Inside the Ropes

Though there was plenty of action on the green, the weather took it upon itself to make it even more interesting during the 35th LPGA State Farm Classic. Lightning suspending play during the third round play on Saturday and again on Sunday, and the tournament finally finished up on Monday without any further delays. And who came out victor? Cristie Kerr edged out Anna Nordqvist and Na Yeon Choi with a score of 22-under-par (67,67,63,69 =266)

Team VTech had a strong showing with Alena Sharp finishing T14 at 15-under-par ((66,68,71,68 =273). After the second round, Alena was in 3rd place with 10-under-par, and though she didn’t finish in the top ten, she hung on strong and did an amazing job!  Diana D’Alessio finished T36 at 9-under-par (69,70,70,70=279) and Meaghan Francella T65 at 3-under-par (70,72,70,73=285).

Stay tuned for next weeks round up from the LPGA Tournament as they continue and keep cheering on the girls of Team VTech!

The sun was slow to show this morning on Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge Golf course for the Finals of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca Cola as our girls swept the dew. But when it did, another layer of sunscreen had to be applied and fast!

It was a hot day for some hot golf. The race was close and the play intense as Michelle Wie, Anna Nordqvist, Ai Miyazato, Suzann Pettersen and more were vying for the title of champion and the prize money that comes with it. There were some good pairings out on the field today. Last year’s champion and number one on the money list Cristie Kerr was paired with rookie and crowd favorite, Michelle Wie. (Wie has yet to win a major tournament). Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson, Christina Kim and South Korean’s M.J. Hur were lumped up together. Suzann Pettersen, Michele Reman and Natalie Gulbis had the herds following from one hole to another all day. And second day leader Anna Nordqvist was with Japan’s pride and joy, Ai Miyazato and South Korean Seon Hwa Lee.

The leader board showed no outright winner as lunch began this afternoon, but after a strong putt by Suzann Pettersen on the 12th hole, it seemed to many that she was on a roll and would be crowned winner. But, as it turned out, they assumed too quickly as Pettersen dropped from 15-under-par to 12-under-par when she bogeyed the 14th hole and then quickly double bogeyed the 15th, leaving her to birdie the 17th and finish at 13-under-par for the tournament. 18 year veteran Michele Redman, who was grouped with Pettersen, remained consistent throughout as she birdied 5 holes and failed to bogey once, tying her for 13th place. Rounding out the battle for the top of the leaderboard was South Korean M.J. Hur who had 7 birdies today, one of them being an eagle on the 10th hole, hitting a low 65. Hur, a first year rookie, had only a 13T as her career best finish before recording her first major victory today. She walks away with $255,000 in prize money today. 

Hur defeated Redman and Pettersen in a two-hole sudden death playoff. 1st round leader Beth Bader finished tied at 20th at 2-over-par, finishing at 5-under-par 211 with the likes of Sandra Gal, last year’s champion Cristie Kerr, Team VTech’s Amy Hung and more. Not a bad way to spend your birthday, right Betty? (Happy Birthday). Team VTech’s Becky Morgan finished tied for 65th, Karen Stupples tied for 49th (with Lorena Ochoa), and Alena Sharp tied for 45th. Anna Nordqvist finished at 7th with 10-under par. Michelle Wie, Ai Miyazato, and Seon Hwa Lee finished tied for 4th at 11 under par and Christina Kim, Angela Stanford and Paige MacKenzie finished tied for 8th at 9 under par. 

Next week our girls are off to Canada for the CN Canadian Women’s Open where Canadian favorite and Team VTech member Alena Sharp will go up against Katherine Hull and the rest of the field for a chance at the $2.75 million purse.

Though the weather said “sunny”, the skies opened up once more today on Ghost Creek to give attendees and players a little added bonus and rain play made things more interesting today for some.

After the end of the second round, the field has been cut today for the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in North Plains, Oregon. 70 of the world’s best players will advance to tomorrow’s final round of play and compete for $1.7 million purse.

The leader board finds fresh blood as Anna Nordqvist takes over the lead from yesterday’s leader, Beth Bader by 3 strokes. Anna currently leads with a score of 10-under-par 134. Right behind her is recent British Open Ai Miyazato at 9-under-par 135. The Japanese were out in full force cheering on there country’s top female golfer. It’s true what they say, “Wherever Ai goes, businesses benefit from the media frenzy who follow her every move.” South Korean Seon Hwa Lee is tied with Ai for 2nd. And never too far behind from the lead is Suzann Pettersen at 8-under-par 136. 18 year veteran Michelle Redman is tied with Pettersen. Both are just two strokes from striking distance. 

Yesterday’s leader Beth Bader is still in the running at 7-under-par, picking up a bogey today. 

Cristie Kerr is five strokes back from the top of the leaderboard. After hitting a few trees on hole 15 and then overshooting past the on-looking crowd on 16, it didn’t look like the defending champion would be making much progress up in the ranks. 

Team VTech has four players in the finals tomorrow. Karen Stupples, Becky Morgan, Amy Hung and Alena Sharp. They ended on a positive note, all carding under par to perform tomorrow.

*World Golf Halls of Famer Se Ri Pak withdrew prior to the start of the second round today. (Maybe she knew about the rain..?)

Solheim Cup Teams 2009

Like the Jets vs the Sharks, the Yankees vs the Mets, or even mustard vs ketchup, Teams USA vs Europe is a rivalry that has lasted through the ages, or a few years at least. And this weekend, with another Solheim Cup come and gone, it was Team USA that came out winner for the third time in a row with a 16-12 decision over Europe. (They also won the singles 8-4). With 120,000  in attendance this week at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, both teams put their best putts forward for some exciting golf.

Solheim Cup Rookie, Michelle Wie, whose 3-0-1 record was the best of any American this week, took a 1 up victory over 2007 European Captain Helen Alfredsson after halving the 18th hole with birdies. She was undefeated this week as well as her teammates, Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang and earned 3.5 points.

But it was Morgan Pressel’s 3 up victory over Anna Norqvist that  helped clinch the Cup for the U.S. Team, keeping the Americans’ undefeated record at home, intact.

It seemed talent might have been the deciding factor in the Americans victory this weekend. While their roster boasted some of the top players in the world, four of Europe’s players were ranked 125th or lower. And though European captain Alison Nicolas said she did what she could for her team to win, you can’t help wonder what would have happened if she didn’t overlook recent Wales Open and former British Open champion Karen Stupples for a spot on the team. C’est la vie Alison, there’s always next year.