Fifth Time's A Charm
The LPGA Tour hits the halfway point, the third event, of its fall Asian swing this week in Taiwan. The Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship will be staged at the Miramar Golf and Country Club for the second time in the event’s five-year history. World No. 1 Inbee Park won her third title of the 2014 season a year ago and set a tournament scoring record of 22-under par. Park will miss action this week due to the combination of a prior commitment to one of her major sponsors and the date change of the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship. She returns to the LPGA next week in China at the Blue Bay LPGA.
This week’s field stars one of the strongest in the event’s history with 14 of the top-20 players in the Rolex Rankings and 16 of the top-20 on the LPGA Tour’s Official Money List.
Tseng Returns Home On A High
Former world No. 1 and 15-time LPGA Tour winner Yani Tseng put Taiwanese golf on the map with her dominating presence on Tour and major championship prominence. Tseng became the youngest player, male or female, to win five major championships at the age of 22 at the 2011 RICOH Women’s British Open and would win three more times in 2012. But struggles plagued Tseng over the past three seasons and has fought hard to regain confidence. She finished 38th on the Money List in 2013, 54th in 2014 and currently ranks 22nd.
There have been glimmers of the old Tseng recently as she returns home to Taiwan – the event she won in its inaugural year in 2011 – on a high note. In her last four starts on Tour, Tseng has 3 top-5 finishes including two runner-ups. Last week in Korea, she recorded rounds in the 60s in her final three rounds including a 68 on Sunday to finish second alongside KLPGA member Sung Hyun Park.
“Just being back where I am. It’s better where I am I think,” said Tseng after her final round in Korea. “Just very happy working with my mental coach, my trainer, my coach. Everything just kind of get together and just want to thank some of the people that they are believing in me and trust me that I can still can win a tournament.”
“I’m just looking forward to win. I came to Asia for these five weeks and looking for a win,” Tseng added. “I know every week is getting close, and next week in Taiwan, it would be a great win in Taiwan.”
Taiwan On The Rise
Tseng can probably be credited for the boom in talent and presence of Taiwanese golfers on the LPGA Tour today and this week will be a display of the country’s finest. Fifteen TLPGA members will be in action including Teresa Lu, a former LPGA member and currently the highest-ranked Taiwanese player in the Rolex Rankings at No. 21.
Five players are ranked in the top-125 in the world and will battle it out for the four spots to represent their country next summer at the UL International Crown. In the most current standings based on the top-four ranked players in the Rolex Rankings, they currently rank fourth as a team and trail only Korea, United States and Japan. The current top-five players are:
| Rolex Ranking | Player |
|---|---|
| 21 | Teresa Lu |
| 37 | Yani Tseng |
| 62 | Candie Kung |
| 106 | Ssu-Chia Cheng* |
| 123 | Wei-Ling Hsu |
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*Not in the field this week |
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Rookie Race Intensifies
The battle for Player of the Year can’t get any tighter with Inbee Park and Lydia Ko currently tied for first, each with 243 points. Ko will be set up to make a move this week with Park competing in Korea. The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race is also intensifying with just five events remaining on the schedule. Sei Young Kim currently leads the way and added to her cushion with a T15 finish last week in Korea. She sits just 112 points ahead of fellow South Korean Hyo Joo Kim. Players earn 150 points with a win. The last South Korean player to win the top rookie honor was So Yeon Ryu in 2012. The top-four rookies are all in the field this week in Taiwan.
Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Standings
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Sei Young Kim | 1,245 |
| Hyo Joo Kim | 1,133 |
| Minjee Lee | 966 |
| Ha Na Jang | 766 |
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