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 This Week at TravelGolf.com: May 16, 2006
Karrie Webb and Lorena Ochoa throw
a wrench into the LPGA's master plan
Things were so much easier for the LPGA with Karrie Webb and Lorena Ochoa out of the way.
Starting 2006, the present and future of the women's game was all figured out. Annika Sorenstam would continue her domination, but inroads would be made by the LPGA's young guns of Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis, with Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel making themselves known, as well.
The youngsters would snag a few wins, fire enough great rounds to get people talking about the future, all the while Sorenstam continued to be the main woman. As the years progressed, the young guns, pushed by Sorenstam and a bevy of talented South Korean players, would take the woman's game to exciting new levels.
One look at the current money list, however, shows that those plans are being tossed aside. Following Webb's dominant seven-shot victory at the Michelob Ultra Open, the former No. 1 woman player in the world is on top, closely followed by Ochoa.
Sorenstam is sitting a half-million bucks away in the No. 6 spot. Gulbis and Creamer are at Nos. 9 and 10 respectively, and have been bit players throughout the year.
At the Kraft Nabisco Championship last month, Webb stole the show, holing a wedge shot from 116 yards out to help her rip the major out of Ochoa's grasp. And while Webb now has two victories, Ochoa has one this year, as well, and no one can think of a tournament this year where the Mexican sensation hasn't been firmly in the mix.
Still, as rewrites often do, this change in the script should end up improving the end product. Sorenstam, who missed her first cut in four years at the Michelob, will be back. Guaranteed. And don't count the young guns out either.
It all should make for a fantastic final two-thirds of the LPGA season, as it appears obvious that Webb and Ochoa aren't going to slow down and let the others pass. Just don't expect Webb to get caught up in making plans for the future.
"That's where I am different from Annika," said Webb. "She sets long-term goals, whereas I don't. I already feel I've achieved more than I ever dreamed I would."
As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.
Say you like the odd hand of blackjack but you're a golfer first. You just might find the perfect Nevada golf spot by aiming that rental car northeast out of the Clark County, into the open desert. Some 85 miles and another world away lies Mesquite. "Las Vegas has so many people everywhere," Golfer Dave Shadrick said. "Here there are no crowds and the golf is just as good, and a lot cheaper. Mesquite's more for the serious golfer."
Also: Think you have what it takes to review golf courses?
In Ireland, great golf can be found in unfamiliar places. Tim McDonald tells host Dave Berner about some some gems he's found. Stacy and Barry Solomon talk about where to golf in New York during the U.S. Open. Winged Foot's not the only game in town! You'll find amazing deals in scenic Butler County, not far from Pittsburgh, Chris Baldwin says. May is the time to hone your game with PGA Free Lesson Month. And Nicole Kallis talks about the"mystique about the beverage cart girl"
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Sure, purists may think of replica golf courses as tourist attractions. But the layman usually thinks of them as the only chance he or she will ever get to play the great holes they see the elite play on television. If the World Tour Golf Links in Myrtle Beach is indeed a tourist attraction, it's a good one, Tim McDonald writes. It sure draws 'em in.
Also: The Grand Strand's most underrated golf courses
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Ireland's hidden gems, golf near Winged
Putt with pros, curse with hackers at
Mesquite stays true to its reasonable
