Jiyai: 18 GIR En Route To Five Shot Lead

There are a lot of great accomplishments in golf, but hitting all 18 greens in regulation has always been one of the more underappreciated feats to me. Especially doing it in a major and on a tough links, as Jiyai Shin did while firing 64 and, according to this unbylined AP story, opening up a 5-shot lead heading into Sunday's Ricoh Women's British Open final round.

The nine-time LPGA Tour winner hit all 18 greens in regulation and needed only 28 putts. The 64 is the lowest round in competition at Royal Liverpool, breaking the mark of 65 set by four players in the 2006 Open Championship.

"A bogey-free day and then bunker-free, too, so that was probably the best round I have ever played in a major," Shin said. "So that is a good thing, today's golf. I missed just one fairway. And on the back nine, it's blowing very strong wind, but I just stay focused on my tempo and my timing with my driver and shots."

South Korea's Inbee Park was second after a 68. She played alongside Shin.

The LPGA's second round notes. Inbee Park lurks at -4 and amateur sensation Lydia Ko is eight shots back.

Remember, ESPN2 added two hours of coverage so their telecast comes on at 9 am ET in the States. And Andy North is announcing, so you can't say you weren't warned.

ESPN2 Adds Coverage For Women's Open 36-Hole Finish

For Immediate Release...

Due to the cancellation of today’s second round of the Ricoh Women’s British Open because of high winds, and the revised schedule that calls for 36 holes of golf on Sunday, two hours have been added to the telecast of the final day on Sunday on ESPN2, ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
 
Originally scheduled to air from 9 a.m. – noon ET, ESPN2 and ESPN3’s coverage will now air until 2 p.m. from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Liverpool, England. Coverage of Saturday’s play airs from 9 a.m. – noon, and one hour of final-round highlights will air on ABC at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

"Melissa Reid 'can't wait for season to end' and the dawn of her new career playing in America"

Quoting Melissa Reid extensively, James Corrigan files an emotional Telegraph piece on the eve of the Ricoh Women's Open Championship where the English golfer opens up about her completely understandable struggles with grief following her mum's tragic death in May and a tournament win in June.

The nadir came at last month’s Irish Open at Killeen Castle. It was too much to take. At the same venue the year before she had been a member of the Europe Solheim Cup team that beat America and her mother had played a full part in the celebrations.

The memories ganged up on Reid. “I was really, really struggling, she said. “I’ve always thought I’m good at blocking things out, but obviously not something like this. It was after eight holes when my caddie, Johnny, looked at me and said ‘do you want to go in’. I said ‘yeah’. And he said ‘come on let’s go, you don’t have to prove anything to anybody’.”

Reid tees off Thursday at 11:30 ET with Sandra Gal and Anne-Lise Caudal.

She is headed to LPGA Tour school this fall to try and earn her card.

25-1: Lydia Ko

The braintrust at William Hill installed 15-year-old Lydia Ko at 25-1 for the Women's Open Championship, making her a joint 10th favorite.

Judging by the glowing praise from her colleagues as quoted in Alistair Tait's story, no one is counting her out.

“You can’t quite believe how good she is at 15,” said Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, the 2009 Women’s British Open champion. “Just the composure she showed on the last day. She actually went away from the field. It’s slightly embarrassing to be beaten by a 15-year-old. She’s obviously a fantastic player with huge potential.”

Cheyenne Wood Notches First Win, Q-School Next

Thanks to reader Ken for this unbylined report in the Daytona Beach News Journal on Suncoast Series win.

Woods earned $3,000 for the win, and like many players in the field, she was using the event as a tuneup for next week's Stage I qualifier for the 2013 LPGA Tour. That tournament, the first of three stages for the LPGA's qualifying, is scheduled for Tuesday through Friday.

15 And A Winner: "Without doubt the golf story of the year"

Check out David Ebner's excellent Globe and Mail game story, courtesy of reader Matthew, covering U.S. Women's Amateur Champion and 15-year-old Lydia Ko's historic win in the CN Canadian Women's Open. 

The victory makes Ko the youngest LPGA Tour winner...ever.

Ebner's lede:

As she walked to the 13th tee box, as 15-year-old amateur Lydia Ko pulled away from a star-studded field of professional women golfers like a Ferrari firing away from Fords, her mother Tina handed her a Ziploc bag of cherry tomatoes.

