualifies for the Q-Series?

The major goal of the Q-Series is to identify the most LPGA-ready talent. In the past, Final Stage was at one golf club, played over five rounds. Someone could have a bad week or catch the flu or experience the yips on the greens. It’s a roll of the dice. One tournament over five rounds doesn’t adequately provide the best glimpse at who should be on the LPGA.

That’s where Q-Series helps to find the top performers. Players that finish No. 101 to 150 on the LPGA money list during the current season will qualify along with those that finish No. 11 through 30 on the Symetra Tour money list. Players in the top 75 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will also qualify for Q-Series.

Additionally, the top five players according to Golfweek’s Collegiate Rankings will also skip Stages I and II and right into the Q-Series.

Finally, the top finishers from Stage II will round out the field.

The field will be 108 players and there will be approximately 45 spots up for grabs for the 2019 season.

LEXI MISSES 2FT VICTORY PUTT IN LPGA TOUR 2017 FINALE

NAPLES, Fla. -- Lexi Thompson won $1 million for the CME Race to the Globe and left so much more behind Sunday in the LPGA Tour's final event.
Thompson was poised to win the CME Group Tour Championship and LPGA Player of the Year until she jabbed at a 2-foot par putt and missed it on the 18th hole at Tiburon Golf Club. That paved the way for Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn, who birdied her last two holes for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory
It was a wild ending to the LPGA Tour season and sent four players home with a trophy.

Lexi earns $1 million, valuable lessons
She lost the season's first major after a bizarre penalty. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her grandmother died. A missed 2-foot putt cost her the final event. Yet Lexi Thompson persevered, and has $1 million and the Vare Trophy to show for it.

Although she lost the tournament, Thompson still won the CME Race to the Globe and the $1 million bonus. She also won the Vare Trophy for having the lowest adjusted scoring average.
Thompson had to win the tournament to be Player of the Year. Instead, the points-based LPGA Player of the Year was a tie between a pair of major champions from South Korea, So Yeon Ryu and LPGA rookie Sung Hyun Park. It was the first time the award was shared since it was first given out in 1966.
Park, the U.S. Women's Open champion, was trying to become the first rookie since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to sweep the major awards. She already had won Rookie of the Year. She had to settle for a tie for Player of the Year, and her 75 in the third round damaged her chances of winning the Vare Trophy.
What stood out on another sunny afternoon was the sterling performance of Jutanugarn, who won for the second time this year.
She was three shots behind Thompson with six holes to play when her putter saved the day.
Jutanugarn was at 13 under on the par-5 17th when she hit a hybrid for her second shot into the bunker and blasted out to about 18 feet. Ahead of her on the 18th green, Thompson was at 15 under and logged a 50-foot birdie attempt beautifully down the slope on the 18th to 2 feet left of the cup.
Jutanugarn made birdie. Thompson missed her par putt, and there was a three-way tie for the lead at 14 under that included Jessica Korda, who was playing with Thompson and had left her 25-foot birdie attempt well short.
Thompson and Korda each closed with a 67.
Jutanugarn hit her approach about 18 feet above the hole and made it for winning birdie. She finished at 15-under 273 and earned $500,000.
"I had no expectation at all," Jutanugarn said. "I really did not think about the outcome."
Jutanugarn was part of a four-way tie for the lead going into the final round, and the CME Group Tour Championship was up for grabs most of the day until Thompson seemingly seized control with 32 on the front nine, a 10-foot birdie on the 13th and then
a superb pitch from left of the 17th green that set up a 3-foot birdie.
Pernilla Lindberg had reason to believe she needed birdie from long range on the 18th to have a chance. She ran it 7 feet by the hole and three-putted for a bogey and a 68. She wound up finishing two shots behind, along with Eun-Hee Ji (67).
Michelle Wie, trying to win for the first time since the U.S. Women's Open in 2014, had a share of the lead until she hit near the edge of a bunker and made double-bogey on No. 9, and then dropped two more shots on the back nine. Even with seven birdies, Wie still only managed a 70. She tied for sixth with Park, who closed with a 69. Park was at 13 under through 35 holes and played 1 over the final 37 holes.
Ryu was coping with a shoulder injury and was happy to squeeze in 72 holes. She wound up a part-winner of LPGA Player of the Year.
Thompson was on the putting green when she heard the cheer for Jutanugarn's final birdie.

