A man, mid 70s, adores his two granddaughters as they play with old putters that have been worn down from years of play and practice.

Old golf balls, the kind you would expect to see in the golf Hall of Fame roll on the old carpet, creating a slight track and outline as they head towards a cup at the end of the hall.

A putt putt maze has been sculpted through the different chairs, couches, and random creases in the carpet just to make it difficult.

There’s no judgement here, no fault, no bogeys or birdies, just an old plastic cup rocking back and forth every time it’s hit. Never in the same place twice.

This is my mental spot. Where I go for peace. This memory alone helps me get through my day out on the course.

Every time you hear the word golf, what do you think about? Golf carts, old men? Tiger’s cheating self?

Well I think about one thing. My grandaddy.

Yeah, this blog is going to be a bit more personal than others… (aka my Hashtag blog).

Ray (my grandfather) was one of the most incredible men I could have ever met. Throughout my life he was an inspiration not only to me but to everyone he met.

In my small little town in the heart of East Tennessee he was beloved. A church going southern man with a heart of gold and an insane love for his granddaughters and the game of golf.

You may be asking yourself, “Sav, this is really awkward why are you writing about this right now?”.

It’s my blog and I do what I want, that’s why. Also because it’s occurred to me with the help of my friends, family, and teachers that sports aren’t about stats or points or greens in regulation. They are about people and their stories, emotions, and heart that make the game(s) what they are.

I never quite knew how influential he was until he was gone and reflecting back on those years, it’s brought me to believe that he was my guardian angel.

Through my eyes the man could do no wrong. Since I can remember Granddaddy Ray has been there through scratches, bruises, bad report cards, bad scorecards, and fights with my sister.

Bottom line he has been there. Especially with golf.

As the spring season is starting back up for Lipscomb University Women’s Golf and one match under our belts I would say this post is relevant.

Frustrations build, emotions high, swings somewhat imperfect it’s the perfect time to think about what my golf would be like without this calming memory.

The memory of when a game is just a game. No rules no regulations, just a game.

Looking back on Friday I could’ve played better. I should’ve looked at my swing on my iPhone before I went out.

Maybe two more drills on the range a couple of days before wouldn’t have hurt. I mean what’s an extra 15 minutes in 45 degree weather when it’s the difference between you and a trophy that a select few have held before you?

My mind loses focus, just starts wandering. The music halfway turned up to Taylor Swift’s new album isn’t as distracting as mind wandering is.

Memories fade anyways. Why does this one play in my head when I need it the most?

Funny how a memory can do that. Make your focus more intense. Even though you may not need it.

Like the time you burnt your hand at that bonfire? Or the mean text message you got as a break-up?

Now you’re focused.

LU women’s golf is gonna have a hard year ahead. It’s a rebuilding year.

However, like the memory that replays in my head, let this one and this year last forever.

The day after the Black Widow story took off, a bunch of Canberra kangaroos hit it out of the park. Getty Images photographer Stefan Postles led the New York Times’ Sports Section “Photo Replay” gallery with a shot of Karrie Webb and her caddie, out of focus and with their backs to the camera, standing in the shade waiting for a herd of nearly thirty in focus, and jumping every which way, kangaroos to clear the fairway before her next shot. The caption noted Webb, Australia’s most successful golfer ever, had shot a two under par 71, and was 8 strokes off the lead, on the tournament’s opening day.

Postles’ photograph took off like wildfire online, a dream image for foreigners inclined to have an interest in Australia. Living in the bush capital, we Canberrans tend to take our abundant wildlife and birdlife for granted, but it’s unusual even to many of our fellow Australians. A Melbourne golf industry figure I sat next to at lunch that same week told his American industry peer sitting alongside that it was bunkum about kangaroos jumping down Australian main streets. I set them both straight, having seen them myself occasionally bounding down Mugga Way and Hobart Avenue; most other Canberrans have similar stories.

Between the spider bite story and the kangaroos covering the fairways story, the Women’s Australian Open Golf championship at Royal Canberra was all over the internet. With the world’s eyes on us, the actual golf could hardly be avoided. That’s when Big Story No.3 took off: 15 year old New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko shooting an incredible 10 under par on Day 1 and leading the tournament for most of its four days. The golf world was agog, Ko hitting just 21 putts in that first round (par allows for 36 putts in an 18 hole round). Ko looks more like a sweet, quiet library monitor than a killer golfer and she succumbed in the end to the comparatively ancient Jiyai Shin and Yani Tseng (both 24 years old) on the last day but, coming third, she had still wiped the dials of the all the world’s best women golfers bar two.

ABC-TV covered all four days of the tournament beautifully. The stunning Royal Canberra course – which many during the championship were calling Australia’s Augusta – looked incredible on screen. Viewers around Australia got a new view of a Canberra they hadn’t seen before and were impressed, as were the out of towners who came in person for the tournament. And a lot came. In the words of one visitor who came down from Sydney for the golf, having never stopped on any of the scores of times she’d passed Canberra driving to and from the snow with her family every year: “It’s not a toy city, it’s a real city!”

Then came the cream on the cake. The US Golf Channel cancelled its scheduled Saturday night programming to take the final day of the Open at Royal Canberra live. What with the spider story, the kangaroos covering the fairway story, the Lydia Ko story, the amazing course and the incredible golf itself, it was irresistible. Those upscale, educated business decision makers across wintry America – people who have money to travel and play golf – loved it. All up, 175 million homes in 150 countries had the chance to tune in to the television broadcast from Royal Canberra on Day Four, and we’ve never looked so good. Could Canberra’s birthday party have got off to a better start? I think not.

This first appeared in the Canberra Times, 23 February 2013

Earning although enjoying

Most of the golfers receive funds by way of the sports. Specialist golfers (at the very least ninety five%) make their principal income as club or educating experts, rather than from competitors. “Touring professionals”, also known as “Match golfers” or “Professional golfers”, who make their income from prize income and endorsements, are modest elite inside of the profession. The quite very best golfers make up to 8-figure incomes in U.S. bucks.

