Ariya seeking first title of year
Thai could close gap on No.1 Ko this week
CARLSBAD: Ariya Jutanugarn will be trying to secure her first win of the season at this week’s Kia Classic in California following two consecutive runner-up finishes.
The Thai was joint second along with South Korean Chun In-Gee and American Stacy Lewis, two shots behind champion Anna Nordqvist of Sweden at last week’s Founders Cup in Phoenix.
A week earlier, Ariya, 21, lost to South Korea’s Park In-Bee by a stroke at the HSBC Champions in Singapore.
After her poor performance at the season opener in the Bahamas, Ariya has not finished outside the top 10 in four tournaments.
She has spent 34 consecutive weeks ranked as the No.2 player in the world.
Since March 2016, she has not finished outside of the top 60 in an event and has recorded five wins.
Seven months ago, the average points differential between No.1 Lydia Ko and second-ranked Ariya was 6.57 points. This week, the difference is now 1.5 average points.
The Kia Classic, which tees off today at Aviara Golf Club, is defending champion Ko’s fifth LPGA Tour event of 2017.
She has notched three top-10 finishes — she was tied for eighth at the Honda LPGA Thailand, joint ninth in Singapore and tied for eighth in Phoenix.
With 899 points, reigning Women’s British Open champion Ariya holds the lead in the Race to the CME Globe.
She won the 2016 race, earning the title of Race to the CME Globe champion and US$1 million in bonus.
Ariya also won the 2016 player of the year award and money title.
Her older sister Moriya, meanwhile, will be seeking her first LPGA win.
Moriya is fresh from shooting a careerbest 63 in the final round of the Founders Cup for a tied eighth spot. Moriya has not finished outside the top 16 in any tournament this year.
SPIETH TIRED OF AUGUSTA TALK
Former world No.1 Jordan Spieth says he can’t wait to get next month’s Masters out of the way — because he’s fed up with being asked about his nightmare collapse at Augusta in 2016.
Spieth appeared to be cruising to backto-back Masters titles 12 months ago after opening up a five-shot lead with nine holes to play on the final Sunday in Georgia.
But his bid for history went up in flames with consecutive bogeys followed by a quadruple bogey on Augusta’s 12th, allowing England’s Danny Willett to grab the famous green jacket.
Spieth’s meltdown has been described as the biggest collapse in Masters history, and a year later the 23-year-old Texan is looking forward to the time when he is no longer asked about his implosion.
“No matter what happens at this year’s Masters, whether I can grab the jacket back or I miss the cut or I finish 30th, it will be nice having this Masters go by,” he said.
“The Masters lives on for a year. It brings a non-golf audience into golf. And it will be nice once this year’s finished to be brutally honest.
“It would be best if I could reclaim the jacket but I believe I’ll be back up there sooner or later because of the way I play the golf course, the success I’ve had and the comfort level I have there.
“Whether it happens this year or not it will just be nice when it’s over.”