It was the second time this year that Thompson appeared to be in control and was stunned to not win. She had a four-shot lead in the final round of the ANA Inspiration when she was penalized four shots -- two for incorrectly marking her golf ball on the green in the third round, and two more shots because the infraction wasn't discovered by a viewer until the next day, and so she signed an incorrect scorecard in the third round.
She wound up losing to Ryu in a playoff, though Thompson said this week it made her a stronger person.
This will be another wound from which to recover, though she at least takes $1 million home with her as a consolation.

FULL LEADERBOARD

NEW LOOK MICHELLE WIE IN THE MIX ON CROWDED LEADERBOARD

By Randall Mell

NAPLES, Florida – Michelle Wie is sporting a new look that even has fellow players doing double takes.
Bored during her six-week recovery from an emergency appendectomy late this summer, Wie decided to cut and dye her hair.
She went for golden locks, and a shorter style.
“I kind of went crazy after being in bed that long,” Wie said. “I just told my mom to grab the kitchen scissors and just cut all my hair off.”

Wie will get to sport her new look on a big stage Sunday after playing herself into a four-way tie for the lead with Kim Kaufman, Ariya Jutanugarn and Suzann Pettersen at the LPGA Tour's CME Group Tour Championship.
With a 6-under-par 66 for a three-round tally of 10-under 206, Wie is in contention to win her fifth LPGA title, her first since winning the U.S. Women’s Open three years ago.

Wie, 28, fought her way back this year after two of the most disappointing years of her career. Her rebound, however, was derailed in late August, when she withdrew from the final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to undergo an emergency appendectomy. She was out for six weeks.

Before the surgery, Wie enjoyed getting back into contention regularly, with six finishes of T-4 or better this season. She returned to the tour on the Asian swing in October.

Fellow tour pros were surprised when she came back with the new look.
“Definitely, walk by people and they didn’t recognise me,” Wie said.

Wie is looking to continue to build on her resurgence.

“I gained a lot of confidence this year,” she said. “I had a really tough year last year, the last couple years. Just really feeling like my old self. Really feeling comfortable out there and having fun, and that's when I play my best.”
American Kaufman had the tournament-low 64 for 206. Thailander Jutanugarn shot 67 for the 10-under mark and Norway's Pettersen had a third-round 69 to figure in the four-way tie at the top of the crowded leaderboard.
Only two strokes cover the leading 11 players with seven sharing fifth place only a shot behind the leaders on 207. They include Americans Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson.
Charley Hull from England is T12 on 208 after a 68. Compatriot Jodi Ewart Shadoff from Yorkshire is T46 on 215 after a 75.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 216 (3x72) players from USA unless stated
206 Kim Kaufman 70 72 64, Michelle Wie 72 68 65, Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) 68 71 67, Suzann Pettersen (norway) 67 70 69.
207 Stacy Lewis 72 68 67, Karine Icher (France) 67 72 68, Austin Ernst 71 67 69,Lexi Thompson 71 67 69. Jessica Korda 69 68 70, Pernilla Lindberrg (Sweden) 69 67 71, Sung Hyun Park (S Korea) 67 65 75.

BRITISH SCORES
208 Charley Hull (England) 70 70 67 (T12)
215 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 71 73 71 (T46)

Park collapses; leaderboard chaos at CME

Sung-Hyun Park started the day with a three-shot lead and slowly gave it all back over the course of a 3-over 75, leaving the CME Group Tour Championship and a host of season-long prizes up for grabs in Naples. Here’s where things stand through 54 holes at the LPGA finale, where Michelle Wie, Ariya Jutanugarn, Suzann Pettersen and Kim Kaufman share the lead.

