Miyazato shot 69 in three of the four rounds to hole off Kerr, who shot 68 in the final round.  Defending champion Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen, Yani Tseng and Song-Hee Kim tied for third place.  In-Kyung Kim and second-year star Vicky Hurst tied for seventh at six-under par, four shots behind Miyazato.  Angela Stanford, Juli Inkster, Jee Young Lee, Sakura Yokomine, Na Yeon Choi and Hee Young Park tied for ninth place.

A Global Tour – LPGA announces new event

On Monday, the LPGA announced a new event – Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.  The event will be played October 22-24th at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.  Following a tough 2009 season that saw a couple of mainstay events say farwell, the LPGA adds another event to complement the Sybase Match Play Championship and Kia Classic announced earlier this year.  The match play event will be held in May of this year in New Jersey with the Kia Classic, presented by J Golf, being held March 25-28th in California.

The new events are great news for the LPGA.  It seems that the Tour is really stretching itself into a true global brand.  Extending the base to Asia will not only benefit many of the Tour’s top stars but, it will help the LPGA stay strong.

Stanford was four-under par through 11 holes of the second round but finished with bogeys on the 12th, 14th and 18th holes to fall into a tie with Kim.  Kim carded four birdies and two bogeys on the day to grab her share of the lead.

Suzann Pettersen leads a group of five tied for third place at four-under par.  With Pettersen are Ai Miyazato, Juli Inkster, Sun Young Yoo and Hee-Won Han.  Cristie Kerr and Yani Tseng are tied for eighth place at three-under par.  Defending champion Jiyai Shin is tied for 10th place after opening rounds of 71 have her at two-under par.  Tied with Shin are In-Kyung Kim, Na Yeon Choi, Karrie Webb and Hee Young Park.

Lorena Ochoa, who shared the lead at the start of the day, shot a seven-over par, 79, in the second round with a triple-bogey on the 18th hole.  She also carded four bogeys and 13 pars – zero birdies – in the second round.  She is tied for 39th place.

Ochoa, Kerr, Stanford and Park hold a one shot advantage over another group of four players at three-under par.  Shooting 69 in the first round were last week’s winner Ai Miyazato, Christina Kim, Song-Hee Kim and Sophie Gustafson.  Suzann Pettersen finished the first round at two-under par and is tied for ninth place with Kristy McPherson, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, Song Young Yoo and In-Kyung Kim.

Defending champion Jiyai Shin is in 15th place after a first round 71, one-under par, has her three shots off the pace.

After a bogey on the second hole, Miyazato was flawless carding eight birdies and an eagle over the final 16 holes to top Pettersen by one shot.

Pettersen held the lead for most of the day, though.  She made birdies on the fifth and seventh holes to get to 20-under par but, she dropped a shot after a bogey on the ninth hole.  Miyazato chipped away at the lead with birdies on the third, sixth and ninth holes, with her eagle coming on the seventh hole.  Miyazato finished the front nine at 16-under par, three shots behind Pettersen.

Both players birdied the 10th hole but, Miyazato erased the deficit with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 15th holes as Pettersen made pars.  Then, Pettersen bogeyed the 16th hole to fall back a shot.  Miyazato chipped in for birdie on the final hole for the win.

Yani Tseng finished with a final round 69 to finish in third place at 15-under par, six shots behind Miyazato.  Cristie Kerr and Karrie Webb tied for fourth place.  Laura Davies shot 65 in the final round to move into a tie for sixth place with Maria Hjorth, Momoko Ueda and Song-Hee Kim.  Amy Yang finished in 10th place.

Defending champion Lorena Ochoa tied for 18th place at six-under par.

Pettersen, who won this event in 2007, has not made a bogey in the 54 holes played this week.  She shot 68 in the third round, following a 64 that catapulted her to the top spot after two rounds.

Song-Hee Kim is in second place at 13-under par.  She holds a one-shot edge over Ai Miyazato, Yani Tseng and Momoko Ueda, who are tied for third place.  Cristie Kerr is tied for sixth place with Maria Hjorth and Hee Young Park at 11-under par.  Amy Yang is in ninth place with Karrie Webb, In-Kyung Kim, Catriona Matthew and M. J. Hur tied for 10th.

Defending champion Lorena Ochoa is in 14th place at six-under par, 12 shots behind Pettersen.

Paula Creamer was forced to withdraw after the first round, re-injuring her right thumb.

