Cleveland Golf has a nice video tribute to the Erica Blasberg, the LPGA pro who died suddenly this past weekend at age 25.

No actual golfers were harmed in the incident, but I found it interesting that Japan LPGA Player Yuko Mitsuka pulled out of 11 tournaments after she being fined $21,500 for slow play in the first round of the World Ladies Championship last week.

You’d think the fine would be enough.

Mitsuka apparently was hit with a two stroke penalty for slow play, and then pulled out after arguing with officials. The self-imposed career immolation may have been an attempt to avoid further punishment from the JLPGA.

“This will be a lesson to other golfers,” JLPGA chief Hisako Higuchi told the Nikkan Sports newspaper. “She has to take responsibility for her actions.”

No kidding.

LPGA Player Erica Blasberg was found dead Sunday in her home near Las Vegas. She was 25.

Police did not offer a cause of death, but in an interview reported in the Riverside County Press Enterprise on May 10, Blasberg’s father, Mel Blasberg, was quoted saying, “At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it. We’re waiting for the police to make an investigation.”

Blasberg was the medalist in the 2000 US Girls Junior Championships, and lost in the quarterfinals. She reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 US Women’s Amateur. At the University of Arizona, she was ranked #1 in the country as a freshman, was All-America in 2003 and 2004, NCAA Freshman of the Year in 2003, PAC-10 Player of the year in 2003 and had the NCAA Women’s lowest stroke average in 2004. She played on the Curtis Cup in 2004.

After leaving Arizona following her sophomore year to turn pro, she played on the Futures Tour in 2004, winning the Laconia Savings Bank Futures Golf Classic by breaking the Tour’s 18 hole scoring record with a 62. At the 2004 Q-School, she earned non exempt status.

The remainder of her pro career surely was something of a disappointment. In 2005, she finished 109 on the money list. In 2006, she also finished outside the top 100, but returned to regain her status at Q-School. In 2007, she finished 104 on the money list, but did not return to Q-School, moving her to non-exempt status for 2008. She managed to play 23 tournaments in 2009, but finished out of the top 100 again. Blasberg returned to the 2009 Q School, but withdrew after shooting rounds of 72 and 78.

Her father commented on her struggles in an interview last December:

“She hit the wall. And sometimes you’ve just got to stop what you’re doing and think about if this is what you want to do. If you’re not competitive in golf, and she wasn’t competitive the whole year, you have to ask yourself, ‘What is it going to take for me to be competitive?’ And that’s where she is. It’s not a question of talent; it’s a question of desire.”

I saw her at the Jamie Farr in 2009 and took the photo above. It’s a very sad story. Condolences to her friends and family.

With Lorena Ochoa’s “final” LPGA event, officials and observers are engaged in a collective hand-wringing over what the Tour will do in her absence. To be the contrarian, I actually think they won’t miss her. In spite of her considerable skills, Ochoa has never been the “face” of the LPGA. The recognizable faces belong to Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Christina Kim, Morgan Pressel, Natalie Gulbis and a few others. When I attended the LPGA’s Jamie Farr last year, the largest crowds followed those players—and especially Michelle Wie—not Ochoa.

To go even further out on a limb, I think it’s just possible that Ochoa’s retirement could be good for the LPGA if it leaves room at the top for the more recognizable faces. Nothing would be better for the LPGA than if Michelle Wie were to rise to the top as a player. Of course, Ochoa’s absence more likely results in the rise to the top of one of a group of Korean players who—to put it kindly—lack starpower.

So I think the worrying can cease. As much as I enjoyed watching her play, the LPGA Tour won’t miss Lorena Ochoa.

Top ranked women’s golfer, Lorena Ochoa, apparently will announce her retirement later this week. She’s 28.

Ochoa has 27 LPGA wins, and two majors: the 2008 Kraft Nabisco and the 2007 Women’s British Open.

Here retirement shouldn’t come as a surprise. Ochoa has hinted at this for years.

I’m glad I got the chance to see her play at last year’s Jamie Farr tournament in Toledo.

My hopes for an old guys-and-gals revival this weekend were dashed as Juli Inkster faltered in the final round of the HSBC Champions, shooting a 74 and finishing ninth. Ay Miyazato won with a three under 69, and a two stroke victory over Christie Kerr.

Miyazato became the first player in 44 years to win the two opening events of the LPGA season. The others were Marilynn Smith (1966), Mickey Wright (1963), Louise Suggs (1952) and Babe Zaharias (1951). That’s pretty good company for Miyazato.

Interestingly, though, Miyazato has not won on American soil. The first tournament of the season was in Thailand; the HSBC was in Singapore. Miyazato’s only other victory was the Evian Masters, in France.

Fred Couples, my other 50-year-old hope, has fallen into 23rd at the Phoenix Open. The only upside is that I’m now free to cheer for my Fantasy Golf picks instead of my sentimental favorites.

Juli Inkster turns 50 this year, and I was under the impression that she was retired. Apparently not. She’s currently tied for third at the HSBC Women’s Championship.