2006 Takefuji Classic

The Takefuji Classic is the LPGA's annual stop in "Sin City", Las Vegas, Nevada. Last year, the event was won by Wendy Ward, who held off Lorena Ochoa despite a 63 from Ochoa in the second round (which set the tournament record). Shi Hyun Ahn also shot a 63 in the third round last year and finished third.

Not surprisingly, it was Ahn and Ochoa who got the ball rolling in 2006. Ochoa managed once again to get out to a great start at an LPGA event, just as she had in her previous start at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she had shot an almost unbelievable 62 in the first round. Here she matched her own tournament record with a 9 under par 63. Ochoa's round consisted of two eagles, a bogey and a bunch of birdies. Ahn, meanwhile, scored six consecutive birdies from holes 11 - 16 in her round and shot a 7 under par 65, which put her alone in second place at the end of the day. Ahn and Ochoa battled it out for the lead much of the day until Ochoa made an eagle on the final hole of the day to take her two shot lead.

A whole bunch of players were tied for third at five under par, including Koreans Mi Hyun Kim, Jimin Kang, Jee Young Lee, and Seon Hwa Lee. Jimin was interviewed during the telecast and revealed that the difference in her round was a putting tip from retired tour pro and current golf commentator Dottie Pepper. Jimin speculated that she ought to take Pepper out to dinner to thank her.

In round two, the early action saw Lorena Ochoa play around even par for the day; as the telecast began, she was at 10 under par and still in the lead. Meanwhile, Paula Creamer, playing much earlier, finished her day by shooting an 8 under par 64 to move to 10 under for the tournament. Rookie Seon Hwa Lee was playing well, too; she sat 4 under for the day and 9 under total. Shi Hyun was even for the day at 7 under par. Young Kim, meanwhile, moved to 9 under with the par 5 18th yet to play. But she received a slow play penalty that knocked her back to 7 under. Although she parred her final hole, she never quite recovered from this penalty.

On the par 3 17th, meanwhile, American Brittany Lincicome made a 15 foot birdie putt to move to 10 under herself. The leaderboard was getting crowded. Seon Hwa had some birdie chances, but could not make one; on the 18th hole, however, after a dicey drive, she hit a solid recovery, then striped her third shot to within an inch of going into the hole on the fly. Easy birdie to move to 10 under total after her second straight 67.

Jimin Kang continued to play well; she moved to 9 under for the day, then herself moved to 10 under following a two putt birdie on the par 5 9th hole. But coming in she made multiple bogies and wound up at 5 under, even for the day. Shi Hyun Ahn also moved to 10 under, but would wind up at 9 under by the end of the day. But after a lackluster front nine, Ochoa made several birdies coming in and finished the day in the lead at 13 under par. Lincicome was second at 11 under, with Creamer and Seon Hwa tied for third at 10 under. However, Creamer had the better score on Friday, and so would play with Ochoa and Lincicome in the final group on Saturday. Shi Hyun was by herself in 5th at 9 under par.

Unfortunately for Se Ri Pak fans, Se Ri did not have a good week in Vegas. Up to this point in the season, she had not really had a great tournament, but hadn't really had a bad one either. Even when she missed the cut, like at the Safeway International, it was by a small margin. This week, however, things just didn't go her way, and she missed the cut by a few strokes. Things would improve in the next few weeks for her, though.

The sponsor, Takefuji, is obviously a Japanese company, and in order to have the final round shown on TV on Sunday afternoon in Japan, they always have it end on Saturday in the States. And so, what would normally be moving day in most events became the final day in this one. As the broadcast started, the big mover in the morning had been Juli Inkster. She had absolutely blistered the course, shooting a staggering seven straight birdies at one point. But just when she was in a position to seriously threaten for the title, she made a few bogies. She would end up posting a total of 13 under par, which became the early score to beat.

