World No. 1 Jiyai Shin, money leader Na Yeon Choi and Player of the Year pace-setters Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato fight for year-end honors when the LPGA Tour Championship opens tomorrow.
The US$1.5 million showdown at Grand Cypress Golf Club finds every major award up for grabs with a host of Asian stars in the hunt for them all as well as a US$225,000 top prize in the 120-woman season finale.
Taiwan’s Tseng, South Koreans Shin and Choi, Japan’s Miyazato plus Norway’s second-ranked Suzann Pettersen and third-ranked American Cristie Kerr all have a chance to finish as the season-ending world No. 1 on Sunday night.
Photo: AFP
Shin, coming off the LPGA money title and rookie of the year honors last year, has been atop the rankings for three weeks but Pettersen jumped from fifth to second last month in Mexico with her sixth runner-up finish in a winless year.
Kerr has a slight edge on Tseng for third with No. 5 Choi just ahead of Miyazato.
In the Player of the Year hunt, Tseng — a two-time major winner this year — leads with 188 points followed by Miyazato on 179 and Choi on 174 with Kerr another point back and Shin another three adrift.
With 30 points to the -champion, the fight could reach the final holes.
Miyazato has admitted that the chase for season-long honors has become a distraction over the course of a season in which she has collected five titles.
“I’m going to do my best and not think about the awards and see what happens,” Miyazato said.
Choi, the only woman who could sweep all four main season awards, is the woman to beat on the money list with US$1,814,558. Defending champion Shin is US$34,790 behind and the only rival who can catch Choi.
Choi also leads in quest of the Vare Trophy for low scoring average at 69.77 with Kerr the only rival who can deny her, training at 69.86 entering the LPGA Tour Championship.
“I would be lying if I say I do not care much about winning awards,” Choi said. “I have no control over the outcomes. What I can do is control myself. Even if I come up short, I wouldn’t be disappointed and I wouldn’t regret anything because I will do my very best.”
The field will be cut to the low 70 level after 36 holes and a second cut after 54 holes will trim the lineup to the low 30s for the final 18 holes.
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