LPGA TOUR
ANA Inspiration
Dates: April 2-5
Venue: Mission Hills Country Club (Dinah Shore Tournament Course), Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Last week in the weekend preview we mentioned the historic implications involved with Lydia Ko, the 17-year-old phenom. She had the chance to tie and/or break Annika Sorenstam’s consecutive rounds under par record, which was 29.
Ko’s first round was under par, and gave her a tie. But amazingly, she was not able to break par for the 2nd round. She ends up tying Sorenstam and will have to start up again. No doubt she has the talent to break the record, but time will tell.
At the end of regulation, two players were tied for the lead in the LPGA’s first major of 2015: Brittany Lincicome and Stacy Lewis. What ensued in the playoff was fantastic. Both players made par on the par-5 18th so they headed back to play it again. Once again, pars. On the 3rd playoff hole Lincicome once again made a par-5 but this time Lewis carded a bogey.
Hard to fathom that two LPGA professionals could play the par-5 18th three times and neither would card a birdie.
PGA TOUR
Shell Houston Open
Dates: April 2-5
Venue: Golf Club of Houston (Tournament Course), Humble, Texas
How important is driving accuracy on the PGA Tour?
Not very, apparently.
Big-hitting B.J. Holmes claimed victory at the Shell Houston Open after defeating Texan Jordan Spieth and Johnson Wagner in a playoff.
Holmes carded a final round 64 which included a front nine 29. That 29 started off with five consecutive birdies.
Why mention the importance of driving accuracy? Holmes is dead last on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy.
Spieth’s second place finish the week before the Masters makes him an even more favorite to win. His odds are the only single digit odds to win the Masters other than Rory McIlory.