The Marketplace

The current market place of specialist golf tours have utilized many segments all above the world. These have produced the woman’s tournament, and the seniors tournament. Women’s Skilled golfing excursions is organised by independent regional tours. Leading female golfers make incomes well in excess of USD$one million for every yr, far more than most other females athletes other than prime tennis players.

On the other hand, in Men’s senior Professional golfing tours, when the male golfer reaches age fifty, male golfers are qualified to compete in senior tournaments. Golf is exclusive amongst sports in obtaining higher profile and profitable competitions for players of this age group. Virtually all of the renowned golfers who are eligible to contend in these functions choose to do so, except if they are unable to for overall health motives.

A quantity of players win far more than a million dollars in prize cash each and every season, and when endorsements and other enterprise routines are taken into account, a number of of the “legends of golf” in this age team earn a lot more or significantly less as considerably as any of the younger PGA Tour execs, other than Tiger Woods. The two primary senior excursions are: Champions Tour (based in the United States) and European Seniors Tour.

Enjoying golfing has elevated to a amount that it has been identified as a game played to have the players excel in the area and not only as an person sports. Now having a background on the match, can you feel the exhilaration? Be up to date with golf news and see the new distinction in golfing tournaments.

In only the second tournament for the 18-year-old Hillside member who turned professional at the end of last season after finishing England’s No 1 amateur.

And she showed her fighting qualities with two closing round of 69 to lie six shots adrift of Lydia Ko who created history by becoming the first Kiwi to claim the title and, at 15,  youngest to  win a Ladies European Tour event.

As the nerves left, tears of joy streamed down Ko’s face as she came to terms with her third professional win from only 12 events.

“I didn’t cry at the Canadian Open so I don’t know why I cried here,” Ko explained afterwards with her trademark giggle.

“I guess it meant more. It is our national open so to win means a lot. I am not the person who shows expression of feeling but I guess the tears showed it.”

Ko rated her NZ Open win as the finest win of her already so successful career.

We are all on the journey of life to Experience and Learn… who we become and how we choose to do this is as significant and unique as the snowflakes that fall from the sky… collectively we can make a difference in our own very special way. So much of life I can relate to how we play our golf game…

We are all so very unique and have such diverse paths we choose to take, yet we are walking down the same fairway…

What are YOU here Fore… is just a reminder that we do not all play the sport of golf for the same reasons and when we choose to, how we plan it out is quite different, yet it usually matches our lifestyles …

This is the beauty in golf.. because we are all so different and have so many individual reasons to be sharing the golf course with each other… it always interests me on the often colourful stories that each of my students have in their life and golf games.

My first question to you when I first meet a new students is…

What are YOU HERE FORE…

Rather than assume the obvious, which is to improve your golf game… most answers I find go much more deeply and have very specific experiences which brings you to this place of desired improvement through the search of knowledge…

I will look forward to sharing with you throughout the season of wonderful tales and adventures of both triumphs and challenges that I share with my students…

I know what I am HEAR for… just this! To listen, to learn and to share to make this a better place for all who wish to venture out and experience THIS GAME, a better game…

“Let’s Play Great Golf” is much more than fixing a slice… but it may be just the beginning… the path is long and it can be the most amazing journey! I look forward to sharing it with you

Component of rookie golf tips is for a participant to initial interact in some stretching routines to be certain that he or she will not likely have any muscle suffering, or any other agony that can disrupt his/her video game. You need to do some arm stretching, leg stretching, some bending routines, and so on. Actively playing some heat up video games can also support strengthen your golfing and lessen amounts of nervousness that you may well have prior to the golfing competitiveness.

Better qualities in golfing also include the complicated expertise of twisting your entire body in the appropriate way at the proper time. By utilizing this approach, you are certain to discover higher impact with every single strike at the ball. You will be shocked how much you can hit the ball in a couple a long time if you carry on like this.

Inhale deeply just prior to striking the ball. This will lower the pressure in your physique and aid you concentrate on smacking your following shot. Dedicate as a great deal time as is essential to visualize the golf ball planning exactly where it is supposed to right before you get a swing. Getting profound breaths will support ease the pressure in your shape when every person is focusing on you.

For illustration, the ideally suited ball situation for the driver is just inside of the heel of your entrance foot. Placing the ball there makes sure that the clubhead would make impression just further than the swing’s lowest stage, with an upward, sweeping movement of the club’”the best swing for the remaining used.

The next explanation could be, you established up to the ball with your arms prolonged out, and in your downswing you are bending your arms. This bending of the arms (chicken wing) shortens the swing arc. resulting in the club facial area coming into make contact with with ball at a bigger level.

When on the practice variety, only attempt to strike fifty percent the length you would generally. You will be surprised how a lot even further your ball will go when your club face and swing route are precise.

A valuable tip with regards to golf is constantly to get a excellent track record in all the terms that transpire to be utilised. This is essential so that you are able to hold smart discussions with people about golfing and not basically arrive throughout as becoming properly versed, but also give oneself the chance to locate out far far more.

The slice is not only directionally challenged but distance challenged as nicely. They will imitate the men and women they engage in with normally.

Studying golfing is all about discovering the fundamentals, knowing the conditions and with ongoing apply. From there, you can start making your personal techniques on how you can hit the golf ball extremely successfully – from postures, dealing with, movement and from generating ideal golf swings. Concentrate and resolve to understand are maybe the mystery process to bettering golfing techniques.

When acquiring prepared for a shot, make positive that your maintaining your chin and head up. Let your arms hang effortlessly, preserve minimal knee bend and bend your elbows a little bit inward. These suggestions will support you come across the stance that is the finest for you and the alignment to make the ideal shot.

So what can you do? If you are struggling from a sore elbow (lateral epicondylitis) on a regular foundation, request your area golfing pro to observe you swing a couple of moments and see if he or she can see if there is nearly anything that requirements to be corrected. A proper golf swing should really not build long-term elbow or shoulder agony. And even if your swing is ok, be positive to get ready for just about every spherical by executing some stretching and using a number of quick apply swings. If finding unfastened is essential for qualified and Olympic athletes, you have to determine that it’s also crucial for us weekend warriors.

