Minjee Lee Wins U.S. Women’s Open

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https://www.lpga.com/news/2022/awesome-aussie-lee-wins-us-womens-open-record-1-8m

Minjee Lee, of Australia, won the U.S. Women’s Open by 4 shots over Mina Harigae at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. Lee shot a final round even par 71 to finish at 13-under for the tournament.

Lee also takes home $1.8 million, the biggest payout in LPGA history. Harigae won $1 million for finishing runnerup. For comparison, the next event, the ShopRite LPGA Classic, has a total purse of $1,750,000.

As for the LPGA Golf Pool, Tim Powell was tops for the week with 42 points.

Points for U.S. Women's Open

PlacePlayerPoints
1Minjee Lee15
2Mina Harigae10
3Hye-Jin Choi9
4Jin Young Ko8
5Lydia Ko7
6Anna Nordqvist6
6Bronte Law6
8Nelly Korda4
8Megan Khang4
8Leona Maguire4

Here are the top shots from the final round from the USGA’s Youtube page:

And here are the extended highlights of the final round”

Eun-Hee Ji Wins LPGA Match Play

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Eun-Hee Ji defeated Ayaka Furue 3&2 in the finals to win the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play Presented by MGM Rewards at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas.

Ji defeated Andrea Lee 4&3 in the semi finals, and Madelene Sagstrom 7&6 (!) in the quarter finals. In the round-robin portion, she defeated Pajaree Anannarukarn 4&3 Danielle Kang 2&1, and tied Kelly Tan.

In the consolation match, Lilia Vu won over Andrea Lee 3&2.

 

In the LPGA Golf Pool, Louise Dalby was the top-earner this week with 27 points.

Points for Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play

PlacePlayerPoints
1Eun-Hee Ji15
2Ayaka Furue10
3Lilia Vu9
3Andrea Lee*9
5Madelene Sagstrom7
5Jenny Shin7
5Jodi Ewart Shadoff7
5Gemma Dryburgh*7
9Emma Talley3
9Hye-Jin Choi3
9Moriya Jutanugarn3
9Caroline Masson3
9Annie Park3
9Allisen Corpuz*3
9Paula Reto3
9Tiffany Chan*3

* indicates not part of LPGA Golf Pool

And here are the highlights from the LPGA Youtube page:

Finals match:

Consolation match:

Minjee Lee Wins Founders Cup

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Minjee Lee won the Cognizant Founders Cup by 2-shots over Lexi Thompson, finishing at 19-under after a final round of two-under par 70. This is the seventh LPGA tour win for Lee, and her first of the 2022 season despite leading the tour in scoring for the season.

With a one-shot lead on the final hole, Lee stuck her approach to near tap-in range to seal the tournament.

The Founders Cup is all about celebrating the 13-founding members of the LPGA Tour.

For the LPGA Golf Pool, Tim Powell is the top point-earner for the week with 38 points.

Points for Cognizant Founders Cup

PlacePlayerPoints
1Minjee Lee15
2Lexi Thompson10
3Angel Yin9
3Madelene Sagstrom9
5Carlota Ciganda7
6Nasa Hataoka6
6Megan Khang6
8Atthaya Thitikul4
8Hye-Jin Choi4
10Jenny Shin2

Here are highlights from Minjee Lee’s final round from the LPGA Youtube page:

Marina Alex Comes From Behind and Wins Palos Verdes Championship

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https://www.tsn.ca/marina-alex-wins-lpga-tour-s-palos-verdes-championship-1.1793868

Marina Alex started the day 3-shots off the lead, but made six birdies to shoot a 5-under 66 and win the Palos Verdes Championship by a shot over Jin Young Ko (who also shot a final-round 66). Alex finished at 10-under.

Alex finished a few groups ahead of the final group of Lydia Ko and Hannah Green, who finished tied for third and fifth respectively, and the broadcast cut to her waiting outside of the clubhouse for final groups to finish up. During one of their cuts to Alex, they caught her telling someone “I had to go to the bathroom the last two holes”.

As for the LPGA Golf Pool, Judy Wzola was the top-earner for the week with 42 points.

Points for Palos Verdes Championship

PlacePlayerPoints
1Marina Alex15
2Jin Young Ko10
3Megan Khang9
3Lydia Ko9
5Ryann O'Toole7
5Andrea Lee*7
5Annie Park7
5Hannah Green7
9Ashleigh Buhai3
9Madelen Sagstrom3
9Jasmin Suwannapura3
9Albane Valenzuela3

* indicates not part of LPGA Golf Pool

Here is Alex talking to the media following the tournament:

 

During the final round, Lydia Ko required some physical therapy treatment a couple of times to stretch out some issue she was having. After the round, Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz asked Lydia why she needed the treatment and the answer left him speechless.

Here are some final round highlights:

Nasa Hataoka Wins LA Open

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https://www.tsn.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1790370.1650851746!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/nasa-hataoka.jpg

Nasa Hataoka won the DIO Implant LA Open in a runaway, winning by 5-shots over Hannah Green. It seemed like Hataoka hit the dead center of every fairway and the win is her sixth on the LPGA Tour. During the telecast the announcers said she was working on turning her body more in her swing, and that swing thought was definitely working.

