Wegmans offers warm up for US Open
BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2008 Wegmans LPGA | Preview | 18 Jun 2008
The LPGA Tour gets back to business this week when the Wegmans LPGA Championship is played at the Locust Hill Golf Club in Pittsford to the south east of Rochester in New York State.
As the lead-in event to next week’s US Women’s Open, the tournament offers the leading players one last chance to have their game in shape prior to what promises to be a stern test next week in Minnesota. The field reflects just that, with the ongoing battle between Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam a feature of the week.
Ochoa defends yet another of her many 2007 victories, her win twelve months ago coming at the expense of Korea’s then rookie, In-Kyung Kim, who Ochoa defeated in a playoff after losing her third round lead during the final round.
Ochoa, who also claimed the title in 2005, has won six events in 2008 and was third at the recent LPGA Championship just one shot behind the playoff pair of Yani Tseng and Maria Hjorth.
This is one of the few events Sorenstam hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour but her T3 at the recent LPGA Championship and her three victories in 2008 will mean that she has a every chance of holding up the trophy this Sunday.
Jeong Jang won this event in 2006 and last year was 4th. Her form in 2008 has been first class and although she has not won this season she has had three runner up placings as well as a T3 to her name.
There will also be interest in how the brilliant 19-year-old Taiwanese golf Yani Tseng has recovered from her breakthrough win at the LPGA Championship. Her personality suggests it won’t be a problem and with a win behind her the floodgates may open.
The Australians in the field are headed by Lindsey Wright who did well in this event last year when 5th and who was in contention at various stages at the LPGA Championship. Rachel Hetherington, Wendy Doolan, Michelle Ellis and Katherine Hull are the other Australians in the field.
