By Kent Gray
The Jutanugarn sisters, Ariya and Moriya, will be joined by another high-flying Thai prodigy, Atthaya Thitikul, as the headline acts at the 15th Dubai Moonlight Classic later this month.

Legendary Dame Laura Davies, the now 57-year-old four-time major champion, and two-time Solheim Cup-winning captain Catriona Matthew, 52, were the other big names confirmed on Monday for the Oct. 27-29 Ladies European Tour Pro-Am to be played on The Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club.

After an 11-year association with Omega, the UAE’s only professional ladies event also has a new tournament partner with the €260,000 Dubai Moonlight Classic now “presented by EGA”. Emirates Global Aluminium is a long-time supporter of the Dubai Classics which are owned and organised by Falcon and Associates.

Ariya Jutanugarn, 25, is a former world No.1 and became the first golfer, male or female, from Thailand to win a major when she captured the 2016 Women’s British Open. She has since won the 2018 U.S. Open among her 12 LPGA Tour victories.

Moriya, 27, was LPGA Tour rookie-of-the-year in 2013 and has gone on to claim two titles on the world’s richest female tour, the most recent of which, the Dow Great Lakes Bay (teams) Invitational, was emotionally shared with her younger sister in July.

Thitikul is famous for becoming the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf event when she won the LET’s Thailand Championship as an amateur on July 9, 2017, aged just 14 years, 4 months and 19 days.

David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Atthaya Thitikul during the opening round of the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie Golf Links on August 19, 2021 in Carnoustie, Scotland.

Now 18, Thitikul’s résumé boasts four LET wins and she is the current leader of the circuit’s season-long Race to Costa del Sol courtesy of victories in the Czech Ladies Open and Swiss Ladies Open and eight other top 10s in her 15 starts this season.

Thitikul is rated 28th in the latest Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, five places behind Ariya Jutanugarn and six spots ahead of 34th-ranked Moriya.

Davies, a seven-time LET Order of Merit winner and 20-time LPGA event champion, continues to compete at the highest level. She is 484th in the Rolex Rankings and finished 66th in both the Scottish and Women’s British Opens earlier this year. Matthew, meanwhile, is the first European captain to mastermind back-to-back Solheim Cup wins after orchestrating a thrilling 15-13 triumph at the Inverness Club in Ohio last month. She is 577th in the Rolex Rankings and has won six LET titles in a glittering career.

After Covid-19 safety precautions ensured the 2020 Dubai Moonlight Classic was played behind closed doors in a bio-secure bubble, the 2021 tournament will return with fans. However, there is a small tweak to the format with the Pro-Am portion of the event now limited to 18 holes after the amateurs contested the opening 36-holes last year.

“In addition to free entry for all, a collaboration with Truckers UAE is set to provide spectators with a variety of culinary delights from the city’s vibrant local F&B scene, while golf taster sessions run by the Peter Cowen Academy will be available for all age groups and abilities, providing family fun under the floodlights,” Falcon and Associates said in a media statement.   

They said it…

Laura Davies
“It is always a pleasure to return to Dubai; the players love to come here and tackle the Faldo. The weather and conditions are perfect for golf, and the atmosphere is always excellent. Playing under floodlights is something unique and it gives the event an attractive dimension for new fans.”

Catriona Matthew
“Dubai has always been a favourite destination for women’s golf and the city is a long-term supporter of the Ladies European Tour. Once again the strong field and the tournament will inspire more interest in the game with female audience – it would be great to see more young Arab girls playing the sport.”

Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director
“The Dubai Moonlight Classic is one of the most highly anticipated, inclusive events on Dubai’s social and sporting schedule.  We look forward to welcoming fans on Thursday and Friday to a celebration of world-class sport, food, and entertainment set against the stunning Dubai Marina backdrop.”     

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By Ryan Herrington
As if the 2017 season wasn’t already eventful enough for Lexi Thompson, it became even more so—frustratingly—on Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club.

Facing a par putt from two feet to potentially lock up the LPGA’s CME Globe Tour Championship title—and with it every major LPGA honor available—the 22-year-old American star inexplicably pushed the putt right. Her lone bogey of the day left her with a five-under 67 for the day to finish 14 under for the championship. More importantly, it opened the door for Ariya Jutanuguarn, who made birdie on the 18th to pass Thompson and win the LPGA season finale with a 15-under 273 total.

While the runner-up finish still allowed Thompson to claim the season-long Race to the Globe title (and it’s accompanying $1 million bonus) and the Vare Trophy for season-long low stroke average (69.144, lowest in LPGA history), she needed victory to grab Rolex Player of the Year honors, jump to the top of the LPGA money list and move into the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Rankings. When all the points were tabulated, Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu wound up sharing POY honors, a first in LPGA history, while Thompson finished tied for third with Shanshan Feng. And Park finished first on the money list with $2.3 million.

