Rain shortened the LPGA Tour Championship to three rounds. In the final round, Anna Nordqvist shot a seven-under sixty five to claim the win and two hundred twenty five thousand dollars ($225,000):

“… Nordqvist, meanwhile, earned her second career victory and made it through the season without missing a cut in 15 starts. She also won the LPGA Championship this year.

Shin and Nordqvist played in the day’s final group, right behind Ochoa. The Houstonian Golf and Country Club was still soggy after more than an inch of weekend rain and players were allowed to lift, clean and place their balls.”

link: Nordqvist wins LPGA Tour Championship

And congratulations to Lorena Ochoa for winning the Player of the Year award.

Catherine Forsythe

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

It is wet in Richmond, Texas. Rain and a wet golf courses has forced the LPGA Tour Championship to switch to a fifty four hole event:

“… The tournament now is scheduled for a Monday finish, and the tour’s season-ending event has been shortened to 54 holes.

“Rather than forcing people’s hands and probably forcing them to stay on Tuesday to finish, we felt it was in the best interest of this event and for our players and everyone concerned to now shorten this event to 54 holes,” Doug Brecht, the LPGA’s vice president of rules and competition, said.”

link to the article by Jerome Solomon for the Houston Chronicle

An indicator of the challenges ahead of the LPGA is the 2010 schedule. There are only twenty four tournaments and only thirteen if those events will be in the United States:

“Faced with the problem during the last year of having sponsors drop tournaments because of a slumping economy, the LPGA bravely came forth yesterday and announced a 2010 schedule of 24 events, its smallest slate in nearly 40 years.”

link to the article by Joe Juliano

additional link:  Incredible shrinking LPGA schedule about money, mismanagement

additional link:  LPGA Tour announces 24-event season teeing off in Asia

additional link:  Region, Wegmans likely to benefit from LPGA event

Michelle Wie won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. It was her first LPGA victory. It is obviously meaningful for a first year player on the LPGA tour. Although Michelle Wie has been part of professional golf for years, this is her first official year on the tour. And people forget that she is only twenty years old.

The victory is meaningful beyond personal achievement. The LPGA is looking for and needing stars:

“… The LPGA is having trouble signing domestic sponsors, yet Wie is internationally known, a marketable commodity. Americans had gone six months without winning an LPGA event, and Wie attracts fans like Phil Mickelson. If she can win a couple of times every year and pick off a few majors — Wie had finished third or better in all four Grand Slam events by the time she was 16 — her win in Mexico might be the best thing that’s happened to golf since Eldrick T. Woods mumbled hello, world. With Pressel and budding rival Paula Creamer all in their early 20s, the LPGA might be salvageable after all.”

link: Wie arrives in nick of time for women’s golf — and herself

additional link: Wie’s first LPGA win a coming-of-age moment?

There are two other important factors that may have resulted from Michelle Wie participating in Solheim Cup competition. She seems to be enjoying golf and many of her fellow competitors on the LPGA tour are cheering for her. She is well liked and has peer support. And that has been a long time coming.

Catherine Forsythe

[Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]

It has been a win that has been anticipated for years. Michelle Wie has won her first LPGA event:

“American Michelle Wie claimed victory at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico, winning the first LPGA event of her career in the process.

The 20-year-old, who shot to fame at an early age, fired a final round three under 69 to win by two shots from Paula Creamer in Guadalajara.”

link: Wie claims first LPGA tour title

Michelle Wie ended the fourth round in fine fashion. She had a birdie on the par five eighteenth hole. She finished the final round at three under and her first LPGA win.

Catherine Forsythe

[MEXSPORT/REFUGIO RUIZ Photo via Newscom]

additional links:  Wie enters LPGA promised land

additional link:  Wie’s win huge for LPGA

additional link:  Wie wins first LPGA event at Ochoa Invitational

Michelle Wie has not won on the LPGA tour. Many people have been waiting for her first ‘break-through’ win.  She is in contention in a LPGA tour event in Guadalajara, Mexico:

“Michelle Wie had a good chance to win her first U.S. LPGA Tour title by heading to the final round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational with a share of the lead on Saturday.

The co-leader with Wie, who was in with a 2-under 70, was 12-time winner Cristie Kerr, who shot 67 for 10-under 206 at Guadalajara Country Club.”

link to the article by Stephen Wade in USA Today

additional link:  Wie tied for lead at Ochoa Invitational

[MEXSPORT/REFUGIO RUIZ Photo via Newscom]

As the captain of the U.S. amateurs, Paula Creamer could only watch. Her team, however, performed well and won the Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship:

“It wasn’t exactly the walk in the park most folks expected, but in the end, the United States still was able to hoist the American flag in triumph.

“It was a little close at the end, but the team got it done” said United States team captain Paula Creamer. “The flag, the anthem mean so much. I always cry. To represent your country, there is nothing better.”

link to the article by Todd Hveem for the Houston Chronicle

It’s for men only. Women can’t join. Women are not allowed membership at the famous Portmarnock Golf Club, just outside of Dublin. That restriction is legal and sanctioned by the Irish Supreme Court:

“… Three Irish Supreme Court judges, one a woman, noted that under current laws clubs can restrict membership to one if the “principal purpose is to cater only for the needs of persons of a particular gender.” For Portmarnock, the purpose was “social fraternization.” Call it naïve, but one would have thought the civilized world was slowly but surely putting this kind of injustice behind it.”

link to the article by Randy Phillips for The Gazette

additional link:  Portmarnock Golf Club strikes a blow for men’s rights

additional link:  Being female still handicap as judgment puts men first

[Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images]

The 2009 LPGA season has been a success for Shin Ji-yai of South Korea. In her first year, she has won three times on the LPGA tour and has had excepytional finishes for a first year player. Shin Ji-yai has been named the 2009 LPGA Rookie of the Year but there may be other honours for this season:

“… Shin, 21, also leads the race for the Player of the Year award with just three events remaining and could become the first player to complete the rare double since Nancy Lopez in 1978.

“In the beginning of this year, my goal was to win the Rookie of the Year and now I did that,” Shin said in a statement released by the LPGA. “I’m very happy…”

link to the Reuters article: Korean Shin Ji-yai seals LPGA rookie of the year honours

[Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]

The 2009 Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship is a glimpse at international future golf stars. The team from the United States comprises of Jordan Spieth, Ben Martin, Jennifer Johnson and Alexis Thompson.

The Captain of this team was an amateur playing in 2003. It does not seem that long ago when Paula Creamer was tuning her game as an amateur:

“… Creamer was a 17-year-old amateur playing in The 2003 Spirit. The #1 ranked U.S. junior girl, Creamer led the U.S. Team to victory and won individual honors, taking home three Spirit gold medals. “In 2003 my professional career was just on the horizon. I see that same potential in the U.S. players I selected,” says Creamer.”

link:  Paula Creamer, USA Captain, makes selections

additional link: 2009 Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship

additional link: Johnson selected to represent USA in Spirit International

The American team has a stellar leader in Paula Creamer. She has a wealth of experience in international play. Her competitiveness is beyond question. And this is good experience for her, as undoubtedly Paula Creamer will be leading many more teams in the future.

Catherine Forsythe

[Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]