3rd, you really should integrate golfing health workout routines into your regular golf training and golf practice routines to more stay away from golfing harm. Make confident you do frequent cardiovascular exercising like jogging, treadmill, biking and/or functioning. When you participate in the sport, wander the golfing class or use a golfing pull cart. Accomplishing so will not only preserve you a great deal of funds, but will burn off hundreds of energy in the course of action and keep your “golfing muscular tissues” loose, further preventing golfing injury.

To start with, it truly is important that you use the ideal golf devices. Youthful folks and juniors will need to have golf clubs that’re calculated properly with regards to their stature. A number of teenage gamers start off by practice employing their parents’ golfing clubs, but this is simply just not the very best strategy to get better at the know-how young fanatics demand, and might also add to adverse swing movements patterns.

The easiest way to make improvements to you round is by strengthening your limited game. Most golfers sigh when you mention placing but if you actually want slash your score the essential is in strengthening your putting technique. The ultimate essential place you have to have to increase is the way you swing your club.

It is easy to get your ball out of the sand and again on the green. This is significant since great exercise will end result in fantastic engage in an vice versa.

But it still left the Chorley 18-year-old  three shots short of the half-way cut on her LET debut.

Emily, who is attached to Hillside,  rolled in three birdies negated by a double bogey and single one.

She tweeted: “I left loads out there . . . just a shame the damage was done yesterday. At least it’s taught me how important preparation is.”

The 18-year-old from Chorley, who is attached to Hillside, ran up two double bogeys and three single one in a six-over-par 78, a lone birdie coming at the fourth.

American Alison Walshe sits atop of the leaderboard after a flawless 66.  The 27-year-old holds a slender one shot advantage of fellow compatriot Jessica Korda, who was at the top of the leaderboard for the majority of the day after teeing off early.

Australian Stacey Keating, Spain’s Belen Mozo, Thailand’s Nontaya Srisawang and American Dori Carter are at four-under-par, while South Korean Chella Choi, Sweden’s Daniela Holmqvist and rookie Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand share seventh position a further shot back.

A group of 12 players sit at two-under par and are right in the mix, including seven-time Masters champion Karrie Webb, the French pair of Gwladys Nocera and Joanna Klatten and Australians Bree Arthur, Kristie Smith, Nikki Campbell and amateur Minjee Lee.

The golf tips in this short article are not a quick resolve. Putting them to use will need a large amount of determination and practice. If you place in the time and effort and hard work, you will be rewarded with greater swings, lessen scores, and most importantly, the sense of accomplishment that you will get from the mastery of any complicated endeavor.

Satisfactory and effective follow facility and accessible driving ranges are also critical. Holes must be appropriately positioned on areas exactly where good enough enjoyment is thought along the match as you go via swinging that stick and putting that ball into that hole!

Making use of these tactics, the standard weekend golfer can start out to uncover the rewards that a lot of experienced golfers have uncovered by building an inside-out swing path. With the promise of additional distance not only effectively struck but also off-centre strike pictures along with a far more excellent flight sequence that decrease, boring ball flights can generate in all wind situations, it is certainly a advantage to adapting to the within-out swing.

Each individual of these strategies will aid you to not only conquer that long hitter but they will also assistance you to enhance your golfing match as a whole. Concentrating a lot less on the length you are smacking and extra on swinging the club well will give you a lot more success just about every time. The match could start off on the tee box but it is usually concluded, and often received, on the placing surface area.

If you happen to be like most golfers you desperately want to reduced your score. Would not it be fantastic to be the best puppy in your foursome and see the seems of jealously on your buddies faces right after one more killer spherical? Luckily it is not as complicated as you would think.

Another great golfing idea is to generally ascertain a shot’s route in advance of striking it. Too normally golfers address the ball without figuring out direction. In addition, determine other important variables like length, trajectory, and curvature. All these elements should be deemed to hit a focus on. Analyzing a shot’s function, also essential to accuracy, significantly influences people other aspects.

Like discussed higher than you can verify this by wanting at the direction of your divot. We will do the job on length handle as soon as you grasp the motion.

No subject how a lot you appreciate to participate in the video game but you will not set aside adequate time to apply its craft then you will hardly ever get the correct moves you want. Dedication is a single of the most effective characteristics you really should have if you want to find out and boost your activity. Even with out going to the eco-friendly, if you are busy then you ought to consider of some way to exercise your recreation. You just have to make use of your muse and search for some uncomplicated but considered to be one particular of the greatest golf tips that would help you strengthen your moves.

Typical Construction of Golfing Programs – A person thought you have to make in scheduling your tee times is the general structural approach of the certain golf courses you are planning into.

A helpful suggestion with regards to golf is normally to get a superior history in all the phrases that take place to be utilised. This is important so that you are in a position to hold intelligent conversations with folks about golfing and not simply just appear throughout as remaining properly versed, but also give oneself the chance to discover out much extra.

There is almost nothing more essential on the golfing training course than your quick sport, and the good news is that you can observe most all facets of it ideal in your household.

Grip: Good grip stress is the place it all begins. If you start off your swing with as well a great deal pressure, then the rest of your physique will comply with match. Just about every golfer has seen the manifestation the demise grip. The real truth is the dying grip will kill your swing.

Numerous golfers start out out with desires of taking part in like a pro. Several then settle for even mediocre play even though out on the program or for beating their buddies in a round below and there. However other folks check out the pros on Television set, mesmerized by the actuality that it seems every other shot they strike is an wonderful shot. Whilst definitely playing like a pro normally takes a long time of practice and dedication, it is achievable to discover to participate in your very best.

Never ever neglect finding out there on the driving range to knock a handful of balls close to. If you get them hooked young, they’re going to be hooked without end.

You will uncover various ideas for keen golfing pursuers obtainable to the net and myriads of literature available about them, golf tips for beginners. It can be feasible to discover pretty most of the golf tips for first-timers, so explore the quite most effective web-site or a E book in advance of inserting the suggestions in to utilize. There’s a good bargain of distinct golf tips for first-timers from numerous people these suggestions could boost the confusion of any budding golfer or even made use of in mix with some discretion.

Provide your self with extra odds to operate on your iron game by leaving your driver and fairway woods in the trunk prior to your up coming spherical. Even nevertheless you sacrifice some length off the tee, you will uncover that actively playing with just golf irons will present you with that supplemental apply without the need of obtaining to sacrifice your score.

