2012 Sybase Golf Match Play Championship a battle for Munoz, Kung and Pressel

Gladstone, NJ (MAY 20, 2012) – Azahara Munoz won the 2012 Sybase Match Play Championship after defeating Candie Kung 2&1 in a back-and-forth match in the final round at Hamilton Farm Golf Club.

 

“We congratulate Azahara Munoz on her outstanding play over six exhilarating matches,” said John Chen, Chairman, CEO and President of Sybase. “It’s great that she becomes a Rolex First-Time Winner at our tournament, a memory both Aza and Sybase will cherish. We would also like to recognize Candie Kung for advancing to the finals by eliminating some of the top competitors in the field. We love the excitement the Sybase Match Play Championship brings to the LPGA Tour, and this was a beautiful week for great golf.”

 

 

With the victory, the 24-year-old Spaniard becomes a Rolex First Time Winner on the LPGA Tour and adds $375,000 to her career earnings. After turning professional in September 2009, Munoz became the first Spaniard to win the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year in 2010, and finished in the top-10 three times in 2011. Munoz is also a member of the Spanish National Team.

 

“The golf course is unbelievable and the maintenance guys have done an amazing job,” said 19th-seeded Munoz. “The weather’s been perfect, the crowd is amazing here, and everything about Hamilton Farm is great – the food, the volunteers, so we all love coming here.”

 

Over the four-day tournament, Munoz faced a tough road to the finals, taking down Lindsey Wright (4&3), Hall of Famer Karrie Webb (2&1), Jodi Ewart (3&1) and Stacy Lewis (5&4). In the semifinals, Munoz defeated good friend Morgan Pressel (2&1).

 

It wasn't an easy day for Munoz who mentioned, "it's been ‑‑ you know, none of us play our best, but we didn't make many mistakes.  I feel at the end hole, 16 was kind of weird.  She got really unlucky on the ball bounce way left, so I got a good break there.  But other than that, I started pretty slow and then made really good birdies on 11, on 13, so that kind of got me going."

 

There were two incidents which cast a pall over the event. The first was a slow-play, loss-of-play ruling against Morgan Pressel. Pressel then turned the tables by calling a violation (unsupported) on Munoz for allegedly touching her putting line with her golf club.

 

All ended politely for the two ladies as Munoz stated, "We are really good friends. I guess what happens on the course stays on the course.”

 

As the 49^th seed, Kung’s route to the finals wasn’t any easier. After facing Catriona Matthew (3&1) in the round of 64, she defeated Haeji Kang (3&2), No. 1 Ranked Yani Tseng (3&1), Julieta Granada (2&1) and Vicky Hurst (2&1) before losing to Munoz in the final. Every player Kung faced was seeded higher than her. For her second place finish, Kung earns $225,000.

 

Morgan Pressel finished third, earning $150,000 by defeating fellow American Vicky Hurst in the consolation match, 2&1. Hurst banked $112,500 for her fourth place finish.

 

Through their finishes, Kung, Pressel and Hurst qualified for the year-ending CME Group Titleholders. Munoz punched her ticket through finishing tied for second at the LPGA LOTTE Championship.

 

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Photo credit: Sina.com

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Is Tiger Woods still the Number-One Athlete in the World?

According to Forbes Magazine, Tiger Woods remains the World's Most Powerful Athlete for the eleventh straight year. According to his stats, Tiger is in the top-ten in the Official World Rankings but, as he mentioned after the Players, he's getting "smoked." Smoked Tiger, or smokin'?

No, this isn't the cover of Forbes Magazine but Tiger certainly looks more menacing on this cover of Vanity Fair



Woods topped a list of well-known athletes despite a slide from sixth to twelfth position but still, no other athlete could catch him, not even Tim Tebow who didn't even make the list. Quite frankly, in 2006 I could understand his Forbes placement but being in the number one spot in 2012 leaves me stumped.

A second place finish at the Honda Classic and a win at Bay Hill seemed like the start of a Woods comeback but, a cut at the Wells Fargo Championship as well as two 4th place ties (Masters, The Players), has the internet buzzing about how Tiger ever kept his Forbes placement, the state of his mental game and physical condition.

Here are what a few writers had to say:

TheBigLead.com stated, "He did this despite being nowhere near dominant at golf, losing some sponsorship deals and pulling in a measly $58 million last year."

The HuffingtonPost.com added, "Well, at least according to Forbes" ... with SBNation having the most cutting remark about Tiger Woods, "he may be past his prime on the golf course..."  Ouch.

On the flip side, and probably the main reason Woods remains the top athlete on the Forbes list is that, as Emily Kay said, "whether golf fans love him or hate him, they want to watch him." In my opinion, as long as the fans keep tuning in and the ratings surge whenever Tiger is playing golf, he will remain as the world's most powerful athlete.

As for the reasoning behind the stats? Forbes states that "no other athlete is mentioned on TV and radio more than Woods," ranking fourth overall in print mentions. As for golfers like McIlroy and Mickelson, well...when sports execs were asked who they wanted to see most on TV, Rory grabbed 15% of the vote but execs weren't really interested in Phil at all (only a seven percent share.)

I guess Woods won't have to worry about placement next year either; his Forbes spot is safe...or is it?

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on Facebook.

photo credit

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous