Piers Manktelow
Your Quick Weekly Round up of Women's Golf From Around the World

Another great week from around the world of women's golf, check out all the latest action below including a new mixed tournament at the Golf Sixes!
LPGA- VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA LPGA TEXAS CLASSIC

After round 1 and 2 were canceled due to 30 mph winds, the tournament was reduced to 36 holes. It was worth the wait when the tournament finally got going on Saturday.
There is a lot of pressure on a player when they win rookie of the year and especially if they win player of the year at the same time. This pressure could be the reason for Sung Hyun Park's slow start to the season. However, a fantastic chip in on the last secured her first victory of 2018.
After her victory she said “Since I did so well last year, I felt a lot more pressure this year. After this win, I feel like I can finish out the season with a lot less pressure.” Park's putting has been poor this year, but this week with a new putter she had 24 putts in her first round and 28 in her final round. One of our picks to watch out for on 2018 should really push on now this season.

Finishing in 2nd with a fantastic final round of 64 was Lindy Duncan. This was the American's best finish this season after a 6th place finish at the LOTTE Championship. The result moves her up to 18th place on the CME race to the globe.
One player in much need of a good result was Yu Liu, she had missed 3 cuts in a row before a well needed 3rd place finish here. Afterwards she said “I was thinking about my scores too much, thinking about the cut line, my finish, my position,” explained Liu. “Right now I feel like I’m able to contend out here when I bring out my best, so it’s definitely a confidence booster.”
Lydia Ko and Ariya Jutanugarn continued there good form. Ko, looks like she is continuing where she left of after her first victory in 2 years, while Ariya had her 7th top 10 finish in only 11 starts!!

Jin Young Ko kept up her push towards the CME Race to the globe and rookie of the year with an under the radar 8th place. The rookie South Korean had rounds of 67 & 69 to extend her lead over fellow rookie Hannah Green in the standings.

Next Event: Kingsmill Championship presented by GEICO, Williamsburg, VA, 17/5/18
Rolex Ranking of Winner: SUNG HYUN PARK 5th
Updated Rolex Ranking after Tournament: 4th
Golfista Prediction: Minjee Lee (Aus): 19th
LET Access Tour-VP BANK LADIES OPEN 2018, Switzerland

Another great tournament on the LET Access Tour saw Spain's Noemi Jimenez Martin win her first title with a bogey free 6 under par final round at the VP Bank Ladies Open. With a birdie at the final hole, the 24-year-old Spaniard overtook her compatriot, Elia Folch and overnight leader Chloe Leurquin from Belgium who finished T2nd 1 shot back. "I played only one bogey in three days, that's very remarkable" says Noemi.
After her victory she said "The long game was outstanding this week. Although some putts did not fall on the first nine today. Nevertheless, I knew that I had a chance - I started with two birdies on the first two holes in the tournament, which was very positive.
I've been training really hard in the last few months and have worked a lot on my golf game. The last two holes for the final round were very nervous, I did not know how the players scored in the groups in front of me and behind me, but I realised that the title is close enough to touch - if I produced enough birdies".
ARIANE PROVOT stunned everyone on day 1 with a 62! However, she was to find round 2 a little tougher and slipped down to finish in 5th place 3 shots behind the eventual winner.
Lynn Carlsson contiuned her good start to the season with a 4th place finish to follow up with her 4th place finish on the LET in Morocco last time out. She also sits 14th on the Order of Merit on the LET so was one of the favourites coming into this event.

One player who really has emerged as a young talent this season is German LAURA FUENFSTUECK (below). She finished T7th here this week bettering her T10th in the first LET Access event. In febuary she claimed victory in the South African Womens Masters on the Sunshine Ladies Tour and finished 8th in her 2nd event on the LET. The 24 year old from Langen in Germany only tuned pro in January and will be one player to keep an eye on this year.

Next Event: JABRA LADIES OPEN 2018, Golf Club de Evian, France, 31/5/18
Rolex Ranking of Winner: Noemi Jimenez Martin, 392nd
Updated Rolex Ranking after Tournament: 340th
Golfista Prediction: Charlotte Thompson (Eng): 56th
Symetra Tour- IOA INVITATIONAL

Elizabeth Szokol started the final round five shots off the lead in a tie for fifteenth at the 2018 IOA Invitational. Posting a 4-under par on Sunday was enough to put Szokol on top of the leaderboard and in postion to pick up her first win on Symetra Tour. She had a nervous wait while the other players finished their rounds but eventually defeated Pajaree Anannarukarn by one stroke to take home the trophy. After her victory she said “Very excited about it, definitely a big confidence booster. Playing out here all year last year, I got more confidence so I was just really waiting for that win. It means a lot to be able to get the win in just my second event this year.”


Lydia Hall who was leading after rounds 1 & 2 could not hang on in the final round shooting a 77 to finish T6th and 4 shots of the pace.
Symetra Tour rookie Pajaree Anannarukarn (below) put in a very good performance to finish in 2nd place. The 18 year old from Thailand now has 2 top 10s from her 2 starts on tour. Afterwards she said “I was really excited, of course. I had a very good time out there and being here,” said Anannarukarn, who shot 71-72 in the first two rounds. “The course is in great shape and challenging. I just wanted to keep trying to play my game. It ended up really good.”