Leaderboard: Kaufman (-10), Wie (-10), Jutanugarn (-10), Pettersen (-10), Stacy Lewis (-9), Karine Icher (-9), Austin Ernst (-9), Lexi Thompson (-9), Jessica Korda (-9), Pernilla Lindberg (-9), Park (-9)

What it means: It wasn’t the Saturday she wanted, but Park, who already wrapped up the Rookie of the Year Award, is still in position for the sweep of all sweeps. With a victory Sunday, she would claim the CME Group Tour Championship, the Race to CME Globe’s $1 million jackpot, the Rolex Player of the Year Award, and the money title, as she ascends to No. 1 in the Rolex world ranking. Meanwhile, Thompson, too, could take the $1 million and Player of the Year. As those two battle for season-long prizes, a host of other notable names – Wie, Jutanugarn, Pettersen, Korda, Lewis and Charley Hull (-8) – will fight for the Tour Championship.

Round of the day: Kaufman made four birdies on each side in a bogey-free 8 under-par 64. A lesser-known name on a stacked leaderboard, she seeks her first LPGA victory.

Best of the rest: Amy Yang will start the final round two behind after a 7-under 65. The three-time LPGA Tour winner could pick up her second title of the season after taking the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.

Biggest disappointment: On a day that featured plenty of low scores from plenty of big names, Lydia Ko dropped 11 spots down the leaderboard into a tie for 23rd with a Saturday 72. The former world No. 1 needed two birdies in her last five holes to fight her way back to even par. Winless this season, she’ll start Sunday four back, at 6 under.

Shot of the day: I.K. Kim aced the par-3 12th from 171 yards when her ball landed on the front of the green and tracked all the way to the hole

LEADERBOARD

Sung Hyun Park takes 3-shot lead at CME Group Tour Championship

Sung Hyun Park

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Golf felt so easy to Sung Hyun Park that only when she took out her card to catch up on her scores did she realize she had closed out the front nine with five straight birdies at the CME Group Tour Championship.

Park kept right on attacking.

The 24-year-old from South Korea added a 30-foot eagle putt late in her second round and finished with a seven-under 65, giving her a three-shot lead going into the weekend at Tiburon Golf Club.

Nothing seems to bother her, even the chance to cap off an amazing rookie season by sweeping all the big awards on the LPGA Tour.

“To be honest, I don’t feel quite as nervous as I thought I would,” Park said through an interpreter. “After the first shot, after the first hole, I felt a lot more comfortable. I’m not feeling as nervous as I thought I might be going into today.”

Leave that to the players chasing her.

Even with a three-putt bogey on the final hole, Park was at 12-under 132 and was three shots clear of Caroline Masson (66) and Sarah Jane Smith (69).

More importantly, none of the other players in the chase for the $1 million Race to the CME Globe bonus or any other big award was within five shots of Park, who is trying to become the first rookie since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win LPGA player of the year.

Lexi Thompson, who leads the Race to the CME Globe and the Vare Trophy for lowest adjusted scoring average, shot a 67 and wound up losing ground. She was six shots behind and must stay within 10 shots of Park to win the Vare.

So Yeon Ryu, who leads the points-based award for player of the year, managed a 71 with her sore right shoulder but was 11 shots back.

The other two players who need to win the tournament to collect the $1 million bonus also had their work cut out for them. Brooke Henderson had another 70 and was eight shots behind, while world No. 1 Shanshan Feng shot 73 and was 11 shots behind.

Park was in control, only she didn’t see it that way.

“I don’t think it’s quite that far of a lead,” Park said. “Two, three shots of a lead can change at any moment. We will have to see what’s in store for this weekend.”

Park began her big run with an 18-foot birdie on No. 5, got up-and-down for birdie from just off the green at the par-5 sixth, holed a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 7, and then closed out the front nine with birdie putts from 8 feet and 15 feet.

“I actually didn’t know that I was going five birdies in a row,” Park said. “Come hole No. 10, I realized that I hadn’t been jotting down my scores as diligently, and so I realized it a little bit later on. And it felt great.”

That gave her the lead by one shot over Suzann Pettersen, except that Pettersen faded badly on the back nine.

Pettersen dropped four shots in a three-hole stretch by getting out of position off the tee and she shot 39 on the back nine for a 70 to fall five shots behind.

“I feel like I’m playing good,” Pettersen said. “Three bad drives on the back nine cost me four shots. That should not be possible on this course, where the fairways are about 100 yards wide.”