Pettersen was bogey-free in the first round.  After a birdie on the first hole, she made eight straight pars.  She started the back nine with a birdie and finished the day off with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes, adding an eagle on the final hole.  Hur made four birdies in the first eight holes before carding her only bogey on the ninth.  After a birdie on the 10th hole, Hur made consecutive birdies at the 14th and 15th holes.

Ai Miyazato is tied for third place with Song-Hee Kim and Hee Young Park at five-under par.  Five players are tied for sixth place at four-under, including veterans Yani Tseng and Cristie Kerr.  Also in that group are Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome and Angela Stanford.

The LPGA’s top golfer – Lorena Ochoa – is tied for 11th place with five other players, including Paula Creamer.  Michelle Wie is at even-par after the first round.

Ochoa will face a tough crowd as the tournament will field 60 of the game’s best players, including Jiyai Shin, Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen, who won here in 2007.  Also in the field this week are veterans Cristie Kerr, In-Kyung Kim, Ai Miyazato and Morgan Pressel.  Looking to get their sophomore seasons off to a good start are Michelle Wie, Vicky Hurst and Stacy Lewis.

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.

Nordqvist, who won the McDonald’s LPGA Championship earlier in the season, shot a seven-under par, 65, in the final round.  She climbed to the top of the leaderboard with seven birdies over an eight hole stretch, helping her become the fourth multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season.

Ochoa’s second place finish, and Jiyai Shin’s eighth place finish, earns her a fourth straight Player of the Year trophy.  Shin led the race heading into the week but a final round 73 dropped the LPGA’s Rookie of the Year winner out of contention.

Rounding out the top 10

Na Yeon Choi and Kristy McPherson finished tied for third place at 10-under par.  Sophie Gustafson, Song-Hee Kim and Hee Young Park tied for fifth place at seven-under par.  Shin tied with Suzann Pettersen, Ai Miyazato and Yani Tseng in eighth place at six-under par.

There will be a first cut made after the second round is complete, trimming the field to 70 players.  After 54 holes, there will be a second cut made to bring the final round field to 30 golfers.

Ochoa started her round on the 10th hole with a birdie and added another on the 12th hole before finishing the side bogey-birdie.  After a par on the first hole, Ochoa made birdies on the second and third holes to get to four-under par.  She made birdie on the sixth hole followed by a bogey on the seventh before finishing with consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth holes.

Ochoa is looking to also take home the Rolex Player of the Year trophy and the Vare Trophy, for lowest scoring average.  For Player of the Year, Ochoa trails rookie Jiyai Shin, who is trying to become the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both player and rookie of the year honors.  Looking to capture her fourth straight Vare Trophy, Ochoa came into this week with a .o5 stroke lead over Shin and Cristie Kerr.

Rankin shot 67 in the first round and is one shot better than Taylor Leon, who is in third place at four-under par.  Yani Tseng, Kristy McPherson, Pat Hurst, Haeji Kang and Heather Bowie Young are tied for fourth place with opening rounds of 69.  Fifteen players are tied for ninth place at two-under par, including Shin, rookie Stacy Lewis and 2009 major champion winners Anna Nordqvist and Brittany Lincicome.  Also in that group are Juli Inkster, Allison Fouch, Na Yeon Choi, Sophie Gustafson, Meg Mallon, Ji Young Oh, Leta Lindley, Karin Sjodin, Irene Cho, Jimin Kang and Hee Young Park.

The two top ranked players in the world – Lorena Ochoa and Jiyai Shin – are not only gunning for their fourth wins of the season, they are playing for the Rolex Player of the Year trophy. For Ochoa, it would be her fourth straight honor. Shin, who already won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, is looking to become the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both awards in the same season.

With top players like Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr, the field also includes the four major championship winners – Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Catriona Matthew and Eun-Hee Ji. The only other multiple tournament winner on the LPGA this season – Na Yeon Choi – will be playing for her third win of 2009. Along with Hall of Fame veterans Karrie Webb, Juli Inkster and Se Ri Pak, ten LPGA Tour rookies will be looking to finish off their season with a win.

The format for the LPGA Tour Championship is very unique. There is an initial cut after 36 holes, dwindling the 120 player field to 70. Then, there is a second cut after 54 holes that brings the field down to 30 players for the final round.

A Rees Jones design, the Houstonian Golf and Country Club will play 6,650 yards at a par-72.

