LPGA Opens Season

The LPGA opens its season this weekend, and I for one am pretty intrigued. The tour has a bevy of young, telegenic stars with serious golfing skills. Fifteen of the players who finished in the top 30 on last year’s money list are in their twenties. Nine of those have at least two career wins.

Of course, the 800 pound gorilla of the LPGA is Annika Sorenstam who dominates her field as much as Tiger dominates his. But unlike Tiger, Annika suddenly has a lot of talented young players ready to push her off the hill.

And that’s what makes this season so potentially interesting. As I look over the money list, I see a lot of players with the potential to be real stars: Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa, Jeong Jang, Natalie Gulbis and others. And then there are the rookies: Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lang and Japanese Star Ai Miyazato. Hanging in the shadows is Michelle Wie—not a member of the Tour, but who will play in enough tournaments to get a gauge of the talent.

There’s a lot of potential drama here—terrific story lines. And if they play it right, this could be the season that the LPGA finally makes an impression on the sporting consciousness of the nation.