Preserve a good tempo though golfing. The group that is at the rear of you may well be annoyed if you are slow. If you conclude up with a gradual group and inexperienced gamers, ask any speedier teams driving you to play on by way of.

A furthermore was that I had the possibility to play on a large amount of distinctive golfing programs in unique elements with the earth. That assisted me reduce my strokes from 183 down to 137 in excess of a interval of several several years and I in no way obtained any coaching to aid me carry out that.

As a start out, here are 10 recommendations to look at and use to make improvements to your golf match. Please be aware that I am a right-handed golfer and some ideas have to be modified for still left-handed golfers.

A wonderful hint for putting is when you handle the ball, your remaining hand wants to be in front of the ball. Retain your stance though swinging your club. You will then be in a position to keep the situation of your golfing club and prevent the ball from going off the front of the club.

Bent over your human body from the hip, and retain your eyes straight to the ball. This may well or may perhaps not be caused by an old golfing glove.

Does you son or daughter have an fascination in hoping out for the golfing staff? I want to give you some golf tips to aid them. What a great sport for any one. This is a activity exactly where your baby does not have to be the greatest, the speediest, the tallest or any other present that numerous sports need. In particular for girls. the possibilities for faculty scholarships are huge. If your little ones are planning to golfing observe Fantastic!! My issue is, are they getting greater and are they getting greater quick ample to be profitable at this activity? How can you aid, let’s discuss about that.

Common Structure of Golfing Programs – One particular thing to consider you have to make in planning your tee situations is the typical structural system of the precise golf classes you are planning into.

Decide on at ease, cotton-khaki trousers for golfing. They must be marginally free fitting, and they ought to not have cuffs due to the fact you will close up with anything from sand to grime to leaves in your cuffs if you make the slip-up of acquiring them! Will not make a spectacle of oneself with loud colors, knickers, or any other weird type of clothes.

Recognize this 3 principle and apply it to your sport. Consider to concentrate on these a couple of recommendations when you play golf again. Accomplish this everytime you perform golf often and you will notice the enhancement in your golf recreation.

If you might be like most golfers you desperately want to decrease your score. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to be the prime dog in your foursome and see the appears of jealously on your buddies faces following a different killer round? The good news is it really is not as difficult as you would consider.

The proper posture, stance, and the likes, are also crucial if you yearn to boost your golf. Your physique really should be appropriately aligned, and the next human body elements should really all be in parallel situation to your goal: your knees, eyes, forearm, and your toes. Adhering to this system of how to participate in golfing will allow you to turn into greater at golf.

Considerably prolonged (or brief) drives are factors of lots of factors. A good driver shot will be a very simple golfing swing.

A dear friend of the family, the late Frank Pastore, was a professional baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds who later became a radio talk show host. Frank was always looking at the bigger picture, while posing both comical and philosophically deep questions. No matter the topic, Frank would always ask the question at the end of every segment, “What’s the take away?”

While Frank posed this question to athletes and professors alike, this question can be posed in the game of golf, “what is the take away?” In our case, it’s our golf swing. Here is an easy take away drill that will help you maintain (or get you to) a good tempo in your golf swing.

The first few feet of your take-away should be the slowest part of your swing. Many golfers jerk the club back too quickly, which leaves a poor tempo through the backswing and ultimately back to the ball.

To set up a good take-away, perform the following steps:

1.You will want to set up your tee (golf ball in place) with a long iron.
2.Now place another golf ball directly behind the club head.
3.Take your normal backswing but notice how far back that second ball rolls. Note: It should only roll a few feet.
4.If the ball catches air or jumps back more than a few feet, you have started your backswing too quickly. The goal is to get a slow and smooth start to your backswing. Once you have accomplished this slow and smooth backswing then you will see positive results throughout your swing, especially at impact.

After practicing a few times, step back and ask yourself, “what is the take away?”

Page 1:

Best Start to the season
Biggest Disappearing Act
Best Korean Confrontation
Best Korean Finish

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/2012-seoulsisters-awards-1-of-7-best-start/

Page 2:

Best Breakthrough
Cinderella of the Year (the year’s most unlikely winner)
Great Performance that came up short

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/2012-seoulsisters-awards-2-of-7-best-breakthrough/

Page 3:

Clutch Performance of the Year
Biggest Disappointment
Most Dominating Performance

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/2012-seoulsisters-awards-3-of-7-clutchness-disappointment-domination/

Page 4:

Shot of the Year
Round of the Year
Most Controversial Moment
Tournament of the Year

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/2012-seoulsisters-awards-4-of-7-best-shot-round-tournament-of-the-year/

Page 5:

Most Fashionable
Most Touching Moment
Best Teen
Best Hot Streak

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/2012-seoulsisters-awards-5-of-7-fashionable-most-touching-best-teen/

Page 6:

Rookie of the Year
Rookie to Watch in 2013
Most Improved Player

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/2012-seoulsisters-awards-6-of-7-rookie-of-the-year-most-improved/

Page 7:

Player of the Year

http://seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/2012-seoulsisters-awards-7-of-7-player-of-the-year/

And the Winner Is: Inbee Park

Inbee Park

I don’t think I’ve ever had a harder time deciding who should be given the Player of the Year award than I did this year.  I considered literally six different golfers (I’ll get to them all), five of whom had career years, before finally deciding that Inbee Park’s career year was the most special of all.  This despite the fact that two of the ladies she beat won Majors and Park did not, and two other shattered age records.  But when Inbee got going on her amazing streak the latter 2/3 of the season, she ignited the kind of suspense I haven’t seen since the salad days of Jiyai Shin, Se Ri Pak and Grace Park.  Namely, it seemed like she would be in the hunt every single week, and the only question was, would she win or have to settle for a second or third place?

Park had two wins on the LPGA tour, which tied her with Jiyai Shin and Na Yeon Choi for tops among the Koreans.  Those two ladies won Majors, while Inbee did not.  Park did, however, win the Evian Masters, which will be a Major in 2013, and which is without question the most important non-Major on tour.  She had 12 top tens, and ten of those were top fives.  Besides her two wins, she had six second place finishes, a third and a fourth.  Simply put, she was a golfing machine.

