LPGA Brings Their Show to the Tri-State Area

Added by Philip Mathew on May 17, 2012.

Hamilton Farm Golf Club is hosting the Sybase Match Play LPGA event, May 17th - 20th.

After a strong start to the 2012 season, the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) comes to the east coast for three events in four weeks.

The first two events take place in New Jersey: The Sybase Match Play Championship, taking place this week in Gladstone, N.J., and the ShopRite LPGA Classic, in Galloway, N.J. on the first of June.  After spending a few weeks in New Jersey, the tour goes to Pittsford, N.Y. for the second major of the year – the Wegmans LPGA Championship from June 7-10.

As previously mentioned, the Sybase Match Play Championship starts today and a strong field of players is on hand to win the first prize of $375,000.  In it’s third year, the Match Play is one of the tougher events on tour, since a player must beat six others head-to-head to win.

Usually, most of the LPGA events are metal play, so total score for three or four rounds under par wins the tournament.  Match play usually has surprise results because if a player is off, they can be sent home that day.  For the top players, they have to be focused and on top form to win this tournament.

Yani Tseng and Stacy Lewis are two players to watch this week.  Tseng, the number one player in the ROLEX Women’s World Golf Rankings, has won three events this season and is a heavy favorite to win the Match Play this week.

Lewis, a former Kraft Nabisco Champion, won the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic at the end of April for her second tour win.  Lewis was coming off a second at this year’s Kraft Nabisco to 2010 Sybase winner Sun Young Yoo.

While the South Korean players and Taiwan (with Tseng) have dominated the tour, the American contingent is strong and is experienced in match play.  Former U.S. Women’s Open Champions Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer lead an outstanding group of players that has experience in the Curtis and Solheim Cup.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen and Yoo are among the 64 players in this year’s field.  Here are some interesting numbers to consider as the tournament starts:

6 – The number of first round matchups that involve two American players

7 – The number of members in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings Top 10 rankings in the tournament, including number one player Yani Tseng.

18 – The number of players in the Top-25 in the ROLEX Women’s World Golf Rankings playing this week.

21 – The number of American players playing this week at the Sybase Match Play Championship.

Keep up with the Sybase Match Play Championship on DoubleGSports.com and on Twitter (@DoubleGSports, @philipgmathew).