TV reporter suspended for Danica comments

>>>After cutting to a clip of the NASCAR star lamenting how sexy often seems to be the default description for female athletes,

I'm not a fan of Danica Patrick, and I don't understand her comment above. No, she shouldn't appreciate being called a sexy athlete, but what does she expect when she makes all those GoDaddy ads that are rife with sexuality, implying in one of them that she's a lesbian?

To then get upset because sports casters refer to her as "sexy" instead of "talented" seems to be a spot of

From CBS News: TV reporter suspended for Danica comments
Remember Fox 5 San Diego sports anchor Ross Shimabuku, who implied a sexist slur about Danica Patrick on air last week?

He'll have an early spring break after being suspended for a week without pay by the station.

One of Shimabuku's on air reports last week made it clear he was no fan of Patrick calling "sexy and she knows it."

After cutting to a clip of the NASCAR star lamenting how sexy often seems to be the default description for female athletes, Shimabuku quipped that he had another word to describe her, one that "starts with a 'B'...and it's not 'beautiful.'"

Shimabuku's chaser to the piece was that Patrick "always has a chip on her shoulder, trying to prove something."

About 24 hours after the video of his report went viral, Shimabuku released a statement of apology which read:

“I truly apologize if I offended anyone by those comments. They were not meant to be an attack on Danica.”

But by then the damage had already been done and managment chose to suspend the anchor.

Stay classy San Diego.

Stanford wins HSBC Champions on 3rd extra hole

From CBS Sports: Stanford wins HSBC Champions on 3rd extra hole
SINGAPORE -- Angela Stanford of the United States captured her fifth career victory on the third playoff hole at the $1.4 million HSBC Women's Champions on Sunday.

Stanford shot even par on the last playoff hole, beating South Korea's Jenny Shin into joint second with China's Shanshan Feng and Na Yeon Choi of South Korea. Feng was eliminated at the first playoff hole, Choi at the second at Tanah Merah Country Club.

Stanford, a 34-year-old Texan who hadn't won since 2009, said it was an emotional victory.

"It's a big deal," Stanford said. "I'm just thinking about home and everybody there."

Stanford, who earned $210,000 for the win, trailed Shin by a shot after the 17th when play was suspended for about 90 minutes because of lightning. When play resumed, Shin hit her tee shot out of bounds, leading to a double bogey. Stanford shot a bogey on 18 to fall into the four-way joint lead at 10-under 278.

"I felt for [Shin] because we've all been in that position," said Stanford, who shot a 1-under 71 in the final round. "I didn't think I'd be there at the end. I was all over the map today."

The 19-year-old Shin, who turned professional in 2010 and has competed in 18 LPGA tournaments, said her inexperience may have led to jitters at the 18th.

"The tee shot on the 18th hole really threw me off," Shin said. "The playoff wasn't that bad. I wasn't as nervous as I was on the 18th."

Top-ranked Yani Tseng began the third round at 1-under but a 5-under 67 on Saturday and a 4-under 32 on the first nine holes Sunday put her in a brief tie for the lead with Shin. A disastrous double bogey on 10 and another bogey on 14 pushed her back down the leaderboard and she finished fifth, one shot behind the leaders after 72 holes.

Tseng had seven LPGA Tour victories last year and started this year with a win at last week's LPGA Thailand. She has yet to win the HSBC Women's Champions since it started in 2008.

"I'm kind of upset," Tseng said. "I feel disappointed because I didn't win this tournament. I was very close this year. I played great front nine, but hopefully next year I won't be disappointed."

Stanford started the day tied for the lead with Shin and Katie Futcher, who faltered Sunday with five bogeys for a 4-over 76 and finished tied for 11th.

Karrie Webb, who won last year in Singapore, shot a 2-under 70 to finish 9 shots off the lead to tie for 25th place.

American Michelle Wie had another disappointing round with a 75 and was 32 shots behind the leaders. Wie finished the tournament second to last, ahead of only Singapore amateur Sock Hwee Koh.

The tournament featured a field of 63 golfers including 18 of the 20 top-ranked players when play started Thursday.

However, American Paula Creamer, the No. 5-ranked player, withdrew after the second round for family reasons.

Stanford shares LPGA lead in Singapore

From CBS News: Stanford shares LPGA lead in Singapore
SINGAPORE -- Katie Futcher and Jenny Shin shot 5-under 67s in the HSBC Women's Champions on Friday to join first-round leader Angela Stanford at the top of the leaderboard.

Futcher and Shin both had six birdies and one bogey to reach 8-under 136 and tie Stanford, who had a 70, on a day temperatures reached the low 90s.

"My putting has been great the last two days so I'm happy to be where I'm at," said Shin, who bogeyed the 13th.

The second-year LPGA player placed seventh at the season-opening Australian Open and is coming off a tie for ninth in Thailand in Sunday.