Ko proceeded to crank yet another long and straight drive off the box and then, walking up 13, snacked, offered some to her playing partners, and waved to her math teacher and his wife, in the gallery, visiting from her home back in New Zealand. Ko, earlier in the round, popping some grapes, said to her caddy that she likes to eat during a round of golf, as an empty stomach, for her, can be prey to butterflies.

In what is without doubt the golf story of the year – and one of the great sporting victories in recent memory – the kid betrayed no nerves at all as she booked a fantastic, historic and resoundingly decisive victory in a national championship halfway around the world from her home in Auckland.

He goes on from there and it makes for a fun read of an impressive victory.

LPGA correspondent Beth Ann Baldry for Golfweek:

Lydia Ko went on Golf Channel after her historic victory and said she’d like to have the winner’s check so could buy a dog and give money to the poor. And she said it in that darling New Zealand accent. Could she be more impressive?

Her new nickname should be “Knockout.” As in, Ladies of the LPGA, you’ve just been KO’d.

Ko won the New South Wales Open in January when she was 14. Here was the post from back then and a game story link by Patrick McKendry provided by Colin.

Randall Mell on the historic nature of the victory as well as Ko's matter-of-fact answers.

With the FedEx Cup playoffs off to a start this weekend, World Golf Hall of Fame officials weren’t calling PGA Tour officials at Bethpage Black Sunday for mementos to put on display. Instead, they were calling Vancouver Golf Club. They were looking for some keepsake from Ko to commemorate the victory in one of their exhibits.

Ko stole the show in golf Sunday. She is so young she can’t say watching Tiger Woods win the Masters in a rout in 1997 inspired her. She was born 11 days after Woods won.

Asked if she wore “power” red Sunday to emulate Woods, Ko shook her head no.

“It’s just another color,” she said.

Mell also has a fun note on Ko caddie Brian Alexander, a Vancouver Golf Club member, real estate developer and senior champ who helped read putts and had a blast.

Brian Alexander picked up Ko’s bag for the week to have some fun. A senior champion as a member at Vancouver Golf Club, Alexander volunteered when Ko needed somebody to tote her bag. He’s a 63-year-old real-estate developer.

John Strege on the event overshadowing the "playoffs" and the many reactions from the LPGA community, including her "older" competitors.

"This is making me feel old," Jiyai Shin, one of those in pursuit at the outset of the final round, told the Golf Channel in the midst of Ko's back-nine assault that included four consecutive birdies and five in a six-hole stretch.

Shin, it should be noted, is 24.

Greg Stutchbury of Reuters talks to New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy who says Ko's win was easily the biggest day for women's golf in that country.

LPGA notes from the historic day center mostly around Ko and include the transcript of her final round interview.

A few of the key facts:

Becomes the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history, eclipsing the previous mark set by Lexi Thompson, who was 16 years, 8 months, 8 days when she won the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic

Youngest winners in LPGA Tour history

Lydia Ko, 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open (72-hole event) at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days
Lexi Thompson, 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic (72-hole event) at 16 years, 8 months, 8 days
Marlene Hagge, 1952 Sarasota Open (18-hole event) at 18 years, 14 days
Marlene Hagge, 1952 Bakersfield Open (18-hole event) at 18 years, 2 months, 15 days
Paula Creamer, 2005 Sybase Classic presented by Lincoln Mercury (72-hole event) at 18 years, 9 month, 17 days
Morgan Pressel, 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship (72-hole event) at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days
Paula Creamer, 2005 Evian Masters (72-hole event), 18 years, 11 months, 18 days

Becomes the fifth amateur in LPGA Tour history to win an official event and the first in more than 40 years

Amateurs to win an LPGA event

Lydia Ko, 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open
JoAnne Carner, 1969 Burdine’s Invitational
Catherine LaCoste, 1967 U.S. Women’s Open 
Pat O’Sullivan, 1951 Titleholders Championship
Polly Riley, 1950 Tampa Open

Golf Channel's recap of the win with fellow New Zealander Frank Nobilo's analysis:

There's A Deep Backstory to Suzann's "Bodies" Issue Photo Shoot

And Steve DiMeglio talks to her about it, but do you really care about anything else but the photo?

So when ESPN The Magazine approached her to appear in its upcoming Body Issue, Pettersen, ranked No. 6 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, didn't hesitate in agreeing to show off her birthday suit.

"A lot of the best athletes in the world have done it, and I thought it was great to be asked. I thought about it, being naked and all, but I never really considered not doing it," said Pettersen, who is 5-9 and weighs 150 pounds. "I just had to make sure that I was comfortable in doing it. It's as natural as it gets. It's health at its peak.

"I'm in great company."