Inbee at the Evian Masters

Her consistency enabled her to make $2,287,080 in 2012, the most money any Korean golfer has ever made on the LPGA in a single year, and the first time a Korean has broken the 2 million dollar mark.  She also led the league in scoring and won the Vare Trophy, such an important honor that it earns a player a Hall of Fame point.   If she had been a little more lucky, and a little more clutch, she might have walked away with several more wins.  She was the top pro at the Canadian Open, behind only the teen amateur Lydia Ko.  She had a great chance to win in Taiwan and at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, leading both events for a while before falling back to the field on Sunday.  She also lost in a playoff at the Manulife.  Even the British Open was not out of reach on the final day, although she struggled far too much early to have had any chance of catching Shin there.  Still, she managed a solo second.  She had 9^th place finishes at the LPGA Championship and US Women’s Open for three total Major top tens.

Statistically, she was extremely strong.  She led the league in both putting statistics, was second in rounds under par and rounds in the sixties, third in birdies, and second in Player of the Year points.

Inbee won the Vare Trophy in 2012 for low scoring average

Park had one of the most blistering runs of great golf in some time.  Her ten straight top tens included two wins, four runner-up finishes and one third place.  After missing the top ten for the first time in four months, she had a runner-up finish in her next start, and another two events after that.

As if all those runner-up finishes were not enough, Inbee also had at least four runner-up finishes on the Japanese tour, three of those in Majors.  If Park would have found a way to close better, it’s not inconceivable she could have won all of those Majors, so close were her near misses.

Inbee was all smiles when she returned to Korea in July following her Evian win

To end her season, Inbee played on the Korean team in the Korea-Japan team competition.  She won both her matches and earned the MVP award.  She finished the year ranked 4^th in the world.

Inbee credited her fiancé, who is also a golf teaching pro, with her newfound confidence on the course (and no doubt happiness off of it).  It was a career year in every way for the sixth year pro, and thus she earns the Seoul Sisters Player of the Year award!

Inbee was the MVP at the Korea-Japan team competition

Other Nominees:

Na Yeon Choi

Na Yeon Choi

The difference between Na Yeon Choi and Inbee Park was razor-thin in 2012.  The main knock against Choi is that she was not nearly as consistent as Park; in most statistical categories, Park had the edge.  However, Choi had a string of brilliant accomplishments of her own.

Like Park, Choi won three times in 2012: twice on the LPGA tour and one other non-tour event.  But each of Choi’s wins were just a little more impressive than Park’s.  Choi won the biggest event of them all, the US Women’s Open, for her first Major, and capped her season with a triumph at the CME Group TitleHolders Tour Championship, one of the most important non-Majors on tour.  A few weeks after that, she won the Swinging Skirts in Taiwan, a Silly Season event that attracted most of the top golfers in the world, including all six of the finalists for this award.  Those are three pretty impressive wins; I would say it was the most impressive slate of victories of any of my six nominees for this award, including Inbee Park.

Na Yeon in Taiwan in December, site of her third win of 2012

Choi did not win any post-season awards, although she did well in several statistical categories.  Thanks to her big win at the CME, she finished second on the money list with $1,981,834, which was the second highest season ending money total ever accumulated by a Korean (behind only Inbee).  She only finished 5^th in scoring average, however, well behind Inbee, and 3^rd in Player of the Year, one slot behind Inbee.

Choi takes the mike

Choi managed 10 top tens on the year, with six top fives; besides her two wins, she had three seconds and a third.  Those are great numbers, but again all are behind Inbee’s numbers.  One of her runner-up finishes came against Inbee at the Sime Darby.  At the Majors, Choi had the win at the Open, an 8^th at the Kraft, and a 13^th at the British.  She was disqualified at the LPGA Championship (see ‘Most Controversial Moment’ for more details).

Choi finished the year ranked 2^nd in the world.  Like Inbee, she played at the Korea-Japan team event and was undefeated.

Choi’s Major win and more impressive tournament victories were almost enough to offset Park’s statistical superiority and greater consistency, but those things coupled with the Vare and record Money list total were enough to edge the award towards Inbee Park.  It was certainly a banner year for Na Yeon Choi, however, and she seems as if she is on the cusp of becoming the decisive best Korean golfer of her generation if she keeps improving as she has been.

Choi had a career year in 2012

Jiyai Shin

Jiyai Shin

Shin was troubled by injuries all year.  It made it difficult for her to get any kind of roll going.  But despite playing fewer events than the other pros in this list, she still achieved two wins, including a Major, and for a while looked likely to win the Vare Trophy (in the end, she did not play enough rounds to qualify).

Shortly after coming back from an operation, Shin found herself tied for the lead with a round to go at the Jamie Farr,  She faded to 7^th there, but just a couple of events later, she was in the final group at the CN Canadian Open.  She finished third, with a front row seat to Ko’s historic win – they played in the final group together.  Shin was finally hitting her stride, though, and she won her next event, the Kingsmill Championship, after besting Paula Creamer in a ridiculously long 9 hole, two-day playoff.  Arriving in Britain later than almost anyone else, Shin played the British Open superlatively, crushing the competition by nine shots for her second straight win less than a week after the Kingsmill victory.

This is what Jiyai looked like after her hand operation in June. Three months later she had another Major trophy.

So Shin did have a Major win, unlike Park, but only two world wins in 2012 to three for Inbee.  Statistically, Shin managed 8 top tens in 18 events, with three thirds on top of her two wins (but no seconds).  She also led the scoring average race for a while before fading to 4^th, and wound up 7^th on the year ending money list with over $1.2 million earned (in 4 – 6 fewer events than most of the other top players).  She was also in the top five in greens in regulation and sand saves and topped the league in percentage of rounds under par.

Like Choi and Inbee, she also won both her matches at the year ending team match, and at the Swinging Skirts, she finished third.  She was in the hunt until nearly the end but made a crucial late mistake to miss the playoff won by Choi.

Shin’s numbers were clearly not as good as Choi or Park, but what makes her notable was that she did all these things despite struggling with injuries much of the year.  Even with that factored in, however, I have to say that Inbee Park outdid the Final Round Queen in 2012.

