As if the LPGA couldn’t get any younger, it did last week when South Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim won the JTBC Founders Cup in Phoenix.
Since 39-year-old Karrie Webb won the tournament one year ago, the LPGA has gotten decidedly younger in the winners’ circle.
- There have been eight wins by teenagers: 17-year-old Lydia Ko (four wins), 19-year-old Hyo-Joo Kim (two wins), 19-year-old Lexi Thompson and 19-year-old Kyu-Jung Baek in the one-year time span.
- Players in their 30s have only won three times since last March: Mo Martin (31), Lee-Ann Pace (33) and Christina Kim (30).
- In 2015, Na Yeon Choi is the veteran winner, at age 27 when she captured the season-opening Coates Golf Championship. Ko and Kim are the teen-aged winners this season in six events.
- Two of the top four players in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings are teenagers – No. 1 Ko and No. 4 Kim. Kim moved up four spots with her victory last week.
- Of the last four major championship winners, two are teenagers – Thompson and Hyo-Joo Kim. They rank second and third all-time in youngest major winners. Only Morgan Pressel is younger; she was age 18 in winning the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Additionally, Kim’s opening 61 at last September’s Evian Championship is the low round in any major on any tour, men or women.
The old 1-2-3
The last time the world’s top three ranked players were in the field they finished first, second and third at the HSBC Women’s Champions in early March (Inbee Park first, Ko second and Stacy Lewis third). They are all in the field this week at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., the week before the first major championship of the season, the ANA Inspiration.
Here’s a look at what’s trending with the top three players in the world:
- Lydia Ko: Lydia Ko has gone 27 consecutive rounds under par after her T6 finish at the JTBC Founders Cup last week (four rounds in the 60s). She began the run with a 2014 LPGA season-ending victory at the CME Globe Championship and includes the New Zealand Women’s Open on the Ladies European Tour last month. She has finished in the top nine in 10 consecutive starts, including three wins, a second, a T2 and a third. She also shot her career-low round, a second-round 61, in winning in New Zealand.
- Inbee Park: Inbee Park enters this week’s Kia Classic riding a 92-hole bogey-free streak. She won the HSBC Women’s Champions three weeks ago without a bogey. Her last bogey came on the 16th hole in the third round of the previous week’s Honda LPGA Thailand. Park did not play last week in Phoenix.
- Stacy Lewis: Lewis has 11 career victories in four years and has placed second 17 times since 2010. Sure, Lewis would have like to break through and win a few more of those runner-up finishes, but remember that Jack Nicklaus won 73 times in his PGA Tour career and placed second 58 times and won 18 majors and finished second 19 times. Taking that point deeper this season, Lewis has led after five rounds and has two runner-up finishes.
South Korean surge, U.S. drought continues
With South Korean Hyo-Joo Kim’s victory last week in the JTBC Founders Cup, players of Korean heritage have won 10 consecutive and 14 of the last 16 LPGA events. That number includes 11 players who currently claim South Korea as their home country, Korean-born New Zealander Lydia Ko (two wins) and Korean-American Christina Kim. All six of the 2015 winners were born in South Korea.
Since winning 11 of the first 17 tournaments of the 2014 season, American golfers have faded. Only Austin Ernst and Christina Kim have won since mid-July 2014. This may not be the week that changes that trend as an American has never won the Kia Classic in its five playings.
Etc.
Since the ANA Inspiration began in 1972 (it was designated as a major in 1983), only two players have won the week before the first major championship of the season. They include Annika Sorenstam (2001 and 2005) and Lorena Ochoa (2008). … Cristie Kerr has more top-10 finishes in the Kia Classic than anyone (three), including two T3s. … Azahara Munoz had a tumor removed from her hand last week and was forced to withdraw from the JTBC Founders Cup. Her return date is undetermined. … Golf Channel will air all four rounds live from 6-9 p.m., EDT.
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