Shin Drives Ahead in KIA Classic

Jiyai Shin Leads Kia Classic

Rolex Rankings No. 2 Jiyai Shin leads by a shot entering the final round of the Kia Classic. 

Shin bogeyed the 18th hole to give her a one-shot lead at 15-under-par 204 over Sandra Gal. Shin carded five birdies and two bogeys for a three-under-par 70 on Saturday. An eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Shin is seeking her first victory of the season at the Kia Classic and is quickly approaching the $4 million mark in career earnings. This is Shin’s fourth LPGA event of the season and her best finish so far in 2011 is a tie for 11th at the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.

Sandra Gal is chasing the leader Shin by one stroke, after shooting a 3-under 70 in the third round. Gal finished up her second round on Saturday morning when play resumed at 7:30 a.m. and went 3-under on the back nine to put her within a stroke of Shin entering the third round. Gal kept herself within a stroke of Shin by tallying four birdies and one bogey in Saturday’s third round. Gal’s career best finish is a tie for fifth at the LPGA Corning Classic in 2009.

Some of the LPGA’s top players are also in pursuit of Shin entering Sunday’s final round. Na Yeon Choi, who is currently No. 4 in the Rolex Rankings, turned into the low round of the day Saturday with an 8-under 65 to vault her into third place at 9-under-par 210 and six strokes out of the lead. I.K. Kim, who is No. 7 in the Rolex Rankings, sits right behind Choi at 8-under-par 211.

There are 18 players who are competing for 10 spots in next week’s Kraft Nabisco Championship. The top 10 finishers in the Kia Classic who are not otherwise qualified for the LPGA’s first major of the year will earn entry into the tournament. The 18 players who are competing for those open spots are: Mindy Kim, Paige Mackenzie, Moira Dunn, Pornanong Phatium, Christel Boeljon, Marcy Hart, Reilly Rankin, Allison Fouch, Becky Morgan, Kris Tamulis, Danah Bordner, Pernilla Lindberg, Aree Song, Stephanie Sherlock, Sarah Lee, Lorie Kane, and Stephanie Louden.

Na Yeon Choi recorded an eagle 2 on No. 6, a par four. She used a 48-degree wedge to hole out from 106 yards, landing the ball just a little past the pin and spinning it back into the hole

Candie Kung eagled the par four 14th hole by holing her second shot from 136 yards with an eight iron.

First round leader Amanda Blumenherst shot an even-par 73 to remain at 6-under for the tournament and in a tie for sixth place with Mindy Kim.

Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng shot a 1-under 72 on Saturday and is tied for 14th overall at 3-under-par 216.

Jiyai Shin Takes Kia Classic Lead

Jiyai Shin

Second-ranked Jiyai Shin shot a bogey-free 9-under 64, birdieing nine of the first 14 holes, to take a four-stroke lead in the rain-delayed Kia Classic.

The South Korean star, an eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour, had a 12-under 134 total on the Industry Hills Golf Club course at Pacific Palms.

Germany's Sanda Gal was second at 8 under with nine holes left when play was suspended for the day because of darkness. Seventy-two players, the entire afternoon group, were unable to finish the round after rain delayed the start three hours.

Michelle Wie, returning to the tour after finishing finals at Stanford, followed an opening 68 with a 75 to drop nine strokes behind Shin at 3 under. Wie bogeyed three of her final four holes.

Shin missed only one fairway and one green in regulation and finished with 25 putts. She made four birdie putts from 12 feet or longer.

KIA Classic Leader board

Blumenherst Drives Ahead in Kia Classic

Amanda Blumenherst 

Amanda Blumenherst of the USA carded a seven under par round of 66 to lead by one shot in the first round of the Kia Classic, which was suspended for darkness at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday,  with one player still on the course. 

Blumenherst birdied the final four holes of her round on Thursday at the Industry Hills Golf Club and shot a 30 on the back nine. She bogeyed two holes and birdied nine, en route to taking the first round lead. Blumenherst’s best finish in an LPGA tournament is a tie for fifth in the 2009 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge.

Sandra Gal is sitting one stroke behind Blumenherst after shooting a 6-under 67. Michelle Wie birdied the 18th hole, one of seven birdies for her on the day, to shoot a 4-under 69 and she currently sits in third place alone. There is a group of seven players who are four shots back of the leader which includes I.K. Kim, Mika Miyazato, and Jiyai Shin.

Dori Carter was the lone player not to finish Thursday’s round. She will putt out on her 18th hole (No. 9) at 7:15 a.m. on Friday.

Yani Tseng, No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings, shot an opening round 2-under 71 and currently sits in a seven-way tie for 10th

Cristina Kim eagled the par-four No. 6 hole by draining her second shot from 112 yards with a pitching wedge

Defending champion Hee Kyung Seo shot a four-over-par 77 and is in a tie for 98th place

The in form Karrie Webb is 1-under par and sits in a tie for 18th place with 12 other players.

Kia Classic Leader board

LPGA's Three Japanese Players Return

Ai Miyazato, Momoko Ueda and Mika Miyazato

Ai Miyazato spent four days fearing the absolute worst after the earthquake and tsunami devastated northern Japan.

When the star LPGA Tour golfer finally learned her friends were safe in tsunami-flattened Sendai, she resolved to join her fellow Japanese players in helping their homeland's recovery while still pursuing their careers.

Ai Miyazato, Momoku Ueda and Mika Miyazato are returning to the LPGA Tour this week at the Kia Classic in suburban Los Angeles. They announced plans Tuesday to channel their grief into disaster relief through a fundraising website and a supportive logo to wear in upcoming tournaments.

