HSBC Women’s Champions
Sentosa Golf Club – The Serapong Course
Singapore
Tuesday Pre-Tournament Notes
March 3, 2015
The LPGA Tour is in Singapore this week for the HSBC Women’s Champions, highlighted by a field that includes 19 out of the top-20 in the Rolex Rankings. World No. 1 Lydia Ko returns to Tour this week after winning the New Zealand Women’s Open last week, her second consecutive victory in as many weeks.
At last year’s HSBC Women’s Champions, Paula Creamer sank what may have been the putt of her career to clinch her 10th career LPGA victory. Creamer drained a 75-foot eagle putt on the second sudden-death playoff hole to defeat Spain’s Azahara Munoz. “The putt heard round the world” was one of the most exciting finishes in golf last year and we will certainly see the finish on highlight reels for years to come.
“No, never,” Creamer said when asked if she will ever get tired of seeing the replays. “I never will get tired of that.”
The victory snapped a 79 event winless streak for Creamer that dated back to the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. It was a moment she will always remember and her favorite win.
“I hadn’t won for so long, and that drought and the fashion that it went down, just a playoff, and that long, the reaction, everything that came about.” Creamer said. “I just think that it was definitely a moment that I will remember, more in a personal way.”
Creamer has played the HSBC Women’s Champions six times coming into this year, and has four, top-3 finishes.
WHO HAS WON the HSBC WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS (*Won in a playoff)
| Player | Year |
| Paula Creamer | 2014* |
| Stacy Lewis | 2013 |
| Angela Stanford | 2012* |
| Karrie Webb | 2011 |
| Ai Miyazato | 2010 |
| Jiyai Shin | 2009 |
| Lorena Ochoa | 2008 |
KO BREAKING RECORDS
World No. 1 Lydia Ko has won each of the last two tournaments she has played in, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open two weeks ago and then her national championship, the Women’s New Zealand Open this past week. She is in the field this week and looking for her third consecutive win and second LPGA victory this year.
Michelle Wie is one of the many LPGA Tour players who are not surprised she is the No. 1 player in the world despite her young age.
“You know, it’s not very surprising that she’s world No. 1,” Wie said of Ko. “She’s probably the most solid, well rounded golfer out there right now. It’s very shocking that she’s 17 when you look at her, like you always forget. She’s so mature. She’s got such a good head on her shoulders.”
Ko has now won 10 career professional events and she is just 17-years old. Jiyai Shin was 19 years old when she won her 10th career professional event, Nancy Lopez was 22, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were each 24 years old when they hit the mark and finally Annika Sorenstam was 25. Once again, Lydia Ko finds herself atop most leaderboards.
Here is a look at Lydia Ko’s career wins:
| Year | Event | Tour |
| 2012 | Bing Lee Samsung Women’s NSW Open | ALPGA ((as an amateur) |
| 2012 | CN Canadian Women’s Open | LPGA (as an amateur) |
| 2013 | ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open | LET |
| 2013 | CN Canadian Women’s Open | LPGA (as an amateur) |
| 2013 | Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters | KLPGA |
| 2014 | Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic | LPGA |
| 2014 | Marathon Classic | LPGA |
| 2014 | CME Group Tour Championship | LPGA |
| 2015 | ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open | LPGA |
| 2015 | ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open | LET |
2015 IS A NEW YEAR
Michelle Wie had a career year in 2014, 13 top-10 finishes and two wins, including the U.S. Women’s Open championship. It was her dream to win the U.S. Women’s Open and she was able to finally do that but she is ready to move on from 2014 and start fresh this year.
“It’s a whole new year,” Wie said of 2015. “I kind of put 2014 away. I took a lot of positives from it. I gained a lot of confidence from it. I think just knowing that I could do it, that it’s possible; I think it inspires me every day to go out there and work even harder. I put that away. All my past, my lows, my high, it’s done. You take the positive from it, you learn from your mistakes and you move on. I’m just focusing on the present. I just want to focus on what I need to do to play better. “
Her thoughts on her first start this year, three tournaments in?
“It’s definitely not the start that I really wanted,” Wie said. “But at the same time, I think every week has been a learning experience for me and that’s kind of what I want from this year. I want every week, I want to learn from it and just get a little bit better each and every week. I just want to become a more solid golfer and see how I can get there.”
NUMBERS TO KNOW
2 - Number of LPGA Tour wins for Amy Yang
7 - Number of different winners at the HSBC Women’s Champions
8 - This is the eighth edition of the HSBC Women’s Champions, which began in 2008
18- There are 18 players from South Korea in the field this week
20- There are 20 players from the U.S. in the field this week, the most of any of the 20 different countries represented
33- Number of official events in 2015, up from 23 in 2011
48- Rolex Player of the Year points for Amy Yang, who leads Lydia Ko by two points
62 million (USD)- The total purse money in 2015, up from $41.4M in 2011
69.75 - Lydia Ko’s scoring average this year, which leads the Tour
410- Number of live televised hours in 2015, the most in LPGA history
OLYMPICS IS THE GOAL
Paula Creamer has accomplished much in her nearly 10 year career, including 10 career LPGA victories and five Solheim Cup teams. One thing she hasn’t been able to do yet, though, is have an opportunity to represent her country at the Olymics.
“That is my No. 1 goal,” Creamer said of making the U.S. Olympic Team. “That is what I want to do. That is everything that I have ever wanted, to represent my country in the Olympics. I have a little bit over a year to kind of get my butt back into shape and get into that - - make that team.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Besides my U.S. Open trophy, it’s my only other trophy at my house, and I think that says a lot. So it’s not a picture on the wall but it is something that means a lot to me and I look at it pretty much every day I’m home. I see it and it reminds me of just perseverance of working hard.” -Paula Creamer explaining how she displays her trophy from last year’s HSBC Women’s Champions at her home in Florida
HSBC FASHION SHOW
Eight of the world’s top women golfers today swapped the fairway for a fashion show as they launched the eighth annual HSBC Women’s Champions in spectacular style. Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie, defending HSBC Women’s champion Paula Creamer, Anna Nordqvist, Jessica Korda and Chella Choi walked the catwalk today to showcase the latest in Asian fashion.
Inspired by the beauty of Sentosa Golf Club where the star-studded field will compete this week, the elite group of golfers celebrated the launch of the tournament as they showcased the new Spring/Summer 2015 collection by pioneering lifestyle brand Shanghai Tang.
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