She also made a lot of putts, and this eagle putt on the 15th pretty much finished the tournament on the 15th:

 

In the LPGA Golf Pool, Steve Schankula and Derek Lindeman each scored 38 points, to be the top point-earners for the week.

Points for DIO Implant LA Open

PlacePlayerPoints
1Nasa Hataoka15
2Hannah Green10
3Madelene Sagstrom9
3Minjee Lee9
3Inbee Park9
6Hye-Jin Choi6
6Sei Young Kim6
6Chella Choi6
6Haeji Kang6
10Marina Alex2
10Yealimi Noh2
10Yu Liu2
10Lilia Vu2

Here is an example of a player reacting like they think the putt is not going in. Inbee Park no doubt thinks the putt is missing to the right… :

Celine Boutier also tried to hit a super flop shot from the rough, only to have her club go under the ball. I am looking for video of it and will post if I ever find it.

Here are the final round highlights from LPGA.com:

Hyo Joo Kim Wins LOTTE Championship

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Hyo Joo Kim won the LOTTE Championship by two-shots over Hinako Shibuno.  This was Kim’s fifth LPGA Tour win. Kim bogeyed the 17th, allowing Shibuno to get within one-shot of the lead, but then birdied the final hole to seal the win.

The LOTTE Championship has its own victory celebration tradition:

In the LPGA Pool, Tim Powell and Rick Pero were the top point-earners for the week, with 30 points.

Points for LOTTE Championship

PlacePlayerPoints
1Hyo Joo Kim15
2Hinako Shibuno*10
3Hye-Jin Choi9
4Ashleigh Buhai8
5Somi Lee*7
6Atthaya Thitikul6
6Gerina Mendoza6
6Ryann O'Toole6
6Na Rin An6
10Brittany Altomare2
10Celine Boutier2

* denotes not part of the LPGA Golf Pool

It seemed like there was always a steady wind, and during the coverage, the broadcast crew discussed Shibuno’s approach to playing in the wind:

Here are highlights of the final round:

 

Jennifer Kupcho Wins Chevron Championship

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https://twitter.com/LPGA/status/1510793529328488449

Jennifer Kupcho got her first LPGA Tour win and first major, capturing the Chevron Championship by 2-shots over Jessica Korda. Kupcho finished at 14-under after a final-round +2 (74), but started the final round with a 6-shot lead and no one got closer than two shots.

When her lead was cut to two after a couple of shaky holes, that’s when Kupcho responded with this:

This was the last time the Chevron Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore Classic, the Nabisco Championship, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and ANA Inspiration) will be held at the Mission Hills Club in Rancho Mirage California, and the last time the winner will get take a celebration leap into Poppie’s Pond, in my opinion the best victory celebration in sports.

The top point earner for the LPGA Golf Pool is Andrew Corner (again), with 35 points.

Points for Chevron Championship

PlacePlayerPoints
1Jennifer Kupcho15
2Jessica Korda10
3Pia Babnik9
4Hinako Shubuno*8
4Celine Boutier8
4Lexi Thompson8
4Patty Tavatanakit8
8Alison Lee4
8Hannah Green4
8Nanna Koerstz Madsen4
8Hyo Joo Kim4

* indicates not in the pool

The shot of the day belonged to Chella Choi, making an ace and winning a BMW.

Here are highlights from LPGA’s Youtube page:

2022 Drive Chip & Putt

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https://twitter.com/DriveChipPutt/status/1510398206814916614

The Sunday prior to the Masters Tournament is national finals of the Drive, Chip & Put competition, and in its short history it has become a must-watch tradition for golf fans. The 80 competitors range in age from 7 to 15, and all qualified by winning sub-regional and regional competitions.

Each competitor hits two drives (with the best one counting towards their ranking), two chips (with the cumulative distance from the hole counting towards their ranking), and two putts (on the 18th green of Augusta National Golf Club with the cumulative distance from the hole counting towards their ranking).  Each competitor is awarded points based on their rank in each discipline, 10 points for first, down to 1 point for 10th, and the one with the most points over the 3 events is the winner.

Division WinnerPoints (D-C-P)
Boys 7-9Hudson Knapp22 (7-6-9)
Girls 7-9Autumn Solesbee26 (7-10-9)
Boys 10-11Bentley Coon24.5 (10-9-5.5)
Girls 10-11Kylie Chung18 (5-3-10)
Boys 12-13Michael Jorski21 (3-8-10)*
Girls 12-13Jenna Kim26 (9-9-8)
Boys 14-15Jaden Dumdumaya29 (10-9-10)
Girls 14-15Mia Hammond28 (9-9-10)

* indicates playoff

Here is Jaden Dumdumaya clinching the win for the 14-15 year old boys:

There are lots of great stories among the competitors, girls 7-9 year old winner Autumn Solesbee being one of the best

Michael Jorski came from way back, with some great putts, to win the boys 12-13 in a playoff.

And girls 10-11 winner Kylie Chung, when asked how it feels to win “I feel like I’m (long pause) amazing!”

Ohio’s Emerson Roychoudhury had a great segment on her which featured her connection to a golfing legend.

 

Ella Walsh and Mia Hammond both made both of their putts in the girls 14-15 division. Hammond won a putt-off.

And here are the champions