June 2010: Golf Digest Woman: Golf Digest

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Results for June 2010 Back to Golf Digest Woman Index

Video: Annika takes aim from on high

Monday, June 28, 2010

Rooftop gatherings are a Manhattan ritual, but today's crowd (and venue) was anything but commonplace.

LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, PGA Tour Professional Briny Baird and U.S. Veteran Don Vickery--the first and only double amputee Class A member of the PGA of America--hit 30 golf shots atop the 40-story Waterside Plaza to a 110-foot target floating on the East River. The reason? With every precise shot, P.F. Chang's China Bistro donated money to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

"At first I couldn't follow-through," said Sorenstam, who needed to take a few slow, easy swings just to feel comfortable hitting shots from 375 feet above ground.

Since Sorenstam was the first to strike the 30-foot bulls-eye, floating more than 150 yards away, she awarded the entire country free lettuce wraps with the purchase of an entree at P.F. Chang's . Vickery also claimed a bulls-eye, and Baird, with two bulls-eyes, proved most precise.

In all, the golfers helped raise $100,000 for the Fallen Heroes Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families. Check out the video below to see exactly how it happened.

-- Ashley Mayo

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"Oakmont is going to be tough"

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The next major stop for the LPGA Tour is the U.S. Women's Open at Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club in two weeks, and many of the players are already preparing for a grueling test. "My caddie heard the greens there are like potato chips," said Ai Miyazato on Sunday.

Uber-coach David Leadbetter was in the gallery at Locust Hill watching over his pupils Michelle Wie and Suzann Pettersen this week, and he recounted Pettersen's review after she played a practice round at Oakmont earlier this month. "She said it's going to be really tough," he told me. "She thinks there will be plenty of players who won't break 100."

--Stina Sternberg

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Kerr puts on a show, breaks several records

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- In the end, it wasn't enough for Cristie Kerr to just protect her final-round lead in the 56th LPGA Championship. She wanted to make a statement, so she fired off a bogey-free 66 on Sunday for a four-day total of 19-under 269. As her last birdie putt fell on 18, she finally allowed herself to let out her emotions: tears and laughter were mixed with a champagne bath courtesy of Natalie Gulbis and hugs and cheers all around.

(Photo by Scott Halleran, Getty Images)

In her final round, Kerr drove the ball better and putted better than in any of her previous rounds: she hit 11 out of 14 fairways and only needed 26 putts. With this landslide victory, Kerr set a new record for lowest score in LPGA Championship history in relation to par (besting Betsy King's 17-under at Bethesda CC in 1992), a new record for largest winning margin in LPGA Championship history (her 12-shot advantage was one better than King's in '92) and she is projected to become the first American to take the top spot in the Rolex World Rankings since its inception in 2006.

When asked how she feels, Kerr said "Amazing, I couldn't feel better. I mean, to play here well on a golf course this tough and to win by that many hots in a major championship -- it's just unreal."

Song-Hee Kim finished second with a 7-under 281 and Ai Miyazato and Jiyai Shin tied for third with 5-under 283s.

--Stina Sternberg

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What I wouldn't give for a cheeseburger...

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Locust Hill CC has proved a very worthy stand-in venue for the LPGA Championship, and Wegmans is one of the tour's most popular sponsors. But at 5 p.m. each day this week, the assembled press has taken a silent moment to reminisce about a popular tradition held by the previous sponsor, McDonald's. That's the time of day when big trays of quarter-pounders with cheese would be brought into the press room. Wegmans' doughnuts are nice, but not the same...

--Stina Sternberg

Kerr extends lead to 11; Ai stumbles

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Cristie Kerr is walking down the fairway in a near-sprint, ready to get this round over and done with. She is playing safe but flawless golf and has recorded four birdies on the day while her nearest opponents seem to be backing up. At 17-under, her lead is now 11. If she gets to a 12-shot advantage by the end of the round, she breaks the record for largest victory margin in LPGA Championship history, which was set by Betsy King in 1992.

(Photo by Scott Halleran, Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Ai Miyazato bogeyed the 18th to fall back to five under, one behind Song-Hee Kim who's in second place with four holes to play. Unless Kim bogeys at least twice on her way home (and unless Jiyai Shin, who's tied with Miyazato at -5, bogeys at least once), Miyazato will lose her top spot in the Rolex World Ranking to Kerr. Still, Miyazato was in great spirits after her round. "I'm happy," she said. "I played really well today. I did my job." When asked what she thinks about Kerr's performance so far, she said, "Seventeen under is almost too good. My caddie and I thought five- to eight-under would win this week. She is just amazing."

--Stina Sternberg

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Another one drops for Ai

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- It's another birdie for Ai Miyazato on the par-4 16th, this time courtesy of a holed six-footer. She's now in a tie for second at -6. She's made seven birdies in 12 holes. This is very cool.

Meanwhile, Cristie Kerr is playing exactly the way a leader with an eight-shot 54-hole cushion should: aiming for the center of the fairways and the middle of the greens, not taking any risks. Still, she's managed birdies on holes 7 and 8 thanks to her stellar short game; at 15-under, her lead is now nine shots with 10 holes to play. There's no doubt she'll win her second major today, the only question is whether she'll end up the first American at the top of the Rolex World Ranking since its inception in 2006. Ai Miyazato may just ruin that part of the party.