Thompson had been playing masterful golf on Sunday, quickly jumping past the foursome of players (including Jutanugarn) who held a one-stroke advantage on her entering the final round in Naples, Fla., with birdies on three of her first six holes. She continued to hang on to the lead on the back nine at Tiburon. When her second shot on the par-5 17th missed the green left, she easily got up and down for a birdie to get to 15 under.

Thompson hit the 18th fairway off the tee and saw her approach shot settle 60 feet from the hole. A great lag on her birdie try seemed to be enough as playing partner Jessica Korda could do no better than par the hole to finish at 14 under. But then Thompson missed her par attempt.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it. I putted great the whole day,” Thompson said. “I did my routine, I read it. It wasn’t obviously a very long putt. I guess maybe just a little bit of adrenaline. … I guess it’s just golf. Crazy things happen like that. I’ll move on.”

Jutanugarn started the day among the quartet holding the lead, but got off to an ignominious start when she topped her opening drive on the par-5 first hole en route to a bogey 6. But the 21-year-old, who won player of the year honors in 2016, rebounded and stayed close the rest of the afternoon making birdies on the 13th, 14th and 17th holes. After Thompson, two groups ahead of her, made the bogey on the 18th hole, Jutanugarn hit the fairway off the tee and knocked her approach shot to 20 feet. Showing few nerves, Jutanugarn holed the downhill slider to avoid a playoff with Thompson and Korda, grab her seventh career LPGA win and second of 2017.

“This week to be honest I had no expectations at all,” said Jutanugarn, who came into the week with three missed cuts and just one top-20 in her last eight starts. “I really wasn’t thinking about the outcome any more at all. I really thought only about the things I could control. And I have so much fun this week.”

Jutanugarn closed birdie-birdie to claim the title in the LPGA season finale, her seventh career title. (Photo by Sam Greenwood)

Thompson, of course, is familiar with harrowing finishes in big events, the four-stroke penalty she received at the ANA Inspiration that cost her the year’s first major title becoming an iconic moment of the 2017 season. Her ability to bounce back from that disappointment—she who two tournaments with eight top-five finishes in 20 starts this season—was one of the more impressive storylines in golf this year. It was made all the more impressive by the fact she did it while also handling the off-course issue of her mother, Judy, battling cancer.

The missed putt might be even more challenging to overcome as it was a mistake of Thompson’s own volition, but it’s one that perhaps no player on the LPGA Tour is better able to handle.

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By Keely Levins

Winning isn’t anything new for Jin Young Ko. Just winning on the LPGA Tour. The 22-year-old South Korean native who has nine career victories on the KLPGA claimed her first LPGA title on Sunday at the KEB Hana Bank Championship in Incheon. And she did it in dramatic fashion, holding off Sung Hyun Park, the reigning U.S. Women’s Open champ and World No. 2.

Ko never shot worse than a 68 at the Ocean Course at Sky72 Golf & Resort, with rounds of 68-67-66-68 for a 19 under total that edged Park by two strokes, In Gee Chun by three and earned her $300,000.

This was Ko’s third LPGA start, and her lack of experience showed a bit during the first few holes of the final round. She bogeyed the second and third holes, while Park, who had started the day two strokes back, birdied three of her first five holes. It looked like Park, a shoo-in for LPGA rookie-of-the-year honors, was in control of the tournament, where a victory meant she could potentially take of the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings.

But then Ko steadied herself and birdied four of the last five holes. She added two more birdies on the back. Bogeys on 14 and 16 for Park kept her from passing Ko again on the leader board.

“After I made the two bogeys, I had a really long chat with my caddie, Dean, about why I was so nervous,” said Ko, through a translator, after her round. “I realized I had no reason to be nervous, and I was actually putting a lot of pressure on myself. So after that, Dean was there, he kept reminding me that being nervous was quite natural, that I needed to accept those nerves. I think I kept reminding myself of that. I also tried to focus on the fact that even if there are bumps along the way, I can make opportunities to make up for the bumps.”

With the win, Ko has the option to join the LPGA Tour for the rest of this season and also for 2018. She may remain as a non-member for the remainder of 2017, and still obtain membership status next season.

In 2017 on the KLPGA, Ko has won twice and had nine additional top-10s in 18 starts.

Americans Lizette Salas and Marina Alex finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Salas, a member of the winning U.S. Solheim Cup Team, shot 14 under for the week and Alex finished at 13 under.

