The LPGA gears up for the first tournament of the 2010 season at the Siam Country Club in Thailand. The Honda-ptt LPGA Thailand kicks off with defending champion Lorena Ochoa ready to take on the best players in the world as they try and knock her from the top seed in the Rolex Rankings.
The LPGA is celebrating 60 years this season. The tour has grown from 13 women looking to build a professional tour in America to an international tour that features players from 29 nations vying for more than $40 million in prize money. It is also the 30th anniversary for the Duramed FUTURES Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour that has alumni like Ochoa.
Ochoa enters the season holding the top ranking for the last 148 weeks. Jiyai Shin, last season’s Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year winner, is ranked number two. Suzann Pettersen starts the year ranked third with second-year player Anna Nordqvist behind her in fourth. Cristie Kerr rounds out the top five. Filling out the top 10 are Yani Tseng, Paula Creamer, Ai Miyazato, Angela Stanford and Michelle Wie.
This season is a transition year. The LPGA had a rough 2009 as they lost a few mainstay tournaments and ousted Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. The 2010 season brings optimism with new Commissioner Michael Whan and a new outlook. The LPGA has its fans and the players show up week in and week out to deliver their best for those fans. This year veterans like Ochoa, Kerr and Pettersen will be challenged by the next generation like Shin, Nordqvist and Wie. Also, the 2010 season is one of redemption for players like Paula Creamer, who spent much of last season playing injured.
LPGA set to start 2010 season
The LPGA is celebrating 60 years this season. The tour has grown from 13 women looking to build a professional tour in America to an international tour that features players from 29 nations vying for more than $40 million in prize money. It is also the 30th anniversary for the Duramed FUTURES Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour that has alumni like Ochoa.
Ochoa enters the season holding the top ranking for the last 148 weeks. Jiyai Shin, last season’s Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year winner, is ranked number two. Suzann Pettersen starts the year ranked third with second-year player Anna Nordqvist behind her in fourth. Cristie Kerr rounds out the top five. Filling out the top 10 are Yani Tseng, Paula Creamer, Ai Miyazato, Angela Stanford and Michelle Wie.
This season is a transition year. The LPGA had a rough 2009 as they lost a few mainstay tournaments and ousted Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. The 2010 season brings optimism with new Commissioner Michael Whan and a new outlook. The LPGA has its fans and the players show up week in and week out to deliver their best for those fans. This year veterans like Ochoa, Kerr and Pettersen will be challenged by the next generation like Shin, Nordqvist and Wie. Also, the 2010 season is one of redemption for players like Paula Creamer, who spent much of last season playing injured.