Wie, who shared the lead with Cristie Kerr at the start of the day, had to fight off a great charge by Creamer, who shot a two-under par, 70, as Kerr fell off pace with two late bogeys. Wie took a slight edge over Kerr with a birdie on the first hole. Both players made birdie on the third hole. After a bogey on the fifth hole, Kerr fell back into a tie for second place with Creamer, who made a birdie on the second hole to get to 10-under par. After splitting bogey-birdie on the sixth and seventh hole, Wie finished the front nine with a two shot lead over Kerr and Creamer.

Creamer moved into a tie with Wie after carding an eagle on the par-5, 10th hole. Kerr made birdies on the 10th and 11th holes to join them at 12-under par. Wie jumped ahead with a birdie on the 11th hole but made it a three-way tie with a bogey on the 12th. Creamer fell back a shot with a bogey on the 14th hole. Kerr made consecutive bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes to finish at 10-under par. Wie continued to make pars as Creamer, again, tied Wie at 12-under par after a birdie on the 16th hole. But, Creamer would bogey the 17th and par the 18th hole to finish at 11-under par.

Wie finished strong after landing her bunker shot on the 18th hole to 6-inches for the tap-in birdie.

Kerr finished tie for third place with Jiyai Shin and Morgan Pressel. Lorena Ochoa shot a three-under par, 69, to finish tied for sixth place with Song-Hee Kim. Brittany Lang, Catriona Matthew, Mariajo Uribe and M. J. Hur tied at five-under par in eighth place.

Kerr shot a bogey-free 67 on Saturday to take the lead at 10-under par. She went out with birdies on the third and ninth holes. After starting the back nine with three pars, Kerr made a birdie on the 13th hole and an eagle on the 16th hole.

Wie, who is looking for her first LPGA victory, started the third round with birdies on the first two holes. She made pars through the 10th hole before going birdie-bogey-birdie on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes. Wie made bogey on the 15th hole and finished with pars and a share of the lead.

Shin, who led at the start of the round, shot a two-over par, 74, to fall into a tie with Creamer and Kim. Yani Tseng is in sixth place at seven-under par, with In-Kyung Kim a shot behind her in seventh. Suzann Pettersen is tied for eighth place at five-under par with Morgan Pressel, Kristy McPherson and Brittany Lang.

Tournament host, Lorena Ochoa is tied for 12th place at four-under par.

Shin, who currently leads the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year races, moved into the lead with a bogey-free round.  She made three birdies on the front nine – at the third, seventh and ninth holes.  Shin followed three pars to start the back with birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes before finishing with pars.

Wie shot 66 in the second round to move into a tie with Creamer, who carded a 69 to get to eight-under par.  First round leader Song-Hee Kim shot an even-par, 72, to slip to fourth place.  Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome and Mariajo Uribe are tied for fifth place at five-under par, six shots behind Shin.  Tournament host, Lorena Ochoa shot 69 in the second round to move into a tie for 10th place at four-under par.  She is tied with Morgan Pressel, Yani Tseng, Kristy McPherson and M. J. Hur.

Song-Hee Kim shot 65 in the first round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational at Guadalajara Country Club to lead the LPGA event by two shots over Paula Creamer, Jiyai Shin and Mariajo Uribe.  Tournament host, Lorena Ochoa is in 13th place with a one-under par, 71.

Kim was bogey-free in the first round.  After starting with two pars, she made birdies on the third and fifth holes before closing out the side with three straight birdies.  On the back nine, Kim birdied the 10th and 18th holes with seven pars in between.

Creamer, Shin and Uribe shot five-under par, 67s, in the first round.  They are a shot better than Eun-Hee Ji and Catriona Matthew, who are tied for fifth place.  Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang and Brittany Lincicome are tied for seventh place at three-under par.  Michelle Wie, Katherine Hull and M. J. Hur are in 10th place with opening rounds of 70, two-under par.

This year, Stanford will have to fight back 36 of the best players in the world.  Tournament host Ochoa is looking for her fourth win of the 2009 LPGA season.  Also, the fight for Player of the Year honors are at stake as the current points leader – Jiyai Shin – is in the field this week.  Shin, the number two golfer in the world, is trying to win not only the Player of the Year but, also, Rookie of the Year.  Other top players in Mexico this week are Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie.

The Guadalajara Country Club course will play to 6,638 yards and a par-72.