"I've never had this situation before, so it could be difficult to have good concentration during the tournament," said Ai Miyazato, the former world No. 1. "But all I can do is just stay in the present and do something like playing really good ... and hopefully get back good news to Japan. Maybe one of my responsibilities is to provide hope and courage to the Japanese people, but at the same time just be able to deal with the day-to-day tasks as they appear."

The three players have paid to set up a fundraising site for a nonprofit relief organization, and they're hoping their fellow pros will join them in wearing the self-designed buttons with Japanese characters reading: "Makeruna Nippon," or "Never Give Up Japan."

But the tragedy is still fresh in the minds of the golfers, who were all in Japan when the earthquake and tsunami hit March 11.

Ueda was on the freeway in Tokyo when the earthquake hit, literally feeling the ground shake beneath her.

"The initial emotion was speechless, and it's still the same right now," Ueda said. "I've seen someone being rescued after nine days at the site, as well as other stories. I feel sadness, (but) feeling sad just can't move us forward in the right direction. So with golf, hopefully, I can provide smiles to as many people as possible. Right now sadness is behind me."

Mika Miyazato, no relation to Ai Miyazato, was on a flight from Okinawa to Osaka, not learning exactly what happened until the following day.

"It's certainly difficult right now," Mika Miyazato said. "But I feel that it is one of my responsibilities as a professional golfer to go out and play, hopefully be able to provide hope and courage to the Japanese people."

Ai Miyazato's family is from southern Japan, but she went to high school in northern Sendai. She spent several days trying to contact close friends who lost their houses but managed to stick together in a gymnasium.

"Everyone is safe," Ai Miyazato said. "At least that makes me feel relief."

She was still in Japan after finishing 14th in the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. Miyazato won that event and the LPGA Thailand in 2010, becoming the first player in 44 years to sweep the LPGA's first two events of the season.

Miyazato finished with five victories last year, holding the No. 1 ranking for a stretch.

All three players are wearing their self-designed buttons on their caps, and top-ranked Yani Tseng also wore the button Tuesday at her news conference. The Japanese golfers plan to distribute the buttons to others during the evening player meeting, asking them to display the logo on their caps or bags.

All three players only returned from Japan a few days ago, but they'll attempt to get their seasons back on track while keeping bigger concerns in mind.

"I didn't even know if coming to the U.S. was the right decision," Mika Miyazato said. "But I feel that I want people to get back to their normal lives and live their normal lives as soon as possible."

LPGA KIA Classic Returns to Los Angeles

Yani Tseng

The final field has been set for the Kia Classic, and befitting the LPGA’s return to the Los Angeles area for the first time in six years, the tournament is packed with star power.

Rolex Rankings World No. 1 Yani Tseng and World No. 2 Jiyai Shin lead a major-championship-caliber field into the March 21st - 27th tournament at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms. The field features all of the top 10 and 22 of the top 25 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including the defending champions of all four LPGA majors.

“This field is truly spectacular,” tournament director Dennis Baggett said. “Nearly every top player in the world will be here, and we expect a tremendously competitive tournament because of that. We’re excited about the opportunity to showcase the LPGA to the great fans of Southern California.”

The 144-player field for the Kia Classic includes 2010 Rolex Player of the Year Tseng and Shin as well as top American Cristie Kerr, 2010 leading money winner Na Yeon Choi, American favorites Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lincicome, global stars Suzann Pettersen and Ai Miyazato, and many other great stars of the LPGA.

The field also includes defending champion Hee Kyung Seo and sponsor exemptions Shasta Averyhardt (the fourth African-American player ever to earn LPGA membership), Blair O’Neal (who appeared in last month’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in an ad for Cobra PUMA golf) and Julie Yang, a top Korean amateur.

Two players will also earn spots into the field via an open qualifier on Monday, March 21.

Tseng, the 2010 Rolex Player of the Year, won two major championships last season – the Kraft Nabisco Championship and RICOH Women’s British Open – and needs only a U.S. Women’s Open win to complete the career Grand Slam.

Shin is an eight-time LPGA winner who earned her first major championship victory at the 2008 RICOH Women’s British Open before joining the tour full-time in 2009, when she was awarded Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honours. 

Kerr, the top-ranked American player at No. 5 in the Rolex Rankings, owns 14 career victories and has won two major championships, including her record-breaking 12-stroke victory at last year’s LPGA Championship Presented by Wegmans.

Choi finished the 2010 season atop the money list, winning twice and logging 15 top-10 finishes in 22 events. 

Wie notched her first career victory late in the 2009 season, then added win No. 2 at the 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Open. Despite playing just 18 tournaments last year while balancing her course load as a full-time student at Stanford, she had five top-10 finishes and was ninth on the money list.

Creamer is a nine-time winner on the LPGA who finally broke through last year with her first victory in a major championship. She won the U.S. Women’s Open despite missing significant time due to a thumb injury. 

Pressel is a two-time winner on the LPGA who won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2007, her second full season on tour.

Lincicome is among the LPGA’s biggest hitters, averaging 266 yards per drive last season. She is a three-time winner, and won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2009.

The Kia Classic – which brings the LPGA back to the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles for the first time in six years – will feature a full field of 144 LPGA players battling for a $1.7 million purse at the tournament’s new host venue, Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms. Tournament week is scheduled for March 21-27 and will feature a qualifier and practice rounds Monday, practice rounds Tuesday, a pro-am Wednesday and four competitive rounds Thursday-Sunday.

Kia Classic Final Field