Jiyai with her Kingsmill trophy

So Yeon Ryu

So Yeon checks out some of the displays at the USGA Museum

I talked about So Yeon’s season in detail in the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award.  As far as this award goes, Ryu has a lot of positives in her favor.  She had only two worldwide wins, one on the LPGA, one on the KLPGA, and no Majors.  She finished behind Choi and Park and just ahead of Shin on the money list, and ended her season with a world ranking of #7.

What was really impressive about Ryu’s season was that she not only managed more top tens (16) than any other Korean, and more top fives as well, but that she did all that as a rookie who had a. never played most of the courses before and b. was dealing with all the challenges that come with moving to a new culture and finding your way there.  On top of which, she was also finishing her college degree simultaneously.

So Yeon in July

She also had some impressive stats: 2^nd in putts/GIR (behind Inbee), 2^nd in scoring average (again behind Inbee), 3^rd in rounds under par and rounds in the 60s, 2^nd in birdies, and 5^th in Player of the Year.  All these results are very impressive, but she was still almost always behind my choice for Player of the Year, Inbee Park.

So Yeon at the Korea-Japan team Competition

Like the other three LPGA players above, Ryu also won both her matches at the Team competition against Japan (she was teamed with Inbee on the first day).  She finished tied for third at the Swinging Skirts, tied with Shin and behind Choi but ahead of Inbee.

Admittedly the Rookie of the Year had a much harder challenge in 2012 than Inbee Park or Na Yeon Choi in terms of getting used to her new country.  But despite that, and despite her amazing consistency, So Yeon was probably a win or two short of snagging this award away from Park.

It was tough choosing between these four! At the Team Competition, they gave them ALL the Best Player award!!

Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko

Even though Inbee Park won this award, it’s very possible that the real Player of the Year was a golfer who shattered not one but two age records, won some of the biggest events in her sphere, and garnered more attention than any other ethnically Korean golfer in 2012.  I’m not arguing that Lydia Ko is better than any of the four LPGA golfers I’ve already mentioned – she’s not, at least not yet – but in terms of awesomeness, Ko’s 2012 campaign is hard to match.

I already talked about her in some detail in ‘Best Teen’, but to summarize, in 2012 she became the youngest person ever to win a professional event and the youngest to win an LPGA event.  She also won the biggest amateur event in the world, the US Amateur, and drubbed the top amateurs in the world at the biennial Women’s World Team Amateur Championship.  Even if she had done nothing else, that is an incredible run of golf.  In addition, she was the low amateur at the US Women’s Open and Ricoh Women’s British Open, won the Australian Ladies Amateur, and played several other LPGA events, grabbing top 20s in most of those.

Hyo Joo Kim and Lydia Ko at the Swinging Skirts last December. Kim got the better of Ko that week, although neither finished in the top ten

So why isn’t she the Player of the Year?  To be honest, I’m waffling even now.  But on the biggest tour, she managed only one really great performance, the win in Canada.  Her other LPGA events were certainly solid, especially for a girl her age, but nothing that would stun the masses.  Her amateur wins were against women and girls that, for the most part, she outclassed (exceptions noted for the Jutanugarn sisters and Hyo Joo Kim).  Was she perhaps so good as an amateur that we took her for granted a bit?

Maybe.  I’m certainly open to hearing arguments as to why I’m wrong!  But for now, I’ll take Inbee Park’s career year over Lydia Ko’s career year.

Lydia meets the press in Korea in August

Hyo Joo Kim

Hyo Joo Kim

See ‘Best Teen’ for more details about this superstar in the making.  Like Ko, she was great at amateur events, but where Kim shone in 2012 was playing against the big girls in the pro events.  She ended up winning four professional events last year on three different tours.  That’s more than any of the other women on this list managed.  And she wasn’t even a pro until October!  But she finished behind Lydia Ko more often than ahead of her, and was not able to win the LPGA event that would have put her over the edge (though she came close at the Evian).

In sum, it was a great year for the Korean ladies, perhaps the greatest in recent memory.  From amateurs setting records to wins in most of the big events in the world (three Majors, the big US amateur events, the world team championship, the Korea vs. Japan battle), the Koreans were making their mark everywhere in 2012.  Congratulations to them on a job well done, and good luck in 2013!

And the Winner Is: So Yeon Ryu

So Yeon Ryu in August, 2012

Without any question, the top rookie of 2012 was KLPGA star turned LPGA rookie So Yeon Ryu.  Ryu earned her card for the 2012 LPGA tour in the most audacious way imaginable: by winning the biggest women’s golf tournament in the world, the US Women’s Open.  Only one other Korean had ever earned a tour card by winning a Major before, and that golfer, Jiyai Shin, not only easily won Rookie of the Year the following season, she very nearly won Player of the Year as well.

So Yeon and her US Women’s Open trophy

Ryu accomplished a lot in her four seasons on the Korean tour: she chalked up seven wins and finished inside the top five on the money list several times.  But interestingly, she had never won a KLPGA Major, nor so much as a single post-season award (other than the fan-chosen ‘Most Popular’ award).  She had not even been able to claim the Rookie of the Year on the KLPGA, finishing second in 2008 to fellow teen star He Yong Choi.  Shin, by contrast, had been a dominating presence on the Korean tour, winning over twenty times including multiple Majors, and bagging the KLPGA Player of the Year award every year she was eligible.  So there was a question about how Ryu might do on the LPGA in 2012.  No doubt talented, capable of great things, but would it be enough to see her win the Rookie of the Year against some decent competition, including among others teen wunderkind Lexi Thompson and two-time US Women’s Amateur champ Danielle Kang?

Last year, I had this to say about Ryu and her chances:

“With a pedigree like that, the expectations on Ryu will be high. But she should be able to meet them if she can acclimate to the rigors of living and traveling on the LPGA tour… her consistency should make her tough to beat for the LPGA’s top award nonetheless.”

And indeed, it was her consistency that stood out the most in her amazing rookie season.