Park was honored at an awards banquet Thursday night as the LPGA rookie of the year. Now, she has more awards in her sights. A victory would give her the award for player of the year. She would capture the money title, which she leads over Ryu. And depending on how the weekend goes, she might be able to surpass Thompson in the race for the Vare Trophy.

Thompson did well to recover from two bogeys on her opening three holes.

“I hit a few really erratic shots in the beginning. It wasn’t a good start to the round,” Thompson said. “Just tried to stay positive and find something that could work for the last 14, 15 holes.”

Lydia Ko fell six shots behind in her bid to avoid a winless season. She was one shot behind going into the second round but managed only three birdies in her round of 71.

Park, meanwhile, had everything going her way. Even when she pulled her drive on the par-5 14th into a sandy area with a root next to her ball, she picked it clear and sent it through a goal post of trees back to the fairway. Three holes later, she blasted a drive and had only a 7-iron into the green at the par-5 17th, which she hit to 30 feet and made the long putt.

Does anything make her nervous?

“I hate spiders,” she said. “But in terms of golf, I always get nervous to this day on the first tee. I can feel my heart pounding.”

It’s a feeling that doesn’t appear to last very long.

CLICK HERE FOR LEADERBOARD

SHANSHAN FENG HOLDS 54-HOLE LEAD OF THE BLUE BAY LPGA

With difficult pin positions and swirling winds, Friday was a tough day for scoring at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club, but it's a familiar name on top of the leaderboard going into Saturday's final round.

Shanshan Feng (pictured above)  who captured last week's TOTO Japan Classic and looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the 2017 season (after becoming the first golfer to repeat as a champion this year last week), leads by one after a 1-over-par 73 on Saturday.

To read the full report go to the LPGA WEBSITE

Motivated, emotional Kerr closes 20th win

Cristie Kerr

Cristie Kerr pointed to the heavens after yet another victory Sunday.
“It was meant to be,” the American said after rolling in a dramatic 36-foot putt for birdie at the final hole to win the Sime Darby Malaysia for her 20th LPGA title.
It’s uncanny how Kerr keeps finding ways to rise to a cause larger than herself, to turn her victories into meaningful assists in the fight against cancer, something she has devoted herself to for more than a decade. “I love what they are doing here,” Kerr said of Sime Darby Malaysia’s partnership with Cancer Research Malaysia. “It’s a beacon of hope.” So is Kerr.

Three weeks ago, Kerr won the LaCoste Ladies Open in France, a tournament on the Ladies European Tour that was dedicated to the memory of Cassandra Kirkland, who died of lung cancer earlier this year. Kerr donated a portion of her winnings to the tournament’s fundraising cause, winning just a few days after one of her closest friends, Kelli Kuehne, lost her mother to cancer. Kerr pledged again Sunday in Malaysia to donate to Sime Darby’s cancer-fighting effort.
Fittingly, Kerr, who turned 40 earlier this month, took charge of the Sime Darby on “Pink Saturday,” which the event devoted to breast cancer awareness.
“The average size of a tumour in America is the size of your pinky nail,” Kerr said. “Here [in Malaysia], it’s the size of a fist. Getting the message out into the community, that early detection is the key, is really huge.”

Kerr’s success is radiating beyond the game in meaningful ways. She founded Birdies for Breast Cancer more than a decade ago. Her foundation has raised almost $4 million for the cause. Her efforts spearhead funding of the Jersey City Medical Center’s Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center. Her mother, Linda, is a breast cancer survivor.

Kerr showed just how emotional she can be about the cause winning in France, where she might have dropped the most meaningful, heartfelt and excusable F-bomb ever in her victory speech. “I’m sorry, but f--- cancer,” a teary-eyed Kerr told reporters in France. “I’m so sorry to say the F-word, but I’m so sick of people losing people to cancer.
“It’s hard to lose people. Everybody either knows somebody or has somebody in their family that’s been affected by cancer. We’ve got to find a way to cure it. The only way to do that is to keep raising money.”
It’s an attitude that makes Kerr easy to root for as she continues to point skyward after big victories. Kerr’s long birdie putt at the end Sunday helped her avoid a four-way playoff.
With an even-par 71, she finished at 15-under overall, a shot better than Shanshan Feng (71), Danielle Kang (66) and Jacqui Concolino (67).
“I’m so proud to be the champion of this tournament,” Kerr said.
After turning 40 at the KEB Hana Bank Championship in South Korea earlier this month, Kerr said she was driven by new goals. “I want to win in my 40s and prove it’s not just a game for the twenty-somethings,” she said.

