I like reading Beth Ann Baldry over at <i>Golfweek</i> so once or twice a week I'll check to see if she's got a new post.  While doing so this morning, I noticed the Sagarin Perfomance Index .  Check their POST - PGA  Championship rankings:

1.  Phil Mickelson

2. Sergio Garcia

3. Kenny Perry

4. Camilo Villegas

5. Justin Leonard

6. Robert Karlsson

7. Adam Scott

8. <b>Padraig Harrington</b>

So, the guy who has won the last two majors, and three of the last 6, has seven guys who haven't won much of anything above him.  What kind of deal is that?

Some have criticized Sagarin for various reasons.  I always figured if they ranked people somewhat close to how other services rank, they're reasonably valid.  Post-PGA Championship, this is ridiculous.

Stacy Lewis Makes Anticipated Tour Debut

Stacy Lewis of The Woodlands, Texas, made her debut with the Duramed FUTURES Tour with a round of 2-over-par 74. Lewis finished in a tie for third at the U.S. Women's Open Championship earlier this year tied for fifth at the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship as an amateur in 2007.

A frustrating 33 putts left Lewis searching for answers on the driving range and putting green after her round.

"It was fun playing and it's fun to be out here," Lewis said. "I didn't hit the ball well or putt well and that doesn't add up to a very good day."

Lewis graduated earlier this year as a four-time All-American from the University of Arkansas.

Details Here.

Story here

So, she didn't get an invite to Reno, but she understands the need to play competitive golf on some level in order to stay sharp.

This will really be interesting.  The London, KY event is close enough that I could go down there for a day.  Unfortunately I won't be able to make it.

CG, that's only 4 or so hours north of you.  Maybe you should go then report back?  OK, I admit I'm adding words so I exceed the seventy-five word limit to get this posted where I want it.

Saturday at the FUTURES Tour was relatively uneventful for me.  My threesome consisted of Haley Gildea, a tour rookie; Julia Huh, an amateur from Maryland; and second year player Anastasia Kostina from Russia.  None of the golfers had a spectacular round and none made the cut.

Anastasia has some name recognition because she and her sister, Maria, are the first Russians to participate on any tour in the US.

Sunday was much more interesting.

My threesome was Sasha Medina, Song Yi Choi, and Briana Vega. 

Sasha, is in her seventh year on tour.  She had a decent front nine, but lost her focus on the 10th, where she three-putted from about two feet.  She went on to shoot 79.

Song Yi is one of the players who I carried a bag for last year.  This is her second year on tour.  She has spent most of the year in the top five on the money list.  Song Yi had an up and down day, but scrambled to finish with a 1-under 70.  She seems much more confident this year.

Bri, of course, was the winner of Big Break VI.  She shot a respectable 73, but was penalized one stroke for slow play.

Each player had someone to carry her bag, Song Yi (mother), Bri (father), and Sasha (tour player Cristina Baena), so my only tasks were to speed ahead to find where tee shots landed and be unofficial scorekeeper.  As a group we were very slow.  Although Bri got the penalty I think Sasha was more deserving because of what I thought to be an excessive pre-shot routine.  Bri isn't blameless though.  Her father carries her big tour bag.  He's not young and the bag is big and getting heavier by the hole.  I think it would benefit her if she switched to lighter carry bag.   

On the whole it was a pretty good week.  When asked, and I did, Kim Welch won't tell whether she won Big Break.

Mason, Ohio is the site of the second annual Duramed Championship.  This year it's being held at the Golf Center at King's Island.  It's a par 71, playing 6,183 yards.  Of course, Mindy Kim shot a 64 and is tied for the lead with Stephanie Otteson, but that's not my story. 

When I arrived at the course I was originally scheduled to go with the 1:20 group off the 10th tee.  I ran into Kim Augusta, a tour veteran for whom I drove flast year.  We chatted for a few minutes, then we brow-beat the cart driver supervisor into letting me work Kim's group.  In addition to Kim, the threesome included fourth-year player Stella Lee and fourth-year player, and Big Break VI competitor Sarah Lynn Sargent.

Since I spent the day with only one group, I really can't say what happened elsewhere on the course.  I can tell you we started on the back nine and none of the players had a caddy so I carried all three bags. 

On the first nine, Kim carded three birdies by keeping her tee shots in or just off the fairway and displaying  some excellent putting.  Although she had a couple of bogies on the first nine, she managed to finish -1 before the second nine kicked her butt, or rather the cup on number three did.  Kim pulled her drive to the left of the fairway, which has a slight dog-leg left.  Her second shot was well placed short of the
green-side bunker on the right.  Her third was a pitch over the flag about 10-feet, but she was left with a fairly slippery downhill putt for par.  That one, grazed the cup and slid by leaving her with about three feet up hill for bogey.  Her putt hit the back of the cup and bounced right back at her -- in-freakin-credible.  None of us could believe what happened.  She cleaned it up, but the double bogey ruined an otherwise really good round.  Kim finished the day at +3, 74.   

Sarah, who is probably in the 270-yard range with her driver, hit fairways and greens with regularity but couldn't get any putts to drop so through her first seven holes she had seven pars.  On her eighth hole, she pulled her drive into the deep rough, where she muscled her second shot out of the heavy stuff, but still in the rough.  Her third shot found the bunker behind the green.  After escaping the bunker, she two-putted for a double bogey, which effectively crashed her round.  Subsequent drives were scattered right and left.  When she shifted to her three-wood off the tee for awhile Sarah straightened things out and pulled off some nice up-and-downs to finish the second nine one over.  Sarah finished her day with a +3 74.

A lot of women come and go on the FUTURES Tour.  It's fairly easy to keep track of the high-profile golfers, such as those who have spent time on the Big Break, but those who haven't tend to toil in obscurity.  Such is the plight of Stella Lee.  Although she was the shortest of the three off the tee, I don't think she missed a fairway all day long.  On the par-3 holes, she was either on the green or just in the fringe.  But her day was marred by par putts that didn't drop, her first nine she carded four bogies and only one birdie.  By the second nine, those par, and some birdie, putts started to fall.  Stella finished with a 2-over 73.

Driving three bags ended up being not much more difficult than two.  It only took a hole or so to get into the flow of a player grabbing her club(s) upon reaching her drive, then I'd move the cart to the next ball.  Sarah, being the long hitter that she is, is probably accustomed to waiting for her sticks to arrive. 

Although there isn't much chatting going on I had a great time.  I'm looking forward to my group tomorrow at 8:10 am.

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