What we perhaps didn’t realize was just how much losing the Rookie of the Year on the KLPGA in 2008 still bothered her.  She spent some time discussing this during her Rookie of the Year acceptance speech in November.  She talked about how she obsessed about what small missed opportunities might have cost her the prize: what if she had made that extra birdie putt, or one or two more par saves?  Amazingly, she even began to doubt her overall excellence as a golfer.  Granted, she was only an 18-year-old, so it’s not so hard to believe she would overdramatize what had happened.  But even as a 21-year-old several years later, her near miss still haunted her.  Realizing that the LPGA would be her last chance to claim a Rookie prize, she dedicated herself as fully as ever before to attaining her goal.  Perhaps this uber-motivation led to the incredible results she achieved.

Ryu takes aim at the competition in 2009, her breakout year on the KLPGA tour

Simply put, Ryu was sensational from the moment she laced her golf shoes up in January to the time she took them off for the final time in 2012 in December.  She started her year with two straight runner-up finishes.  Indeed, she came within a missed three-foot putt of winning her very first event as an LPGA member, the Australian Women’s Open.  She also shot an eleven under par 61 during that stretch.  And that was just the first two events she played.

The great play continued and continued.  After narrowly missing a top ten at the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore, she grabbed a tie for 4^th at the weather challenged RR Donnelly, her first event played in America in 2012.  In April, she notched two more 4^th places, and added a 5^th place at the Sybase, narrowly missing the final four in this match play event.

So Yeon in July of last year

Some of her other highlights include shooting a final round 64 to narrowly miss making a four-way playoff at the Manulife Financial in June; a fifth place in Taiwan and another in Malaysia; and finishing her year with 6 straight top tens after missing her only cut of the year at the Canadian Women’s Open (alas, the only time I saw her live!).

Interestingly, she did not have a great year in the Majors, at least to start.  She did make all four cuts, however, and her Major performances got progressively better.  She managed a tie for 14^th in her title defense at the US Women’s Open, followed by her only top five finish in a Major in 2012, a fifth at the British Open.

Ryu had a number of good chances to win on tour, but only grabbed one trophy.  That came at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in August.  Ryu was tied for the lead going into the final round, but shot a blistering 9 under par 62 to obliterate the field by 7 strokes.  She thus became only the fifth LPGA golfer in history to shoot that low a final round to win a tournament; the other four who did it all later became Hall-of-Famers.

So Yeon Ryu

Besides the Australian Open, her best chances to win in 2012 came at the Safeway Classic and the CME Titleholders.  At the Safeway, she engaged in a mano-a-mano battle with Japanese star Mika Miyazato for much of the back nine, but just couldn’t catch a break when she needed it and wound up tied for 4^th.  At the CME, she caught third round leader Na Yeon Choi and was tied with her for a while on the back nine, but made a couple of critical mistakes coming in, allowing the rock-steady Choi to grab the two shot win.

In all, So Yeon had a staggering 16 top tens on the LPGA tour in 2012, 12 of which were top fives, in 24 events played.  That tied for the most top tens on tour in 2012.  To put this in perspective, only a couple of Koreans have ever managed more top tens in a single season (the record is 20 by Se Ri Pak), and none of them beat her total as a rookie, not even Pak.  She was 6^th on the money list with $1.2 million earned and second in scoring average with a 70.30 average (only Vare Trophy winner Inbee Park was better).  She was top ten in several other statistical categories, including

• Putting: 29.25 (9^th)
• Putts / GIR at 1.75 (2^nd)
• Rounds under par: 57/86, 66.3% (3^rd)
• Birdies: 356, 4.14 average (2^nd)
• Player of the Year: 131 (5^th)

Her final score in the Rookie of the Year race was an astounding 1,448 points, which gave her a 631 point margin of victory over Thompson and more than a thousand point gap over the third ranked rookie.

So Yeon with her Rookie of the Year award

And as if that weren’t enough, she also found the time to return to Korea to play in her sponsor’s event, the Hanwha Finance Classic, which she won for her eighth career KLPGA victory.  In December, she won both of her matches at the Korea-Japan Team competition to help lead Korea to a rout in that event, and she finished tied for third at the Swinging Skirts event in Taiwan, which pitted her against most of the top women golfers in the world.  She ended the year ranked 7^th in the world according to the Rolex Rankings, a big improvement over where she was at the start of the year, when she was outside the top 20.  Oh yeah, and she did all this while completing her college degree at Yonsei University!

In every measurable way, So Yeon Ryu more than made up for falling short of the KLPGA Rookie award with her scintillating performance in 2012, on both the LPGA and elsewhere.  Congratulations to her!

So Yeon poses with Korean film star Tae Hee Kim after winning the Hanwha Classic

——————————————————————————-

Rookie to Watch in 2013

And the Winner Is: Hyo Joo Kim

Lotte won the Sponsor lottery for Hyo Joo Kim when she turned pro in October

The collection of Korean and Korean American players who will be rookies on the LPGA in 2013 is not a particularly large, impressive or deep one.  There is one exception, and we’ll get to her in a moment.  But without any question, the rookie who looks poised to make the most noise in 2013 will not be playing full-time on the LPGA, but rather will be starting her professional career on the KLPGA.  That golfer is Hyo Joo Kim.

I’ve already talked about Kim and her amazing 2012 achievements in the ‘Best Breakthrough’ and ‘Best Teen’ awards, so I won’t repeat them here.  But as far as the Korean tour goes, remember that she already won one event as a 16-year-old amateur and contended as long ago as when she was 14.  Based on that alone, she looks ready to become a top player on the KLPGA.

Add on to that the fact that she has already won in her rookie season, capturing just her second event as a tour member (and her second career KLPGA win) when she won the Hyundai China Ladies Open in December (this event counts towards the 2013 season).

In my opinion, it will not be so much a question of whether Kim will win Rookie of the Year.  I honestly expect, barring injury, she will do that easily.  The real questions are: how many wins will she achieve?  Will she win Player of the Year, becoming the first rookie to do that since Jiyai Shin?  And will she win or seriously contend in one of the LPGA events she will doubtless play in 2013?  Whatever happens, it ought to be seriously fun to watch this major talent develop throughout the year!

Hyo Joo won her second KLPGA event played as a full tour member. What took her so long?

