Brooke Henderson fears nobody. She made that abundantly clear on Saturday at the LOTTE Championship. After an uncharacteristic putting setback in the third round – that included a four-putt double – Henderson bounced back with two birdies over her final five holes to win by four. Here are the names that were chasing her in the final-round: Azahara Munoz, Inbee Park, Shanshan Feng and Ariya Jutanugarn. Those are some of the best players in the world and Henderson showed no fear. Especially after a shaky 35-putt Friday, you’d think the nerves would creep in. Nope, they didn’t. A 28-putt Saturday sealed her sixth LPGA win. Hard to believe, but Brooke is just two wins away from matching the most LPGA wins by a Canadian – Sandra Post won eight times. The other thing about Brooke is this amazing relationship she’s developed with her sister on the bag. During a three-minute champions interview with Jerry Foltz of Golf Channel, she mentioned Brittany’s name in three different answers. They are truly an amazing pair and have great chemistry together.
Shanshan Not Ready to Relinquish #1
It seems that the chatter every week on the LPGA is about who will take over the No. 1 ranking from Shanshan Feng. Will it be Inbee Park? Will it be Lexi Thompson? Will it be Sung Hyun Park? As College Gameday’s Lee Corso always says “not so fast, my friend”. Feng finished in a tie for third to hold onto the top spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for a 23rd consecutive week. Feng already has piled up three top 10 finishes and seems to be playing at a high level even though she doesn’t have a win.
“I’m really happy about what I was doing this week, especially the birdie on the last hole,” said Feng after the final-round. “I don’t really look at the rankings, if I can keep playing well my ranking is going to be high. If someone passes me, I can get No. 1 back later. I’m not really worrying about it.”
Good attitude, Shanshan.
Career Best Results for Duncan and Iacobelli
Sometimes we don’t talk, or write, enough about players that achieve career best finishes. Even if it isn’t a win or a top five, a career-high finish could go a long way in building confidence for the future. Lindy Duncan, who finished in a tie for sixth, and Daniela Iacobelli, who finished ninth, both should have newfound confidence.
Duncan, the former Duke star, now has three top 10s. She’s been playing full-time on the big tour since 2016. Duncan hits it above average distance and putted well in Hawaii. She completed three of the four rounds with under 30 putts.
Iacobelli, a Division II national champion at Florida Institute of Technology, has bounced back-and-forth between the Epson Tour and the LPGA. The talent is unquestionable. She’s a two-time Epson Tour graduate. Iacobelli’s top 10 at the LOTTE Championship earned her a spot in the field for the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open. Iacobelli is one of the longer hitters on the LPGA and needed only 27 putts in the final round.
Wie Raises Money for Hawaii State Golf Association
Following the final-round, Michelle Wie hosted her annual ping-pong pro-am style charity event at Ko Olina to raise money for the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association and a special college scholarship fund.
Several of Wie’s friends on Tour were on hand to participate in the event including Danielle Kang.
Oh, and Wie finally won the ping-pong tournament after three years of coming up short.
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