Meanwhile, if Ochoa was feeling any anxiety, she wasn't showing it. She started the day at 13 under, and made several birdies early in her round. By the time she reached the 9th hole she was already at 16 under, and another birdie there moved her to 17 under. The nearest competitor at that point, besides Inkster, was Brittany Lincicome, who was at 12 under. Seon Hwa Lee had only been able to gain one shot on par in the first nine and was at 11 under total. Mi Hyun Kim was having a good day and was at 10 under, while Jeong Jang shot a 6 under par 66 and finished her day at 9 under. Jimin Kang had bounced back from her disastrous end to her second round and was again at 9 under. A top ten was a real chance for her; she had not had one since the week after her win at Corning in 2005.

Mi Hyun Kim was not hitting a lot of greens, but she was playing fabulous around those greens. On 11 she chipped the ball to inches for an easy par save. She finally hit the green on 12, and drained her 10 foot putt for birdie to move to 12 under. But she was still five shots behind the leader, and winning seemed like a remote possibility. The deficit became six shots when Ochoa made another birdie after leaving an eagle try on 10 a tiny bit short. She was now at 18 under and had a five shot lead over Lincicome.

Ochoa almost made birdie on the 11th hole, but just missed. Lincicome made her birdie there, and for the first time, someone actually gained (minimally) on Ochoa. But she was still four shots back, and time was running out. Meanwhile, up ahead, Seon Hwa Lee made a 20 foot birdie putt on the 13th hole to move to 12 under herself. She followed that with a 30 foot birdie from the fringe on the next hole to move to 13 under, which left her tied for third at the time. However, she was forced to play the next hole conservatively, and though she made a great lag putt, ended up with a tap-in par. The win seemed unlikely unless Ochoa made some mistakes; but a second place finish was still a possibility.

Kimmie ended up finishing the tournament at 12 under, which would be good enough for a solo fifth place finish. It was her second top five of the year, and a portent of more good things to come for the diminutive star. Back on the 15th hole, Ochoa had finally made a mistake. She hit a poor drive and ended up behind some trees. Her punchout shot was not all that good, but she still hit a great pitch from there and saved par. Moments later, Seon Hwa hit a 7 iron to within a foot on the 16th hole for a kick-in birdie that moved her to 14 under and a tie with Lincicome in second place. And she wasn't done yet!

On the 16th hole, Ochoa again flirted with the trees off the tee. But this time she hit a decent approach that found the green, and once more made par easily. But Lincicome finally made a birdie to move to within three shots of the lead. Moments later, on the 17th hole, Seon Hwa made yet another birdie to also move to 15 under. That was her fourth birdie in the previous five holes. The rookie continued to astound.

Seon Hwa then bombed her drive on 18, but decided, based on her lie, to lay up. But she hit a corker of a third shot that went well past the flag, then rocketed back to within 5 feet. She buried that birdie as well, her fifth in the final six holes, to move to 16 under par. For the moment she was only two shots out of the lead. But Ochoa saved par on 17, and hit a good drive on 18. It seemed that only Lincicome could deprive her of the win now.

But Lincicome made a major mistake with her second shot. She had the length to reach the green, but chunked it right into the water fronting the green. She wound up bogeying the hole, and falling to third place at 14 under. Ochoa made birdie and won by 3. But Seon Hwa Lee notched her third second place finish of the year with a 16 under par total. Amazingly, she had averaged better than 67 for three rounds and still had not won the event. Sometimes the golf gods are not with you. Despite the great achievement of a rookie making three second place finishes, Lee was more frustrated than happy by her third runner up result. Next time, she said, she would get the win! Among the other Koreans, Kimmie, as mentioned before, finished fifth, with Shi Hyun Ahn struggling to a 4 over par 76 that caused her to fall all the way to 24th. Jeong Jang and Jimin Kang, however, finished tied for ninth. For Jimin it was her first top ten in nearly a year, and she was quite happy about it. So, four Seoul Sisters in the top ten, but no win for the ladies this week. Fortunately, better things were to come for them in the next two events.