As a reminder the top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the conclusion of the Symetra Tour Championship earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2018 season. The win moves Szokol into 1st place.

Next Event: SELF REGIONAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION WOMEN'S HEALTH CLASSICGREENWOOD, SOUTH CAROLINAMAY 10-13
Rolex Ranking of Winner: ELIZABETH SZOKOL, 508th
Updated Rolex Ranking after Tournament: 363rd
Golfista Prediction: Lydia Hall (Wal) : 6th
Golf Sixes- Centurian Club London

Ireland won the 2018 GolfSixes with a 2-0 victory over France in the final after putting on a brilliant display on day two at Centurion Club.Paul Dunne and Gavin Moynihan were the final wildcard entrants into the second edition of the innovative event and lost just one of their six matches over a glorious two days in St Albans
The big story were the two women's teams competing for the first time. The addition of women's and mixed teams in 2018 saw Reid compete alongside Carlota Ciganda for European Women, Georgia Hall and Charley Hull combine to represent England Women, and Solheim Cup skipper Catriona Matthew team up with Ryder Cup counterpart Thomas Bjørn to play as European Captains. The two all-female teams stole the show on Saturday with European Women and England Women finishing second in Groups A and D respectively to make it into the knockout stage.Despite defeats in the last eight, the women proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can mix it with and beat the men, and Reid is convinced mixed events can only be a positive for the game of golf as a whole.

"I think it's a huge success for women's golf," she said. "We've hopefully opened a few more eyes to women's golf and that we can compete and that we are pretty good at what we do and we work very hard at what we do. Hopefully it's inspired not just a few more young girls but young guys and men, women, all over to take up the game. That's ultimately what we want to do."We got a lot of exposure and that's what we need. We don't get that. So it's been really, really good for women's golf, which hopefully helps it because it needs help."Loads of the girls in America have been saying how much they have enjoyed watching it and Lydia Ko has already messaged us saying she's absolutely desperate to get on a team next year."Afterwards

KLPGA- The 5th Kyochon Honey Ladies Open

In an exiting finish in Korea it was world number 51 Kim Hae Rym who claimed victory by 1 shot earning £68,000.
Kim ji Hyun & Lee Da Yeon who finished T2nd closed with a 65 and 66 respectivasly so Kim Hae Rym needed a good round to win. She fired a final round 66 to win by 1 shot. The standard was very high on the final day and Rym did well to come through.
Ha Na Jang who currently leads the Order of Merit finished in 7th place on -2, 4 shots off the leader.
Next Event: 2018 NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, 11/5/18
Rolex Ranking of Winner: Kim Hae Rym, 51st
Updated Rolex Ranking after Tournament: 41st
Japan LPGA- World Ladies' Championship Salon Pass Cup

In Japan, South Korean Jiyai Shin picked up her 2nd victory of the season ater winning on the LET earlier in the season. Shin fired a final round of 70 to beat Ai Suzuki into 2nd place and claim the £160,000 first place prize money.
The win also moves Shin up to 2nd place on the Order of Merit now only 3 points behind Suzuki. It also moves her up to 24th in the world rankings now one place ahead of Suzuki! It is sure to be an exiting end to the season in Japan with these two quality players gong head to head in Japan.
Next Event: Honor's window Women, 11/5/18
Rolex Ranking of Winner: JIYAI SHIN, 28th
Updated Rolex Ranking after Tournament: 24th
Welsh Ladies Stroke Play Championship-

Scotland’s Hannah McCook held on for her biggest win, taking the Welsh Ladies Open Stroke Play title by beating Curtis Cup team member Sophie Lamb in a play off at Aberdovey.McCook admitted the win came a week too late, following on from last week’s Curtis Cup selection, but still represented a first major title for the two-time Scottish Order of Merit winner.
The Grantown-on-Spey player had a one shot lead down the 18th, but finding a hazard off the tee led to a bogey which left her tied with Lamb on -7.Both players missed the green on the first play off hole, chipped to around three feet and McCook holed while Clitheroe’s Lamb saw her putt slip past.
“I can’t really believe that this has actually just happened. It was a good game all day, we played off each other a lot,” said McCook.“Wining the Order of Merit has been great but I wanted an individual title. I was leading the Helen Holm after the first round but did not follow through, so being consistent to win this was crucial.“I had three rounds under par so there was nothing crazy and I holed quite a few good putts.“I would say this has come a week too late if I was in the picture at all for the Curtis Cup team. I knew I had been consistent but this is a step up.”

Updated Rolex Rankings as of 7/5/18
Lindsay Gahm (below) from the USA was this Weeks biggest mover. She climbed 448 places to 672nd after finishing 3rd on the Symetra Tour. Inbee Park maintains the number 1 spot while Sung Hyun Park climbs to 4th after her victory.