With Sunday’s victory, Kerr became the first player in her 40s to win an LPGA event in six years, since Catriona Matthew won the Lorena Ochoa Invitation at 42. It’s her third worldwide victory this year. 
In South Korea, Kerr also said she wanted to win her first event in Asia. She didn’t take long to check that off her list. With her 20th LPGA title, Kerr’s LPGA Hall of Fame point total rises to 22, moving her to within five points of eligibility for induction. A player earns one point for an LPGA victory and two for a major championship. Winners of the Rolex Player of the Year or Vare Trophy also earn a point. “Whatever I've had in my life, or I've done in my life, it's been because of golf,” Kerr said. “No matter how much it breaks your heart, sometimes, if you have the talent that God's given me, you've got to push forward. I've done some pretty amazing things in my life

 LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
269 Cristie Kerr (USA) 70 63 65 71.
270 Jacqui Concolino (USA) 68 68 67 67, Shanshan Feng (China) 66 65 68 71, Danielle Kang (USA) 68 67 69 66
271 Brooke Henderson (Canada) 70 68 68 64, Nelly Korda (USA) 68 68 70 65, Stacy Lewis (USAS) 71 66 66 68, Sung-Hyun Park (S Korea) 68 69 67 67

SELECTED TOTALS
273 Lydia Ko (NZ) 64 72 70 67 (T11).
275 Charley Hull (England) 72 67 71 65 (16th).
286 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 70 70 73 73 (T44)

 TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
 CLICK HERE

Kerr Takes 54-Hole Lead with 20th LPGA Win in Sight at Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia

Cristie Kerr Acknowledges Crowd at Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia                     

Photo Credit: 2017 Getty Images

Cristie Kerr has been known to walk in a few putts during her sensational 20-year LPGA career. She confidently followed her 12-foot birdie roll on hole nine to assume the outright lead on Saturday at TPC Kuala Lumpur. After making just four birdies in round one, Kerr made nine on Friday and seven in round three at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. Kerr will take a one-stroke lead into the final-round at 15-under, 198. Shanshan Feng stands at 14-under while Sei Young Kim is in third place at 11-under.




"I found a feel in my swing yesterday and it has made a big difference," said Kerr. "I made some big par saves on the back. I definitely hit it better and when I give my putter chances, usually I do okay with that. So it's been fun the last couple days."
On the tenth hole, Kerr hit an excellent recovery shot from the right rough with her ball sitting on top of a tree root. Unfortunately, she had a rare three-putt bogey to drop back down to 13-under.

Kerr, 40, duelled with defending champion Shanshan Feng, 28, the rest of the back nine. The 19-time winner reassumed the lead with a birdie on the par-5 12th. She hit her wedge from 76 yards to 6-feet and birdied to get to 14-under. Feng missed her birdie chance to the right from 10-feet to remain at 13-under. Kerr hit a beautiful approach to 8-feet on 14 and rolled in another birdie to build a two-stroke lead at 15-under.
After ten straight pars for Feng, she drained a 17-footer for birdie on 16 to pull within one of Kerr. After hitting her second in the water on 16, Kerr made a critical 10-foot par putt to hold the lead. My ball-striking wasn't as accurate, but I think overall, 3-under, bogey-free round is still a very good score for Saturday," said Feng, who still has not made a bogey this week. "I'm just feeling comfortable here. I'm not really trying to think about that bogey-free thing. I just want to keep the good playing going." Both Kerr and Feng traded pars on holes 17 and 18.

LEADERBOARD
par 213 (3x71)
198 Cristie Kerr (USA) 70 63 65
199 Shanshan Feng (China) 66 65 68
202 Sei Young Kim (S Korea) 69 65 68
203 Stacy Lewis (USA) 71 66 66, Jacqui Concolino (USA) 68 68 67.
204 Sarah Jane Smith (Australia) 74 65 65, Sung Hyun Park (S Korea) 68 69 67, Danielle Kang (USA) 68 67 69.
205 Su Yeon Ryu (S Korea) 72 67 66, Carlota Ciganda (Spain) 70 66 69.

