OT: LPGA's Stacey Lewis

[vtcwbuff]

Houston native Stacey Lewis won her first LPGA tournament in three years this weekend. She donated her entire winnings, just short of $200K, to the Houston relief fund. One of her sponsors matched her donation.

 

[Blakeon18]

Her husband is the golf coach at the University of Houston. Stacey hadn't won since 2014...despite a ton of top 10 finishes in that period.
Great job by her on and off the course.

 

[Biff]

Her husband is the golf coach at the University of Houston. Stacey hadn't won since 2014...despite a ton of top 10 finishes in that period.
Great job by her on and off the course.

And to demonstrate how consistent she has been despite not winning, in that stretch she won over $3M.

 

[Blakeon18]

The more tournaments that Americans win, the better for the success of the LPGA tour....the Asian invasion has made the tour deeper than ever but
it doesn't help in terms of ratings/money...you name it. Stacey and Lexi Thompson are the only 2 Americans [I think] in the world's top ten...Lexi around #3?
Michelle Wie has played better this year but hasn't won since 2014...she would give the tour its biggest jolt were she to get a couple of wins.
Given the hype she received as a teen....not her fault....she has underachieved bigtime. 4 wins....including one major...maybe she is 27 now...would be just fine
for a 'regular' player....not for The Big Wiesy. Should be entering her prime so there still is plenty of time.

 

[pinotbear]

The more tournaments that Americans win, the better for the success of the LPGA tour....the Asian invasion has made the tour deeper than ever but
it doesn't help in terms of ratings/money...you name it. Stacey and Lexi Thompson are the only 2 Americans [I think] in the world's top ten...Lexi around #3?
Michelle Wie has played better this year but hasn't won since 2014...she would give the tour its biggest jolt were she to get a couple of wins.
Given the hype she received as a teen....not her fault....she has underachieved bigtime. 4 wins....including one major...maybe she is 27 now...would be just fine
for a 'regular' player....not for The Big Wiesy. Should be entering her prime so there still is plenty of time.

With Wie, her health is a constant source of frustration. It's just her luck that, now that she's playing better than she has in 3 years, she has to deal with an emergency appendectomy - which cost her a likely top-20 finish, and knocks her off the tour for at least a few weeks. I agree, the best thing for the TV ratings would be a Wie resurgence.

 

[pinotbear]

Just as an aside, I think that most of "us", male golfers of less-than-excellence, ought to be watching the LPGA broadcasts occasionally. The PGA tour players hit drives 300 yds, pitching wedges 150, they play 600 yd par 5s and 485 yd par 4s. Overall, the courses they play are well over 7,000 yds, typically.
The LPGA players play clubs, holes, and courses much closer in length to what you or I might have to deal with, albeit at a much more proficient level. I enjoy watching them attack a 380-yd par 4, or a 6400 yd course. That's familiar to me, and I like seeing how they go about it.

 

[mauconnfan]

Just as an aside, I think that most of "us", male golfers of less-than-excellence, ought to be watching the LPGA broadcasts occasionally. The PGA tour players hit drives 300 yds, pitching wedges 150, they play 600 yd par 5s and 485 yd par 4s. Overall, the courses they play are well over 7,000 yds, typically.
The LPGA players play clubs, holes, and courses much closer in length to what you or I might have to deal with, albeit at a much more proficient level. I enjoy watching them attack a 380-yd par 4, or a 6400 yd course. That's familiar to me, and I like seeing how they go about it.

Agree but have more fun saying "did he really just hit an 8 iron 205"? I mean it's a different world for sure, but relative by the power alone. I'm amazed at how good the girls are when they have a hybrid or 3 wood in their hands from 210-240, just hardly ever fail to hit the ball straight and find a pice of the green. Then again as you said, the men play a 560 yard par5 like you and I would play a 330 yard par 4.

 

[Orangutan]

The more tournaments that Americans win, the better for the success of the LPGA tour....the Asian invasion has made the tour deeper than ever but
it doesn't help in terms of ratings/money...you name it. Stacey and Lexi Thompson are the only 2 Americans [I think] in the world's top ten...Lexi around #3?

Stacy is currently #16. Lexi is #3. The only other non-Asian besides Lexi in the top 10 is Brooke Henderson at #10. (For the sake of argument, I'm considering New Zealand to be Asia and Ko is Korean-born, anyway.)

 

[chrissaran]

Over 4 million.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Stacy is currently #16. Lexi is #3. The only other non-Asian besides Lexi in the top 10 is Brooke Henderson at #10. (For the sake of argument, I'm considering New Zealand to be Asia and Ko is Korean-born, anyway.)

I think most Kiwi's would take issue with that.

 

[Orangutan]

I think most Kiwi's would take issue with that.

I know, I know. New Zealand is part of what? Oceania? What does one even call someone from Oceania? An Oceanian, I guess.

So perhaps the proper statement is that Thompson and Henderson are the only non-Asian, non-Oceanian players in the top 10.

Anyway, as far as most ignorant Americans are concerned it's the same general area of the world, lol.

 

[cohenzone]

Agree but have more fun saying "did he really just hit an 8 iron 205"? I mean it's a different world for sure, but relative by the power alone. I'm amazed at how good the girls are when they have a hybrid or 3 wood in their hands from 210-240, just hardly ever fail to hit the ball straight and find a pice of the green. Then again as you said, the men play a 560 yard par5 like you and I would play a 330 yard par 4.

Based on how I played today, I should watch mini golf. Good drives, good putting and unrecognizable in between. Pros are, well, pros. I despise those $&#^%. Looks too easy.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Just as an aside, I think that most of "us", male golfers of less-than-excellence, ought to be watching the LPGA broadcasts occasionally. The PGA tour players hit drives 300 yds, pitching wedges 150, they play 600 yd par 5s and 485 yd par 4s. Overall, the courses they play are well over 7,000 yds, typically.
The LPGA players play clubs, holes, and courses much closer in length to what you or I might have to deal with, albeit at a much more proficient level. I enjoy watching them attack a 380-yd par 4, or a 6400 yd course. That's familiar to me, and I like seeing how they go about it.

This is a good point. I'll try to watch with that in mind. But even we deal with 420+ par 4's pretty regularly, that's not so unusual. But the overall distances, green conditions and rough that they play in are incredible. It's amazing how good those guys are. Part of watching the guys is the wow factor when they do what seems impossible.

 

[rugbymate]

Agree but have more fun saying "did he really just hit an 8 iron 205"? I mean it's a different world for sure, but relative by the power alone. I'm amazed at how good the girls are when they have a hybrid or 3 wood in their hands from 210-240, just hardly ever fail to hit the ball straight and find a pice of the green. Then again as you said, the men play a 560 yard par5 like you and I would play a 330 yard par 4.

Over 100 lpga pros average more than 250 yards off the tee and 10 average over 270. A 400 yard hole is typically driver and wedge to 8 iron. Last time I had an 8 iron into a 400 yard hole was at St Andrews and that was a 35 mph direct trailing wind.
While the men play a game we are unfamiliar with so do most of the women pros. I n fact, it seems like the women pros have a wedge game every bit as good as the men. The women also have incredibly consistent tempo.