No one can predict the future, but taking a look at the past – especially the recent past – can sometimes lend some insight into what may unfold.
That’s certainly true in sports, and golf is no different. As the LPGA enjoys one last break this week before a seven-week flurry to the finish, let’s take a look at what has taken place in the last 10 events as we speculate about how the season’s home stretch will progress.
The last 10 LPGA events – dating back to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship June 11-14 – have included an interesting mix of new and old, surprises and continued dominance and a whole lot of red numbers. Eight different players have hoisted trophies during the Tour’s most recent 10-tournament stretch, including the world’s top two-ranked players.
World No. 1 Inbee Park has two major victories – the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the RICOH Women’s British Open – in the last 10 events to go along with four other top 10s against a lone missed cut. She has played in eight of those 10 tournaments, banking a whopping $1,418,922 to grab the top spot on the LPGA money list with more than $2.3 million in earnings.
Second-ranked Lydia Ko has been just as impressive, winning her last two starts to go along with three other top 10s and faltering with just one missed cut in eight starts during that span. Ko has added $1,248,446 to her season total of more than $2.1 million in the last 10 events to keep pace with Park and make the final seven events an interesting 1-2 battle.
The Republic of Korea has been most dominant during this span, with five players born in the country amassing seven tournament titles. That includes Na Yeon Choi, In Gee Chun and Chella Choi, who won three tournaments in a row in June and July.
The past 10 events have also included wins by two Americans – Lexi Thompson and Kris Tamulis – three tournament wins by teenagers (Ko and Brooke Henderson) and four Rolex First-Time Winners (Chun, Choi, Henderson and Tamulis). Players have had to go seriously low to earn first-place checks during this run, with champions averaging 15-under-par, so double-digit red numbers will likely be the norm the rest of the season.
Five of the final seven tournaments take place in Asia, which bodes well for the Tour’s strong Asian contingent, especially since Asian players won four of those five events last year. But the Tour has been just as unpredictable as predictable lately, so anything is possible.
Will more players step into the spotlight as Rolex First-Time Winners, or will Park and Ko continue to fly above the rest? That question, and many more, will be answered soon enough.
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