South Korean Jiyai Shin, already Rookie of the Year, could end Mexican Lorena Ochoa's hold on LPGA Player of the Year with a victory in Ochoa's own tournament this week. Ochoa, who has been the women's tour's Player of the Year for three straight seasons, trails the 21-year-old Shin by four points in the race for the award going into the limited-field Lorena Ochoa Invitational that starts here on Thursday at Guadalajara Country Club. "It has been a year with a little bit more ups and downs... Read Full Story
South Korea's Bo Bae Song won the Mizuno Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a three-stroke victory over top-ranked Lorena Ochoa, Brittany Lang and Hee Young Park. "Honestly I couldn't sleep last night because I was so nervous," said Song, the Japan Women's Open winner last month at Abiko. "I went to bed at 11 last night, but woke up around 3. Usually that doesn't happen." The 23-year-old Song finished at 15-under 201 at Kintetsu Kashikojima and... Read Full Story
World number one Lorena Ochoa enters the LPGA Championship after taking off nearly a month but the Mexican star is confident she can claim a third title in nine starts this year. Ochoa was the only player in the top-50 money winners who skipped last week's event. Since last playing in mid-May she took a brief break, pushed tourism for her homeland and worked with coach Rafael Alarcon. "It was actually a busy three weeks, but it was the right time to be at home, get good practice and be here... Read Full Story
BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - U.S. Women's Open leader Choi Na-yeon, continuing a well-established trend of young players making their mark at majors, exuded confidence on Thursday in her quest to make her first LPGA Tour win a major. Choi shot a three-under-par 68 at the challenging Saucon Valley Old Course to lead world number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico and 2007 champion Cristie Kerr by one stroke. The 21-year-old Choi has made a great start to her LPGA career -- posting nine top-10... Read Full Story
HAVRE DE GRACE, Maryland (Reuters) - Swedish rookie Anna Nordqvist rolled in a 36-foot birdie putt on her last hole to grab a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock on Friday. The tall Swede began the sunny day one shot behind overnight leader Nicole Castrale, but leapfrogged the American by posting two-under-par 70 for an eight-under 136 total. Castrale climbed back from a stumbling start for even-par 72. Starting from the 10th, she double-bogeyed the par... Read Full Story
Updated: March 22, 2009, 20:56
HUIXQUILUCAN, Mexico(AP) The extra practice finally paid off for Pat Hurst. Hurst shot a 4-under 68 Sunday to beat top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and Yani Tseng by one stroke at the Mastercard Classic. Hurst sank a long putt on the 18th green at the tough BosqueReal Country Club to finish at 10-under 206. Top-ranked Ochoa (69) had three bogeys and six birdies, and Tseng (70) had three bogeys and five birdies. She credited her win to the... Read Full Story
The extra practice finally paid off for Pat Hurst. Hurst shot a 4-under 68 Sunday to beat top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and Yani Tseng by one stroke at the Mastercard Classic. Hurst sank a long putt on the 18th green at the tough BosqueReal Country Club to finish at 10-under 206. Top-ranked Ochoa (69) had three bogeys and six birdies, and Tseng (70) had three bogeys and five birdies. She credited her win to the extra work. "I've been working really hard on my putting, and it really paid off," she... Read Full Story
In her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, playing in only her third major championship, 19-year-old Yani Tseng felt lucky to become the youngest winner of the LPGA Championship on Sunday. After the day she had at Bulle Rock, that was hardly the case. First, she went 18 holes with Lorena Ochoa and closed with a 4-under 68 in searing heat, denying the No. 1 player in women’s golf a chance to win a third straight major. Then came a sudden-death playoff with Maria Hjorth that lasted four holes. Tseng... Read Full Story
Taiwan's Tseng Yani, who was last year's runner-up, fired a three-under 69 to surge into a tie for the lead after the second round of the LPGA MasterCard Classic. "Actually I feel pretty good today. But I had a bogey to start," Tseng said. "I am very disappointed because I had a bet with Lorena for bogey-free and I'm like, 'Oh my God, I made a bogey on the first hole.' "I had seven birdies today and I had one four-putt, and that's really bad." Tseng is tied at seven-under 137 with South... Read Full Story
With her victory in the Samsung World Championship last weekend, Paula Creamer jumped from 5 th place to 3rd in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings . World #1 Lorena Ochoa has a commanding lead, to say the least, with 18.84 points. Annika Sorenstam still holds the #2 spot with 10.10 points. Creamer just edged out Yani Tseng with 8.83 points to Tseng's 8.82. Suzann Pettersen holds Creamer's old #5 place with 8.53. Cristie Kerr is in 6 th with 6.48 and Ji - Yai Shin follows in 7 th at 6.18... Read Full Story
