With an off week before the second major championship of the year, the U.S. Women’s Open, here’s a look at some statistical trends and recent occurrences that have developed over the first 14 tournaments of the season.
- There have been four multiple winners in 14 events – Jessica Korda, Karrie Webb, Anna Nordqvist and Stacy Lewis, each with two.
- The reigning No. 1-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings has not won an event this year. Stacy Lewis won the ShopRite LPGA Classic two weeks ago to move from second to first ahead of Inbee Park, and then Park won out of second place last week. Korda has been the lowest-ranked winner thus far, standing No. 40 when she won the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in late January. Half of the winners (seven) were ranked within the top 10 when they won.
- There have been aces at all but four LPGA events this season. The 16 total holes in one include three at both the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and Kia Classic.
- Inbee Park completed her first victory since last year’s U.S. Women’s Open by shooting a career low and course record 61 to win last week’s Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. Park’s 61 was the lowest final round in LPGA history by a winner (see the top five below) and the lowest round of the season. But it wasn’t the lowest final round in LPGA history. In 2004, Anna Acker-Mocosko shot an 11-under-par 60 in the final round of the Long Drugs Challenge in Auburn, Calif., to finish tied for fourth.
Lowest final round by a winner
61 (-11), Inbee Park, 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, 69-66-65-61
62 (-10), Juli Inkster, 2003 LPGA Corning Classic, 68-66-68-62
62 (-10), Annika Sorenstam, 2006 State Farm Classic, 70-68-69-62
62 (-9), Mickey Wright, 1964 Tall City Open, 73-72-62
62 (-7), Kathy Whitworth, 1968 Holiday Inn Classic, 74-70-62
- Park’s victory broke a long drought for South Korean golfers. A South Korean golfer hadn’t won on the LPGA since Amy Yang last October at the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea, a stretch of 17 tournaments. That’s a good omen going to the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, N.C. South Korean golfers have won five of the last six U.S. Women’s Opens – Park in 2008 and last year, Eun-Hee Ji in 2009, So Yeon Ryu in 2011 and Na Yeon Choi in 2012. Only American Paula Creamer (2010) has broken that streak. Americans have won eight of the 14 LPGA events this season.
- Park took only 108 putts in winning last week, with each round needing less than 30 putts, including 25 in the final round. She leads the LPGA in Putting Average (28.76 per round). She also rides a 68-hole bogey-free stretch entering the U.S. Women’s Open. She bogeyed the par-4 fourth hole last week and made 24 birdies over the next 68 holes.
- No. 1-ranked Stacy Lewis has scored under par in 12 consecutive rounds, in the 60s in seven consecutive rounds and at par or better in 23 of her last 24 rounds.
Women watch Men’s U.S. Open closely
The first-time double-header for the U.S. Open is upon us, as the men tackle Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2 this week, with the women to follow next week. With the LPGA off this week, many of the national championship participants will converge on the Sandhills of North Carolina to practice (Pinehurst No. 7 is an off-site practice venue for the women) and to act as spectators as the men play the rough-less No. 2 Course (but with plenty of sand and scrub).
So, more than usual, there will be a LPGA focus this week. Here’s a look comparing the setup of the famed Donald Ross course from one week to the next. Note that both courses will play to par 70, the first time the women have played a par-70 course since the 2002 tournament at Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, Kan.:
| Hole | Par | Men’s Yds. | Women’s Yds. |
| 1 | 4 | 402 | 366 |
| 2 | 4 | 507 | 432 |
| 3 | 4 | 387/329 | 330 |
| 4 | 4 | 529 | 451 |
| 5 | 5 | 576 | 503 |
| 6 | 3 | 219 | 175 |
| 7 | 4 | 424 | 389 |
| 8 | 4 | 502/486 | 429 |
| 9 | 3 | 191 | 155 |
| Out | 35 | 3,737 | 3,230 |
| 10 | 5 | 617 | 571 |
| 11 | 4 | 483 | 447 |
| 12 | 4 | 484 | 417 |
| 13 | 4 | 382 | 348 |
| 14 | 4 | 473 | 419 |
| 15 | 3 | 202 | 156 |
| 16 | 4 | 528 | 458 |
| 17 | 3 | 205 | 184 |
| 18 | 4 | 451 | 419 |
| In | 35 | 3,825 | 3,419 |
| Total | 70 | 7,562 | 6,649 |
Etc.
Belen Mozo finished T4 last week, her career-best finish (previous was a T5 at the 2011 Walmart MW Arkansas Championship). … Last year, the U.S. Women’s Open title was Inbee Park’s third consecutive victory of the season. The only other person to do that was Mickey Wright in 1964 when she won the Lady Carling Eastern Open, Waldemar Open and U.S. Women’s Open in consecutive weeks. …The Manulife Financial LPGA Championship winner has to go low. Brittany Lang shot 16-under in winning the first event in 2012. Hee Young Park followed with 26-under last year and Inbee Park was 23-under last week.
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