SELECTED SCORES
206 Lydia Ko (NZ) 64 72 70 (T12)
210 Charley Hull (England) 72 67 71 (T28)
213 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 70 70 73.

GEMMA ONLY SCOT TO MAKE IT TO LPGA Q SCHOOL FINAL STAGE

Gemma and her Dad -- Photo courtesy of Gemma

Aberdeen's Gemma Dryburgh, by finishing joint 15th in a big field at the LPGA Tour Q School Stage 2 event at Venice, Florida on Sunday, was the only Scot to gain a place at the LPGA Qualifying School's Final Stage next month.
Former Curtis Cup player Dryburgh had rounds of 74, 72, 70 and 69 for 285 - nine shots behind the winner, England's Georgia Hall (71-68-69-68 for 12-under 276).

Michele Thomson from Ellon failed by one stroke to make the top 80 and ties who will advance to the Final Stage. After dismal rounds of 74, 78 and 76, the former Scottish champion and Curtis Cup player hit peak form with a final-round 68 for 296. She had four double bogeys in her second round.
Vikki Laing from Edinburgh had scores of 74, 71, 79 and 78 for 302. Glasgow's Kylie Henry totalled 305 with rounds of 76, 74, 77 and 78. She finished a shot ahead of Comrie's Carly Booth who scored 75, 75, 77 and 79 for 306.
Duke University final-year student Leona Maguire from Ireland tied for ninth on 281 (70-69-70-72) but won't take up her place at the Final Stage.
Maguire, the world’s No. 1 amateur, said she’s committed to returning to Duke to finis her collegiate career but will turn pro next summer and take advantage of the Symetra Tour status she earned this week at Q-School’s second stage.
“My team always comes first,” Maguire said. “I've always wanted to get my Duke degree, and I have a plan of what I'm going to do: Come here this week, get Symetra status and then be ready to go in May after graduation.”

LPGA TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL STAGE 2
Venice, Florida.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72)
276 G Hall (Eng) 71 68 69 68.
278 C Rozsa (Hun) 67 68 72 71
279 M Maclaren (Eng) 72 69 70 68, G Then (USA) 73 67 69 70.
SELECTED TOTALS
280 L Strom (Swe) (am) 70 74 68 68 (T5).
281 L Maguire (Ire) (am) 70 68 70 72 (T9)
285 G Dryburgh (Sco) 74 72 70 69 (T15)
290 L Hall (EWal) 73 71 74 72 (T40)
295 C Thomas (Eng) 71 71 76 77 (T80).

MISSED THE CUT
296 M Thomson (Sco) 74 78 76 68.
297 A Dimmock (Eng) 71 77 75 74
301 A Boulden (Wal) 76 76 80 69,
302 V Laing (Sco) 74 71 79 78.
303 A Knowles (Eng) 74 77 78 74.
305 K Henry (Sco) 76 74 77 78
306 C Booth (Sco) 75 75 77 79.

CLICK HERE FOR FINAL LEADERBOARD

EUN-HEE JI WINS TAIWAN CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FIRST LPGA TITLE IN EIGHT YEARS

Power Sport Images/Getty Images

By Beth Ann Nichols 

Eun-Hee Ji snapped an eight-year winless streak with a six-shot romp in Taiwan over former World No. 1 Lydia Ko. The 2009 U.S. Women's Open winner was up putting on the hotel carpet in the early-morning hours of the final round.

"I couldn't sleep at all," said the 31-year-old Ji, who tied for second at the 2015 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship.

Ji, who finished at 17-under 271, became the 22nd different winner on the LPGA in 2017 and the 15th player from South Korea. Now a three-time winner on the LPGA, Ji has $5,384,371 in career earnings.

"I like Taipei always," said Ji, who has a particular affection for the dumplings and windy conditions. "I play great when I come here."

Ji had cracked the top 10 only twice in 2017 before coming to Taiwan. Since her Women's Open victory at Saucon Valley eight years ago, she had yet to finish in the top 30 on the LPGA money list.

