1. LPGA news and notes
2. Race for the Cup
3. Next week: MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta Presented by Nextel, BosqueReal Country Club, Huixquilucan, Mexico, $1,300,000, March 20-22, 2009
4. Upcoming event: J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery, Papago Golf Course, Phoenix, Ariz., $1,500,000, March 26-29, 2009; TV Times
5. Rolex Rankings Move of the Week
1. LPGA news and notes
Shin launches eight-stroke come-from-behind win at HSBC Women's Champions
LPGA rookie earns first-career victory as member, 27th worldwide
SINGAPORE, Singapore, March 8, 2009 - The 2009 season's first Rolex First-Time Winner was named Sunday afternoon as Jiyai Shin, a LPGA Tour rookie, won the HSBC Women's Champions - and a $300,000 paycheck - by two strokes over 54-hole leader Katherine Hull (70-69-66-74=279, -9). Shin carded rounds of 72-73-66-66 for an 11-under-par 277 winning total. The 6-under-par 66 matched the career-low and tournament-low round she recorded during Saturday's third round.
"Well, actually, this tournament, my goal was top 10," said Shin, who broke a LPGA Tour record in 2008 for most wins by a non-member with three. "I make it to the 15th hole, make a birdie. And Katherine, she was at number 13, makes double bogey. So I know the score, so I'm more set in my game. Just keep it on the fairway and greens."
Hull's double bogey resulted from an unplayable lie off of her drive and a chip out of a flower bed onto the fairway. She followed up with 7-wood, pitching wedge to 25 feet and two putted for the double bogey, which brought her down to 10-under-par. A bogey (on 14), birdie (on 17) and bogey finish on 18 left her at nine-under-par and two strokes back of Shin.
"I decided at the start of the week to hit 3-wood of that tee 13 and I did hit driver the other day with the wind and I figured there was enough wind today but I made the wrong choice. I should have hit the 3-wood but I was too greedy and over confident and that's unfortunately golf," said Hull, who earned $182,956 for her runner-up effort. "I am disappointed that I didn't win but Jiyai played well today and well deserved so full credit to her."
With the win, Shin earned 150 valuable points to take the lead in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race with 194 points, ahead of Michelle Wie (80 points), Mika Miyazato (67 points), Vicky Hurst (45 points) and Stacy Lewis (30 points).
| Shin on the LPGA in 2009 | |
| SBS Open at Turtle Bay | MC |
| Honda LPGA Thailand | T13 |
| HSBC Women's Champions | Win |
Shin earns a stay at Canyon Ranch. With her victory at the HSBC Women's Champions, LPGA Tour rookie Jiyai Shin earned an all-inclusive stay for two at a Canyon Ranch resort. In a combined effort to promote health and overall well-being among Tour players, Canyon Ranch will provide every winner of an LPGA event with one all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch's two destination resorts.
Stanford ties for third. Angela Stanford (69-72-66-73) faced a two-stroke deficit to Katherine Hull (70-69-66-74) entering Sunday's final round of the HSBC Women's Champions and, although she carded a 1-over-par 73, she still finished tied for third at 8-under-par with 2007 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Angela Park (67-76-69-68) and 36-hole co-leader Paula Creamer (67-71-72-70). The performance ($106,010) keeps Stanford atop the 2009 LPGA Official Money List at $322,571 - a little more than $22,000 ahead of 2009 HSBC Women's Champions winner Jiyai Shin - and is Stanford's ninth top-seven finish in as many consecutive events entered.
Stanford's top-10 run in consecutive tournaments entered
| 2008 Tournament | Finish |
| Bell Micro LPGA Classic | Win |
| Samsung World Championship | T3 |
| Longs Drugs Challenge | 2 |
| Kapalua LPGA Classic | T4 |
| Lorena Ochoa Invitational by Banamex and Corona Light | Win |
| ADT Championship | 6 |
| 2009 Tournament | |
| SBS Open at Turtle Bay | Win |
| Honda LPGA Thailand | T7 |
| HSBC Women's Champions | T3 |
Creamer records second consecutive third. Leading U.S. Solheim Cup Team points' earner Paula Creamer notched her second consecutive third-place finish at the HSBC Women's Champions, cashing a $106,010 paycheck and crossing $6 million in career earnings ($6,039,735) in 4 years, 14 days and 105 events. Creamer (67-71-72-70) tied for third at 8-under-par 280 - one stroke better than her 2008 third-place finish at 7-under-par 281. She also earned a third-place finish at last week's Honda LPGA Thailand.
