Women’s Golf: Japan Dominates The QUEENS Wire-to-Wire
Women’s golf gained 9 new stars this weekend when the Japan LPGA team outgunned and outplayed the Europeans, Aussies and Koreans at The Queens Cup.
It was almost a clean sweep for the Japan LPGA team at The Queens Cup. They dominated the 1st round fourball matches and the 2nd round foursomes matches and went into the Sunday singles matches with enough of a lead that, as Dame Laura Davies observed, the Korea LPGA and LET teams were competing for 2nd place.
The Koreans came on strong in the singles matches, winning eight of their nine matches, but it wasn’t enough to catch Japan. The Japanese team ended The Queens Cup with 41 points, just three ahead of the Koreans. The LET team finished third with the ALPG in fourth.
Team Japan’s captain, Momoko Ueda, was finally able to step away from her cautious modesty and claim the victory.
"“I’m relieved and delighted at the same time. We worked superbly as a team, and our team spirit was definitely the key in the decisive moments. It turned out to be a tight contest in the end, but the players’ performances were superb throughout. It was a special experience and an honor to play alongside such wonderful players and I’m sure that this victory will mean a lot to everyone playing on the JLPGA Tour.”"
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The Japanese team won six and halved one of their nine singles matches, earning 19 points in bitterly cold conditions on Sunday. Misuzu Narita led the way in the top match with a 6&5 win over Catriona Matthew. Korea earned 14 points in the singles, starting in the second match when Jin Young Ko beat Whitney Hillier on the last hole but the outcome remained in the balance for much of the day.
In the third match, LET team captain Dame Laura Davies beat Australian Sarah Kemp by 2&1 in a thrilling match that went to the 17th. Davies was four up before Kemp eagled the long 15th to keep the match alive and the captain also lost the short 16th after her tee shot took a hard bounce left into a small valley.
Sarah-Jane Smith finally got a full point on the board for Australia with a 5&4 victory over Emily Kristine Pedersen before her captain Rachel Hetherington secured another win for Australia with a 2&1 win over Marianne Skarpnord giving the ALPG six points on the last day.
Hetherington heaped praise on the Aussies:
"“I’d like to say how proud I am of our team. It was a fierce competition and we didn’t have as many points as we’d have liked, but we had a great experience and were thrilled to be a part of the event, so I’m very proud of all the girls.”"
With the team pictures snapped, the cup hoisted and the congratulatory compliments exchanged, I have a lingering question:
How did a team with practically no experience in match play competition defeat three teams who brought deep match play experience to The QUEENS?
What happened at Miyoshi Country Club this weekend? Dame Laura Davies came to The QUEENS with the experience of 12 Solheim Cup competitions and the LET team were all experienced in match play competition in Solheim Cup and other venues.
Rachel Hetherington knows her way around match play competition as well. She and Karrie Webb walked away with a Women’s World Cup of Golf win 15 years ago and while she’s been away from competition for a while, strategy isn’t something you forget. Albeit sans Hetherington, the Aussies acquitted themselves very well in last year’s LPGA International Crown.
Korea has the strongest women’s golf complement in the world and quite frankly I expected them to dominate The QUEENS, even without Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu, who are top notch match play partners. But not until the Sunday singles matches did the Koreans flex their golf muscles.
So I’m left wondering what happened at Miyoshi Country Club, and at how a group of players with very little match play experience were able to out-play and out-maneuver some of the craftiest match play competitors in the women’s golf.
Sometimes there’s just no rational explanation for the outcome of a round of golf.
Next: LPGA 2016 Season: More is Better!
If you’re addicted to women’s match play competition, your next fix will come at the LPGA International Crown, July 21-24 at Chicago’s Merit Club.