"I was waiting for this moment for so long," Ji said.

Ko's victory drought isn't nearly as long (June 2016) but certainly carries more weight. The 20-year-old Kiwi notched her third runner-up finish of the season in Taiwan with birdies on her last two holes.

"I'll take my 65," said Ko.

Unofficial hostess Yani Tseng, a former No. 1 who brought the LPGA to her native Taiwan in 2011 at the height of her career, was pleased with the number of fans who came out on Sunday after the sun broke through. Tseng closed with a 69 to take a share of 17th.

"I haven't played this well for four or five years; I've never been this good," said Tseng. "Even the score is not showing as much yet, but I know I'm (moving) toward the good direction. I know I can win. It's just a matter of time."

Current No. 1 So Yeon Ryu highlighted a strong field at Miramar Golf and Country Club. Ryu knocked off 10 shots from Saturday's round, closing with a 65 to climb into a tie for third with Lizette Salas, Carlota Ciganda, Shanshan Feng and Madalene Sagstrom.

"I struggled with my game since the British Open," said Ryu, "and then I think since last week in Korea, I started to feel like I'm slowly getting better and better, and today I feel really great."

LINK TO LPGA Q SCHOOL LIVE SCORING

Link to live scoring at the first round of the LPGA Qualifying School Stage 2 eliminator at Venice, Florida

CLICK HERE FOR LEADERBOARD

Georgia Hall one back through 54 at LPGA Q-School second stage

England's Georgia Hall shot a 3-under-par 69 Saturday to move a shot off the lead at LPGA Q-School's second stage event at Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Florida. Hall, an emerging Ladies European Tour stand-out, has had scores of 71, 68 and 69 FOR eight-under-par 208, and is one stroke behind the leader, Hungary's Csicsi Rozsa (72), who moved to 9 under overall with scores of 67, 68 and 72 for 207.

Ireland's Leona Maguire, the world No. 1 female amateur and Duke University's two-time Annika Award winner as collegiate women's golf's best player, posted a 70 to move into a tie for fourth, two shots off the lead.
Aberdonian Gemma Dryburgh's prospects look good after improving rounds of 74, 72 and 70 for 216 and a T25 position going into the final round. However, Scotland's four other representatives did not have good day -- Vikki Laing is T105 after rounds of 74, 71 and 79 for 224. Kylie Henry (76-74-77) and Carly Booth (75-75-77) are T128 on 227 and Michele Thomson is T134 on 228 after rounds of 74, 78 and 76 for 228.

There is no cut but only the lowest 80 72-hole totals and ties from the starting field of 192 players, four of whom have since pulled out, will advance to the final stage of Q-School in December.

MAGUIRE FOUR OFF LPGA Q SCHOOL STAGE 2 LEAD

By Randall Mell
Venezuela’s Alazne Urizar Zapata took the first-round lead Thursday in the LPGA Q-School’s stage two event at Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Florida.
With a 6-under-par 66 on the Bobcat Course, Zapata is one shot ahead of Sweden’s Jenny Haglund, Hungary’s Csicsi Rozsa and Spain’s Luna Sobron.
South Korean amateur Eun Jeong Seong opened with a 68, moving into a tie for fifth. Seong made history last year becoming the first player to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur in the same season.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire, the world’s No. 1 amateur and the two-time Annika Award winner at Duke University as the best player in college women’s golf, opened with a 70, good for a tie for 11th.
England’s Georgia Hall opened with a 71. Hall tied for third at the Ricoh Women’s British Open in August and tied for 10th at the Evian Championship a month later. She made her first European Solheim Cup team this summer.
Alongside Hall on the T23 mark are compatriots Annabel Dimmock and Charlotte Thomas.
Meghan Maclaren had a 72 to be T40 overnight.
Scots Vikki Laing, Gemma Dryburgh and Michele Thomson are T83 with 74s.
Carly Booth had a 75 to be T102.
A fifth Scot, Kylie Walker, was T120 with Amy Boulden from Wales on the 76 mark.
There is a field of 190 players.
The low 80 scores and ties from this week’s field of 192 players will advance to the final stage of Q-School in December.