Kerr, Park cross million-dollar milestones. Eleven-time LPGA Tour winner Cristie Kerr (73-71-70-69=283, -5) tied for 11th at the HSBC Women's Champions and, in the process, crossed the $9 million mark in career earnings. Kerr, who joined the Tour in 1997, earned $36,310 on Sunday and has now accumulated $9,022,566 throughout her career, holding on to the sixth position on the LPGA Career Money List.
The 2007 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Angela Park is off to a strong start in 2009 with her tie for third (67-76-69-68=280, -8), crossing the $2 million mark in career earnings ($2,041,577).
Ochoa ties for sixth. Lorena Ochoa, the 2008 HSBC Women's Champions titleholder, carded a 7-under-par 281 (69-73-69-70) last week to finish in a three-way tie for sixth with second-year Tour member Jane Park (67-71-73-70) and four-year Tour member Sun Young Yoo (71-69-68-73). Since winning the HSBC Women's Champions title one year ago, Ochoa has competed in 23 events, earning six victories and 12 additional top-10 finishes.
LPGA T&CP member named Director of Golf for Women in Golf Foundation. Oneda Castillo, a Class A member and national evaluator for the LPGA, has recently been named Director of Golf for the Women in Golf Foundation. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., the Women in Golf Foundation focuses on creating opportunities for females by implementing programs that develop leadership and life skills as they learn to play golf competitively for business and recreational purposes.
The foundation's signature event is the National Women's Collegiate Golf Classic, contested by young women from historically black colleges and universities. This year's tournament is scheduled for April 24-26, at the Stone Mountain Golf Course, in Stone Mountain, Ga.
LPGA and PGA join forces in Play Golf America Initiatives. LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals and PGA of America are teaming up once again with Play Golf America, an initiative which promotes the growth of the game with a simple message for Americans to 'get out and play golf, play more golf and play better golf.' This campaign brings consumers together with the men and women professionals in various programs in their area. Among other things, the program will showcase the professionals as expert club fitters and instructors to educate consumers about how and why to get properly fitted.
2. Race for the Cup
2009 Solheim Cup countdown:
- 24 days until the season's first major - the Kraft Nabisco Championship - where double points will be awarded to U.S.-born players.
- 146 days until U.S. and European teams are announced following the RICOH Women's British Open
- 165 days until matches begin at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
3. Next week: MasterCard Classic Honoring Alejo Peralta Presented by Nextel, BosqueReal Country Club, Huixquilucan, Mexico, $1,300,000, March 20-22, 2009
Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,892
Format: 54-hole stroke play
Winner: $195,000
Runner-up: $109,114
Field: 132 pros
Defending champion: Louise Friberg
Victory margin: Defeated Yani Tseng by one stroke
Tournament information: 011-52-55-5284-9440
4. Upcoming event: J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery, Papago Golf Course, Phoenix, Ariz., $1,500,000, March 26-29, 2009; TV Times
Par: 36-36, 72
Yardage: 6,711
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Winner: $225,000
Runner-up: $137,861
Field: 144 players
Defending champion: Lorena Ochoa
Victory margin: Defeated Jee Young Lee by seven strokes
Tournament information: 503-626-2711
● TV Times
Golf Channel
March 26-27 6:30-8:30 p.m.
March 28 6:30-9:30 p.m. (tape delay)
March 29 7:00-9:30 p.m. (tape delay)
All times Eastern
5. Rolex Rankings Move of the Week
Rookie Shin moves to fourth after first official win. LPGA Tour rookie Jiyai Shin picked up her first career victory as a member of the LPGA last week at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. With the win, she moved from fifth to fourth in this week's Rolex Rankings. Shin's 6-under-par final-round score was a career-low, and also tied the tournament-low she set in the third round. Last year as a non-member, the South Korean won three times on the LPGA Tour, including the RICOH Women's British Open, Mizuno Classic, and season-ending ADT Championship.
The Rolex Rankings are sanctioned by the five major women's professional golf tours: the LPGA; Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (LPGA of Japan); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG); as well as the Ladies Golf Union (LGU), which administers the RICOH Women's British Open. The Rolex Rankings are the only women's world rankings that incorporate player performances from the five major tours and the Duramed FUTURES Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA.
Topics: News and Notes
