Just finished the Dinah Shore Kraft Nabisco Lydia Invitational on tape delay, and those inappropriate feelings are running amok. But really, who could blame me...
The Wee Ice Ma'am - The Wee Ice Mon is one of the monikers the Scots gave Ben Hogan during his one trip across the pond in 1953, and I think it readily adheres to the Wee Kiwi... Here's the game account:
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) Lydia Ko took advantage of Ariya Jutanugarn's latecollapse to win the ANA Inspiration on Sunday for her second straight major victory and second LPGA Tour win a row.
The top-ranked Ko hit an 88-yard wedge shot to a foot on the par-5 18th to set up her winning birdie - and an unlikely victory leap into Poppie's Pond. She closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 12 under.''This is an unbelievable moment,'' Ko said before jumping into the pond.
There's nothing particularly wrong with that account, though it ignores how Lydia kept herself in it with a series of clutch par putts. Tiger famously won with his "C-game", well Lydia's game yesterday was no better than a B-. She didn't hit anything close all day, and left herself with some really nasty up-and-downs, all of which she converted.
She’s still only 18, but Ko’s already leaving us wondering if there’s anything she won’t be able to do in the women’s game before she’s finished.
With her clutch wedge to a foot for a closing birdie that proved to be the decisive stroke, Ko claimed her second consecutive major championship. Six months after winning the Evian Championship and becoming the youngest major championship winner in the history of women’s golf, she’s now the youngest to win two of them.
At 18 years, 11 months and 10 days old, Ko is an old soul in golf. She has already won 17 professional events around the world, 12 of them LPGA titles. That’s three worldwide this year, with back-to-back titles now on the LPGA tour.
This one comes without an asterisk, however....Not only is the Evian the fifth of four, but it's contested on an extremely short track. The Dinah is a big-girl course, and this means that Lydia has now grown into a woman that can compete anywhere.
Now the only thing requiring additional work? That would be this:
Uh Lydia, only little girls cover their mouths.... But love Jason Hamilton's form. And I suspect that Lydia will have future opportunities to hone this specific skill.
But a word for the unfortunate Ariya Jutanugarn, who seemed impervious to nerves...at least until not. Not only is she a very good player that has overcome injuries, but I loved her body language and attitude as it spun out of control. There was the head on her caddie's shoulder after the bogey on No. 17, but I particularly liked her consoling her caddie after the duck-hook into the water on the finisher sealed the deal. It's just a brutal game we play, but she'll do well I'm sure.
The Hermanator - I didn't watch a single minute of it, and didn't even check leaderboards, because it's Houston. But this is really a nice story:
HUMBLE, Texas (AP) Jim Herman delivered a masterful performance at just the righttime Sunday in the Shell Houston Open.
Herman, winless in 105 previous starts on the PGA Tour, chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th and finished with two solid pars for a 4-under 68 and a one-shot victory that sends him to the Masters for the first time in his career.
Herman tapped in for par and thrust both fists in the air after his one-shot victory over Henrik Stenson.
''Sorry for the tears, but I'm pretty happy,'' Herman said in his TV interview. ''We really did a good job keeping our game plan. We wanted to give ourselves as many birdie chances as we could and keep it low stress. And geez, look what happened. Never thought it was possible.''
You just never know in this game, do you? And heads will be exploding as Donald Trump gets an assist:
Herman talked at length after his round about Trump cutting him a check and supporting his efforts to play the PGA Tour.
Growing The Game, For Real - Shack sings the praises of the Drive Chip & Putt, and, well, he was there...
Just like its world famous big brother, the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is both atelevision show and celebratory garden party. Except, given the demographic of the participants, more like the coolest backyard birthday party. Ever.
Like all things Augusta National, the genius of the “DCP” is in the little details you won’t see on television. And that’s just fine. Just as CBS does with the Masters, let Golf Channel send out the pretty pictures and tell the often amazing stories of the participants aged 7 to 15. Then save the little stuff for those lucky enough to get on the immaculate grounds. Because in a strange way, the experience for the kids, their families and those inspired by the skill on display has proven to be something that can truly only be appreciated in person.
It's an obvious rip-off of the old Punt, Pass & Kick, but who cares? The brilliance of it to me is captured in the photo above... The venue is of course perfect, but if they had picked a Sunday morning in February it may not have lasted until its third installment.... Fortunately they were clever enough to slot it in as the kick-off to the Masters, and the pros have embraced it.
I'm agnostic about the extent to which this will help grow the game.... Not negative, as this is exactly the kind of thing that the governing bodies should be doing. Eighty boys and girls just had the experience of a lifetime, and that can'r possibly be a bad thing...
From here on it'll be wall-to-wall, flood the zone Masters coverage.....
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