LPGA season snapshot
The LPGA TOUR season begins February 12th for the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. This year the LPGA begins with much anticipation as the TOUR looks to move forward without Annika Sorenstam.
Michelle Wie will help pick the TOUR up as she gets ready for her first season as an LPGA member after earning playing status with her play at Q-school. Wie will help fill that hole left by one of the greatest golfers and, with Lorena Ochoa, Yani Tseng and Paula Creamer, the LPGA looks towards the 2009 season.
Instantly, Wie brings excitement to a tour that desperately needs it. She will grab headlines as the golf world will see how this talent will fare with a full schedule. She also brings with her some rivalries. As an amateur, Wie played against Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Tseng, last season’s top rookie and Rolex Rankings number two player in the world. If Wie plays well, there will be talks about her unseating world number one Ochoa. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Ochoa is the best golfer on TOUR and she returns from a seven win season. In 22 events, Ochoa had 17 top 10 finishes. Creamer is also coming off a great season, winning four events and finishing the season with 15 top 10s. She is currently ranked fourth in the world behind Ochoa, Tseng and Sorenstam.
Michelle will leave her shell at Turtle Bay.
Wie will bring some good attention to the LPGA and it will be interesting to see how she stacks up over a full season.