The LPGA Tour continues their swing in Asia this coming week, as they play the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taipei, Taiwan.

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By Ryan Herrington
Michelle Wie withdrew from the LPGA’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday and announced through her management team, IMG, that she was undergoing surgery this afternoon to remove her appendix.

Wie was tied for 23rd, six strokes behind leaders Mo Martin and Nicole Broch Larsen after rounds of 71-68-70 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. A week earlier, she went 1-2-0 while playing for the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team.

Thus far in 2017, Wie has had seven top-10 finishes in 17 starts and sits 30th on the Rolex Rankings. In July, she had to withdraw during the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Bedminster due to muscle spasms in her neck. In her next two starts, she finished tied for 19th at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open and tied for third at the Ricoh Women’s British Open

Here is the statement Wie’s management group, IMG:

Michelle Wie has withdrawn from @cpwomensopen. The following statement was provided by her management team @IMGgolf pic.twitter.com/THTEPQMltE

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 27, 2017

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By Ryan Herrington

There shouldn’t be any question this time that Ariya Jutanugarn is taking over the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Rankings. Not after her victory Sunday at the Manulife LPGA Classic.

The 21-year-old from Thailand outlasted Lexi Thompson and In Gee Chun in a playoff to claim her first LPGA title of 2017. The victory should push her past Lydia Ko as the top women’s player in the world when the numbers are officially crunched on Monday, ending an 85-week run that was believed to have been broken last week.

A bug in the projections for the Rolex Rankings meant that Ko was still barely hanging on to the top spot, .01 points ahead of Jutanugarn entering the Canadian tour stop, where Ko was not playing.

“To be honest, I didn’t pay attention with the ranking,” Jutanugarn said. “I only want to go out and have fun.”

Jutanugarn started Sunday at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ontario, three strokes back of Thompson, but rallied with a closing three-under 69 to get to 17-under 271 overall. Meanwhile, Thompson, who at one point held a four-stroke lead on Sunday, stumbled home. She bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes, missing a four-footer for par on the latter, and played the final seven holes of the round in three over par for an even-par 72. It meant that she, Chun and Jutanugarn had to return to the par-4 18th for a sudden-death playoff. There, Jutanugarn made birdie to seal her sixth career LPGA title but her first in a playoff.

This was Thompson’s second playoff loss of the season—the other coming infamously at the ANA Inspiration—and leaves her with a 0-3 playoff record on tour.

“I made everything, it seemed like, all week,” Thompson said, “and then just two last putts I guess on the last two holes … actually last three holes. I had like a five-footer, six-footer, and about a four-footer and missed them all. If I made those I would’ve won, but that’s golf I guess.”

Besides overtaking Ko on the Rolex Rankings, Jutanugarn also jumped So Yeon Ryu from No. 2 to No. 1 on the Race to the CME Globe points list. However, Jutanugarn’s celebration plans are awfully tame. She says she’ll be texting her sister, Moriya, and getting some sleep in the car as she and her caddie drive to Grand Rapids, Mich., for next week’s LPGA event.

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We’ve been saying it for a couple weeks now: Lydia Ko will lose her title as No. 1 player in the world. Officials with the Rolex Rankings even projected that it would happen this week—which is why we told all of you that it was going to happen this week. But, here we are on Monday morning looking at the updated rankings and Ko is still at the top. By .01 points over Ariya Jutanugarn.

So, what happened?

Long story short, there was a “bug in the projection tool,” according to an email explanation offered this morning by the technical provider of the rankings. Officials ran their projections at the beginning of last week, before the ShopRite LPGA event, using the usual method of averaging points accrued during the past 104 weeks. The projections tool mistakenly included the 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic as part of the calculations. Both Ko and Jutanugarn played in that event, giving them events-played totals of 51 and 58 respectively. Using that data set, Jutanugarn was projected to overtake Ko in the world rankings after the ShopRite.

However, when the tool was run again Monday morning after the ShopRite, the 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic was, correctly, bumped out of that 104-week window. Neither Ko nor Jutanugarn played in the ShopRite. So, their number of events-played used in calculating their world rankings changed from 51 and 58 to 50 and 57.

So, if you change the number of tournaments played, you’re going to change the average points. For Ko, it changed it just enough. Her points are 8.37 and Jutanugarn stands at 8.36.

A bunch of English majors like us can certainly see how this kind of mistake could be made, and we’re not in the business of ridiculing the brave people out there who work with numbers. But you’d think someone might have realized running the tool a week later would change the dataset and thus, the results. At any rate, Ko begins her 85th week on top. And we’re guessing the team with the Rolex Rankings are going to double check the projections this week before any promises are made about Ko losing her No. 1 status.

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