Other nominees:

Esther Choe

Esther Choe is a Korean American golfer who looked primed to become a star when she turned pro in 2007.  But she accomplished almost nothing out of the gate, and it took her until last year to start showing signs of the great golfer many thought she could become.  She won twice on the 2012 Futures Tour and finished atop the tour money list and earned Player of the Year despite only playing 6 events.  Choe also played on the Ladies European Tour, where she managed four top 20s and one top five.  Of all the Koreans and Korean Americans joining the tour this year, she seems the most likely to take the LPGA’s top Rookie honor.

——————————————————————————-

Most Improved Player

And the Winner Is: Je Yoon Yang

Shhh! Je Yoon Yang, KLPGA Player of the Year, is in the house!

In 2010, Je Yoon Yang was an 18-year-old newly minted professional playing on one of the KLPGA’s developmental tours.  She graduated to the big leagues in 2011, where she had an unexceptional first year, finishing 44^th on the money list with three top tens.

In other words, there was little reason to expect that Yang was about to become one of the best players on the KLPGA tour.  Yet in 2012, she won the Player of the Year award, topping stars such as Soo Jin Yang (who has yet to win it) and Ha Neul Kim (2011’s top player).

The first sign that this was going to be a special year for Yang happened in mid-May, when she notched a fifth place finish at the Woori Investment Championship.  The next week, she made it all the way to the final four at the Doosan Match Play and finished fourth.  A very good couple of weeks for Yang, but it still left her far away from the big names on tour.

When she got back to the tour from the summer break, Yang really started the fireworks.  First came the Nefs Masterpiece, where she took a huge lead and, despite a final day struggle, held on for her first career win.  With her third top five finish in her pocket in 2012, she now found herself among the top players on tour.

Je Yoon takes the mike at the site of her first career win, the Nefs Masterpiece

She finished 7^th the next week, 11^th after that, and notched a 9^th at the year’s second Major, the KLPGA Championship.  For the rest of the year, she never finished outside the top 15, and more often than not was in the top ten.  She moved to the top of the Player of the Year standings, and it was not until Ha Neul Kim, the 2011 Player of the Year, put on a strong run after winning the Rush & Cash Charity Championship that Yang was knocked from the top spot.

Still, Yang was tenacious, notching a third at the Hite Cup, the year’s third Major, and a second place at the year’s final Major.  The pitched battle between her and Kim continued when she made yet another top ten, her ninth of the season, at the year’s penultimate event.  As they entered the final tournament, the ADT-Caps, only a few points separated Kim from Yang for Player of the Year.  Basically, whoever finished ahead of the other one at the ADT would probably win the top prize.

Yang not only finished ahead of Ha Neul, she won the tournament, her second of the season, to capture the Player of the Year crown in style.  She also finished fourth on the money list with over 400 million won in earnings, and third in the scoring average race with a 71.74 average.

Je Yoon’s second win came at the year ending ADT-CAPS. The win also clinched Player of the Year for her.

Almost no one knew Je Yoon Yang’s name at the start of the KLPGA season.  But going into 2013, she will be one of the names to watch.  Whether she can duplicate her performance remains to be seen, but no doubt she was the Most Improved golfer of 2012.

Other Nominees:

Inbee Park

Inbee Park had a career year, winning twice on the LPGA, once on the JLPGA, leading the LPGA money list and winning the Vare Trophy.  Park had always been one of the better Korean golfers in the world, but without question, 2012 was her best year ever.  In 2009, the year after she won the US Women’s Open, Park finished 50^th on the money list.  She improved to 11^th in 2010, and was 31^st in 2011.  So, she has never been exactly bad, and in some years she was very good.

Still, the improvement in every facet of her game in 2012 was something to behold.  She ended the year with 12 top tens, her career best, and became the first Korean to ever earn more than $2 million in a single season.  She had multiple wins in a single season for the first time in her career, and had 6 additional second places.  And she did that while having the lowest scoring average of her career and playing a decent schedule in Japan, where she also won once in 2012.

Indeed, Inbee without question asserted herself as a proto-superstar with her brilliance, particularly with the putter, where she was easily the best in the league.  If it weren’t for the fact that she had already had some brilliant seasons in the past, and even in 2011 was a fairly good golfer, she might have been more than just a runner-up in this category.

Bo Mee Lee

Bo Mee with her first JLPGA win of 2012

Bo Mee Lee had somewhat of a strange season in 2011.  She had just graduated from the KLPGA and planned on playing full-time on the JLPGA.  But the tsunami in March changed her plans, and she found herself gravitating towards the KLPGA again.  She did manage to win the low Scoring Average on tour, but did not have a win in 2011.

In 2012, particularly the end of the season, Lee returned with a vengeance.  She won her first career Japanese title at the Daikin Orchid Ladies in March, beating no less than two-time money list leader Sun Ju Ahn in a playoff.

Jump to November, and Lee was playing in the LPGA’s Mizuno Classic, the lone LPGA event taking place in Japan.  Lee shot a blistering second round 64 to take the lead, and held onto that lead much of the final round.  Alas, she was not able to win, as Stacy Lewis made up a seven stroke deficit to take the crown.  But Lee finished second in a tough field, just a stroke behind Lewis.  It was a good omen for the rest of the season.

The very next week, Lee won again, taking the Ito En Ladies tournament for her second win of the season.  And she wasn’t done yet, for a few weeks later, she won the season ending Ricoh Cup, the year’s final Major, to move to second on the year ending money list.

Bo Mee Lee

Bo Mee’s improvement from 2011 was impressive, but she misses out on the award because, after all, she is Smile Candy, the 2010 KLPGA Player of the Year, and not exactly a player unused to being near the top.  It was a great step up from 2011, but nothing like the one Yang accomplished.

Char Young Kim

Char Young tosses the first pitch at a Korean baseball game

Char Young Kim finished in the top 20 on the KLPGA money list with five top tens.  Certainly not a bad performance.  But in 2012, she won three times, the most of anyone on tour, with seven total top tens.  She finished third on the money list as well.  It was a giant step up for the player who was named ‘Most Popular’ by the fans.  But she was certainly a better player in 2011 than Yang was, so she was not the Most Improved.