LPGA Tour: Time for Americans to grab more victories
American female golfers appear to be struggling on the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour these days, as most of them have been pushed out of the top 50 positions in the Women’s World Golf Rankings lately.
However, one player that fans like to pin their hopes on is Stacy Lewis. Lewis has proved her worth recently after she grabbed the second spot thanks to her stunning performance in the Evian Masters 2012, held in France. The performance helped her improve her position in world rankings.
Although most of the top positions are currently held by Asian players, American contenders must now record a couple of more wins to bolster their positions.
Analysts said that with the exception of Lewis, no American player seems able to compete against Asian rivals at the moment. If the top spots are analysed, countries like South Korean Mexico, Japan, Spain, China and Norway have completely overshadowed the once-feared Americans.
The recent tournaments have shown that South Korean players are hardest to beat, as they have seized most of the positions in the top 100. Players like Na Yeon Choi, Inbee Park, Ai Miyazato, the current world number one Yani Tseng, Mika Miyazato are some of the key players who have risen to fame by snatching the top spots.
LPGA’s Chief Communication Officer, Kraig Kann, expressed his worry over the slumping image of Americans, saying he wants the national players to be on top.
"If it's the Olympics every week, you need some Americans to be in the mix or nobody watches the Olympics,” Kann said.
Analysts said that it is this image that has kept golf crazy fans interested in the sport for decades, and now it is becoming increasingly important for players like Stacy Lewis to do their best.
So far, the 27-year-old golfer has been playing well on the Tour, as she has been able to record good finishes in almost all the events she has played in the current season.
Speaking to the media about her performance during the current season, Lewis said that she is more than happy to perform well and hopes to carry on in the same direction.
"I didn't really expect this," Lewis said in a phone interview. "It's been fun to kind of keep riding the momentum. I've been playing so well that it's almost hard to fathom".
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