--Stina Sternberg

Ai Miyazato won't give up without a fight

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Let's all hand it to Ai Miyazato: she knows it's the longest of long shots, but she's doing her darndest to hang on to the No. 1 spot in the Rolex World Rankings. Going into the final round in a tie for 24th place, 14 strokes behind leader Cristie Kerr and six strokes behind the three players in second place, Miyazato knew that if Kerr won, the only way she'd hold on to her rankings crown was to finish alone in second. Fifteen holes into her final round, Miyazato has climbed 20 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for third at -5 after rolling in six birdies and remaining bogey free.

It may be too little, too late, but Ai Miyazato's game has finally arrived at the LPGA Championship. (Photo by Hunter Martin, Getty Images)

There is now only one player and two strokes between Miyazato and that coveted solo second place (Song Hee Kim is currently at -6). Could Miyazato pull this off? If so, it would have to be considered one of the greatest comebacks in LPGA Tour history.

--Stina Sternberg

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Zanybandz invade the LPGA Tour

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Aaaargh! Those colorful silicone wristbands that have taken over preschools, Kindergartens and elementary schools across America have found their way onto the LPGA Tour. Never heard of Zanybandz? They're the Beanie Babies of 2010, only easier to find and a lot cheaper to buy. They're glow-in-the-dark "bracelets" that come in an array of colors and shapes, from animals to sports paraphernalia (though no golf-club shaped ones yet).

Paula Creamer keeps Zanybandz on her injury-free arm. (Photo by Hunter Martin, Getty Images)

Kids of all ages collect them, trade them and wear them all the way up to their armpits. And now they're adorning the wrists of LPGA players such as Paula Creamer and Jimin Kang.

--Stina Sternberg

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The leaders are off

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- "There is one reason why I'm so far ahead at this point: the attitude I'm bringing and the focus that I have. But I've got one more round of golf to play." Those were Cristie Kerr's words after extending her lead in the LPGA Championship to eight strokes in the third round yesterday. At 12:40 this afternoon, her last round got underway.

Kerr had a determined look on her face on the first tee. While her fellow-competitors have struggled with the heavy rough and small greens of the extended Locust Hill CC course this week, she has sailed through and built the biggest 54-hole cushion in LPGA Championship history. But she isn't accepting any victories until the last putt falls this afternoon. And there are other records within Kerr's reach today: the largest victory margin in LPGA major championship history is 14 strokes, set by Louise Suggs at the 1949 U.S. Open. The biggest victory margin at the LPGA Championship came courtesy of Betsy King in 1992: 11 strokes, well within striking distance for Kerr.

"It's very important [to me to get my name in the record books]," Kerr said Saturday. "One of the ways that we are going to get more American girls playing golf and out on tour is to have an American winning. I'm fine with carrying that burden. It doesn't bother me. That's how I got involved with the game. I was watching Patty Sheehan, Juli Inkster, Nancy Lopez, Beth Daniel, all of the greats winning tournaments, and that's what inspired me to get into golf. If there wasn't TV, and I didn't watch them on TV, I would never be sitting here."

You heard the woman. If you want your daughter to see an American winning a major, plop her in front of the TV and tune it to Golf Channel around 4 o'clock ET this afternoon.

--Stina Sternberg

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Who is Azahara Munoz?

Sunday, June 27, 2010

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- There's no pretending this tournament isn't over; barring a natural disaster or injury, Cristie Kerr is our champion. But that doesn't mean there aren't some interesting side stories emerging at the LPGA Championship. Rookie Spaniard Azahara Munoz, who sits in a tie for second place at -5 going into the final round, is quickly emerging as a fan and media favorite, and she'd have to play really poorly today to not steal the top spot in the Rolex Rookie of the Year ranking from Amanda Blumenherst.

Showing more poise than most veterans, Azahara Munoz has yet to miss a cut in her rookie season. (Photo by Scott Halleran, Getty Images)

The 22-year-old Munoz hails from Malaga, Spain. She grew up in a family of non-golfers, but when she was seven years old, a public driving range was built in her hometown and she started going there just for fun. "I liked it, so I kept on playing," she said in her post-round interview Saturday. Her amateur record is impressive: she won the 2004 Girls' British Open Championship and the 2009 Ladies' British Amateur, and finished runner-up in the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur. Last summer, she graduated from Arizona State where she'd racked up a slew of college awards, including 2008 NCAA Individual Champion. She earned her full LPGA Tour card by finishing fifth at the 2009 Q School.

When asked yesterday what her goals are for her rookie season as a pro, she shrugged her shoulders and said "I don't really set goals for myself. I'm playing really well and hopefully I keep it going and that's all I'm thinking about." We pushed for more, and she admitted that she'd love to be Rookie of the Year, but that it's not all that important to her. "It's not something that obsesses me, you know? As I said before, every day I go out there, I just want to play my best and if she plays better than me then congratulations to her." This brought puzzled looks on the faces of the assembled media, so Azahara offered an explanation: "Maybe because I'm from Spain, and we are pretty laid back, just have a good time and that's good enough. I was brought up that way. When I talk to my parents they only care if I'm upset. As long as I am happy, they are happy. That's the way I was brought up."

So far, the laid-back approach seems to be working.

--Stina Sternberg

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