Ladies of the Links: September 20, 2019
Sep 20th 2019
Your Weekly Ladies Golf News
LPGA Tour News
The 2019 Solheim Cup is in the rearview mirror, but there is still plenty of golf remaining, culminating at the CME Group Tour Championship November 18-24 in Naples, Florida.
The ladies of the tour head to Indianapolis next week for the Indy Women in Tech Championship. The attractive $2,000,000 purse also has 500 points up for grabs in the race to the CME Globe.
Away from Indianapolis for some time, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on September 27, 2016, that the LPGA would return to with the tournament at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort. The former Speedway Golf course held events in the 1960s the Brickyard Crossing course held a Champions Tour event during the 1990s.
The inaugural event was scheduled for September 7-10, 2017. This was just prior to the Evian Championship, so the tournament was shortened to a three-day 54-hole format, ending on Saturday compared to the traditional Sunday finish. Lexi Thompson got off to a hot start, shooting a 63 in the first round and finished with a 66 and 68 to win the event at 19-under par.
In order to have a complete field of 144 players in a 72-hole format, the tournament was moved to August 16-19, 2018. Scoring was very low at the 2018 event, with Lizette Salas starting it off with a course record 62 in the first round. It was Sung-Hyun Park who tied Salas with the 72-hole lead at 23-under par. Park won in the playoff, claiming the $300,000 top prize.
An interesting feature of the course layout is that the front nine consists of holes 11-18 and hole 1 with the back nine starting at hole 2 and ending in the 10th. This is done solely for the purpose of allowing as many spectators as possible.
Defending champion Park is currently 2nd in the world and is coming off two consecutive tied for 20th appearances at the CP Women's Open and the Cambia Portland Classic. In fact, Park will have a chance to defend the following week at the Volunteers of America Classic, ending October 6.
Symetra Tour News
The Symetra Tour is heading into the home stretch with just three events remaining on the 2019 schedule. The ladies play this week at the Guardian Championship, following by the IOA Golf Classic and the Symetra Tour Championship with LPGA Tour cards at stake.
The tour, previously known as the Duramet FUTURES Tour and the LPGA Futures Tour, is the developmental tour of the LPGA. Since 2011, the top 12 on the Symetra Tour money list earn their cards, not including any current LPGA members. After that, the next 10 gain automatic entry into Stage III of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Should a player earn three victories in a season, there is automatic promotion. So there is a significant amount at stake during the final three weeks.
Ending this weekend on September 22, the 54-hole Guardian Championship in Prattville, Alabama has a $175,000 purse. The initial event in 2017 was won by Lindsey Weaver and Kendall Dye won last year after recording a 66 in the final round. It was enough for her fourth overall winner on tour and second of the season.
The IOA Golf Classic follow September 27-29 at Longwood, Florida. The event, in its seventh year, is another 54-hole event with a purse of $175,000. Last year's player of the year, Ruixin Liu, won the event after coming from a shot back in the final round to earn her second win of the season.
The culmination of the 23-event season takes place October 3-6 at the Symetra Tour Championship in Daytona Beach Florida. Liu is the defending champion at the event, earning her third victory of the season.
Riu and last year's Symetra Tour Rookie of the Year Linnea Strom have both played on the LPGA this season. Liu has struggled, making only three cuts, however, had a good two week stretch in July, finishing tied for 11th and 12th. Strom has made ten cuts, including a top ten finish.
As for this years' Volvik Race for the Card, the top five are Perrine Delacour, Jilian Hollis, Ssu-Chia Cheng, and Leona Maguire.
Sung Hyun Park: Fore Ladies Golf Featured Player of the Week
Sung Hyun Park is a 25-year old from South Korea who began her professional career in 2012. She played on the LPGA of Korea Tour from 2014 through 2016, winning ten events. She joined the LPGA Tour in 2017, winning her first event at the US Women’s Open in July of that year. Park ascended the World Golf Ranking quickly, reaching number one in November 2017. Her spectacular season concluded with Rookie of the Year honors and tied Ryu So-Yeon for Player of the Year.
Last season, Park was a three-time winner, including her second major title at the Women’s PGA Championship. Although Park was only number one for a week in 2017, she fought her way to regain the spot with another victory at the Indy Women in Tech Championship. Unable to hold on to the top spot, Park finished the season ranked third in the world.
Park earned her 6th and 7th career LPGA Tour victories this season at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She is currently second in the Rolex World Golf rankings and fourth in this season’s CME ranking. Park has surpassed $5 million in LPGA career earnings including $1.5 million this season.