In this week's Stats and Stuff, Ward Clayton talks about Yani Tseng's second-consecutive Rolex Player of the Year award and previews the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2011.
Tseng's at home as Player of Year
This has already been a special week for Yani Tseng in her home country of Taiwan. She grew up 30 minutes from the Sunrise Golf and Country Club course, this week's tournament site, but played there often as an amateur and will be staying in the newly named Yani Tseng Suite at the resort. The room includes photos of her career and also her first professional trophy, the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship.
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| Yani Tseng |
Additionally, Tseng was recognized this week as the eighth player in LPGA Tour history to win back-to-back Rolex Player of the Year awards and the 11th player in history to win multiple Player of the Year awards. She is the fifth consecutive player to repeat. Annika Sorenstam has won the award eight times and Kathy Whitworth seven times.
Here are the players who have won consecutive Rolex Players of the Year honors:
| Kathy Whitworth | 1966-69, 1971-73 |
| Judy Rankin | 1976-77 |
| Nancy Lopez | 1978-79 |
| JoAnne Carner | 1981-82 |
| Annika Sorenstam | 1997-98, 2001-2005 |
| Karrie Webb | 1999-2000 |
| Lorena Ochoa | 2006-2009 |
| Yani Tseng | 2010-2011 |
Tseng in the 60s
Yani Tseng is riding a streak of five consecutive rounds in the 60s. A second-round 70 at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship two weeks ago is the only round she hasn't recorded in the 60s in the last eight rounds.
The record for most consecutive rounds in the 60s is 14, held by Annika Sorenstam (2005). Sorenstam also had a run of 11 in a row in 2002 and Lorena Ochoa had 10 consecutive in 2004.
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| Brittany Lang |
Sunrise Course makes LPGA debut
The Sunrise Golf & Country Club course in Yang Mei, Taoyuan, Taiwan, is located in northwest Taiwan, approximately 45 minutes from Taipei. The Robert Trent Jones Jr., design has water on all but two holes on the back nine and plays to a par of 72.
Lang's consistent play
Brittany Lang led after 36 holes at last week's Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and finished T5 to continue a stretch of good play. Lang has finished in the top 10 in four of her last seven starts, with a best finish of a runner-up at the Ricoh Women's British Open.
Lang is sure to gain a lot more attention this week at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship as she is paired with home country favorite and world No. 1 Yani Tseng and Anna Nordqvist in the first two rounds.
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| Na Yeon Choi |
With last week's victory in Malaysia, Na Yeon Choi has won five times in the last three years. Only Yani Tseng (10 wins) and Ai Miyazato (7) have more during that time frame. Choi, who turns 24 on Oct. 28, shares the five-win mark with Jiyai Shin.
100th win by player of Korean descent
Na Yeon Choi's victory last week at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia was the second of the season by a player of Korean descent and the 100th in the history of the LPGA. So Yeon Ryu won the U.S. Women's Open earlier this year. Se Ri Pak has the most career LPGA victories by a Korean with 25.
Money mark
Yani Tseng has won $2,573,629 this season. While Lorena Ochoa's record earnings mark of $4,314,994 in 2007 is out of reach, Tseng can win the second-most money is one season. Annika Sorenstam won $2,863,914 in 2005.
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