Song made five birdies through 13 holes before carding her only bogey of the day at the 14th hole.  She finished off the round with pars to keep a charging Ochoa at bay.  Ochoa shot 64 in the final round, with four birdies on the back nine, but came up short.  She tied for second place at 12-under par with Hee Young Park and Brittany Lang.

Jiyai Shin, Yani Tseng, Mi-Jeong Jeon and Inbee Park tied for fifth place at 11-under par.  In-Kyung Kim, Momoko Ueda and Rui Kitada finished tied for ninth place.

Choi shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round.  She carded birdies on the first, fifth and seventh holes to get off to a great start.  Choi birdied the 15th hole before sinking the tournament-clinching birdie on the 18th hole.

Tseng shot 68 in the final round.  She made four birdies on the front nine, at the second, fourth, fifth and seventh holes, to shoot 32 on the front side.  Her only bogey came at the 12th hole and she finished the round with a birdie on the 18th hole to fall one shot short of a playoff.  Hjorth birdied six of the first eight holes but needed one more in her round of 67.  She finished with 10 straight pars to finish one shot behind Choi.

Ran Hong finished at four-under par and in fourth place.  Song-Hee Kim took fifth place at four-under par.  Jiyai Shin extended her leads on the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year races with a sixth place finish.  Brittany Lang tied for seventh place with Se Ri Pak, Anna Nordqvist and Inbee Park.

The LPGA will stay in Asia for another week as the Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club will host the Mizuno Classic in Shima-shi, Mie, Japan, where Shin is the defending champion.

Kung, who beat Katherine Hull by a shot last year, will face a field with 70 of the top players in golf, including Lorena Ochoa and rookie Jiyai Shin, the Rolex Ranking number one and two players, respectively.  Shin currently leads both the Rolex Player of the Year and Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year awards, looking to be the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both in the same year.  Other top players in the field this week are Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Yani Tseng and In-Kyung Kim.

The tournament will be played on the Ocean Course, a 7,229 yard, par-72 Korean-style course with a view of the ocean.  It was designed by Jack Nicklaus and features long bunkers that follow the fairway.

Ochoa, who is looking for her first win since April, started the day with six straight pars before carding three consecutive birdies.  She added birdies on the 12th, 14th and 17th holes to finish at 16-under par through three rounds.

Gal shot 66 to have sole possession of second place.  She made six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys in the third round.  Janice Moodie and Brittany Lang are tied for third place at 12-under par, four shots behind Ochoa.  Yani Tseng, Maria Hjorth and Ji Young Oh are tied for fifth place.  Laura Davies, Allison Fouch and Giulia Sergas are tied for eighth place at 10-under par.

Alexis Thompson, the 14-year-old amateur, fell into a tie for 13th place after shooting 74 in the third round.

Ochoa started on the back nine and made five birdies with two bogeys.  She added two birdies and another bogey on the second nine for a round of 68.  Thompson, who was in second place at the start of the round, shot 69 to move into the top spot.  After her only bogey on the fourth hole, Thompson carded four birdies.

Tseng shot a bogey-free 63 to move into the lead.  After three birdies on the front nine, Tseng carded six birdies on the back for a score of 30 on the side.  Davies, who is two wins away from the Hall of Fame, got started quickly with an eagle on the 11th hole, her second of the day.  She added three birdies on the side and three more on the second nine, with a bogey coming at the fifth hole.  Sergas joined the group with a second round 65, carding eight birdies and a bogey on the day.

Sophie Gustafson shot 65 in the second round to get to nine-under par, one shot behind the leaders.  First round leader Janice Moodie shot an even-par, 72, to fall into a tie for seventh place with Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang, Inbee Park and Hye Jung Choi at eight-under par.

Moodie was bogey-free in the first round.  She started on the 10th hole and made birdies on the 12th and 17th holes.  After pars on the first two holes, Moodie made birdies on six of the final seven holes, including the final four holes.

Starting on the 10th hole, Thompson made birdies on her first two holes.  She made another on the 15th but closed the side with a bogey on the 18th hole.  After a par on the first hole, Thompson made birdies on five of the next seven holes.

Lorena Ochoa, Michelle Wie and Karine Icher are tied for third place after opening rounds of 66.  Ten players are tied for sixth place at five-under par, including Katherine Hull, Na Yeon Choi and Pat Hurst.  Also in that group are Lisa Storm, Meaghan Francella, Eunjung Yi, Sung Ah Yim, Alena Sharp and Pornanong Phatlum.