"I feel a little bit more confident with my golf game," the South Korean said. "I think Australia helped me a lot. I feel like I know what I'm doing out on the course now.

Futcher's bogey, her first of the tournament, came on the 17th.

"I'm very, very satisfied," the American said. "Went out, made a great putt on No. 1 today for par, and that kind of really just got me settled and I was able after that to hit it pretty close and make a couple of putts."

Stanford started the day with a two-shot lead, but admitted feeling fatigued after her opening 66.

"When I started today, I knew that I didn't quite have that much energy, and so at least I'm starting to recognize it a little earlier in the round," she said. "I felt more tired this morning and the heat didn't help right off the bat."

South Korea's Hee Young Park (68), compatriot Na Yeon Choi (71) and Japan's Ai Miyazato (70) were tied three shots back at 5-under at Tanah Merah Country Club.

World No. 1 Yani Tseng struggled to a 72, but said her sore elbow wasn't to blame.

"I feel I hit the ball pretty good, but my score was terrible and I just - I don't know why," she said. "I didn't make putts and I didn't have much birdie chances actually."

Tseng had two birdies and two bogeys and is tied for 20th at 1 under.

Michelle Wie shot an 81 after a 79 Thursday and was 24 shots behind at 16 over.

The 63-player field in the $1.4 million tournament includes 18 of the top 20 in world rankings.

Stanford opens with 66 in Singapore

From CBS News: Stanford opens with 66 in Singapore
SINGAPORE -- Angela Stanford shot a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the HSBC Women's Champions on Thursday.

The American started her round with a birdie on the 10th hole and added another on the 16th to make the turn at 2-under 34.

"Well it was a pretty good start, birdied 10 and hit it pretty close on 11, in the past I think I've struggled with that stretch right there, 10, 11, 12," said Stanford, who held a share of the HSBC first-round lead in 2010.

"So the fact that I hit some pretty solid shots off the bat kind of gave me some confidence throughout the round."

It showed on the back nine when she added birdies on Nos. 1, 2, 7 and the par-5 ninth, where she topped her second shot with a 3-wood before recovering to sink a 30-foot birdie putt.

"I can honestly tell you, I've never topped a shot and made birdie on the same hole," Stanford said. "That's a first, right?"

Her 66 was one shot shy of Lorena Ochoa's course record.

Momoko Ueda, Amy Yang, Na Yeon Choi, I.K. Kim and So Yeon Ryu were tied for second at 4-under. A group of seven was at 3-under at Tanah Merah Country Club.

Ueda overcame a double bogey on her first hole, the 10th, with three straight birdies on two separate occasions, Nos. 15-17 and Nos. 5-7.

"I had a good feeling today," she said. "My start was so bad, but I stayed patient."

World No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan battled elbow soreness in shooting a 71.

"Today it wasn't hurt, just sore," she said. "... Yesterday, when hitting driver and hitting shots out of the rough, it's very painful. But I did some ultrasound and ice and physio work, so it's getting much better."

She's seeking her second win of the year after her victory at last week's LPGA Thailand, where she overcame a seven-shot first-round deficit, and is seeking to add the Singapore crown to her already impressive collection of career titles.

Defending champion Karrie Webb of Australia shot an even par 72, while American star Michelle Wie shot a 79.

The 63-player field for the $1.4 million tournament includes 18 of the top 20 in the world rankings.

RIP Marie Colvin

Marie Colvin was a journalist rather than a professional sportswoman, but her life of courage is one to be celebrated. Many journalists have lost their lives covering wars and uprisings and terrorist activity around the world. Marie Colvin joins that august company.

New York Daily News: Marie Colvin, American-born journalist killed in Syria, remembered as fearless
Marie Colvin, an American war reporter killed in a mortar strike in Syria Tuesday, is being remembered by colleagues as one of the bravest foreign correspondents of the current generation.

Raised in the Oyster Bay area of Long Island, Colvin attended Yale University before starting her career as an overnight crime reporter for the United Press Agency in New York City.

She later moved overseas to work as a foreign correspondent for Britain’s Sunday Times, where she reported for the past two decades.

TWO WAR CORRESPONDENTS KILLED IN SYRIA

"Marie was an extraordinary figure in the life of The Sunday Times, driven by a passion to cover wars in the belief that what she did mattered," Sunday Times editor John Witherow said in a statement.

"But she was much more than a war reporter. She was a woman with a tremendous joie de vivre, full of humour and mischief and surrounded by a large circle of friends, all of whom feared the consequences of her bravery."

Colvin, 57, was renowned for her fearless reporting from notorious war zones including Afghanistan, the Balkans, Baghdad, Beirut, Chechnya, East Timor, Libya and Sri Lanka, where she lost an eye after being hit with shrapnel in a 2001 attack.

"So, was I stupid? Stupid I would feel writing a column about the dinner party I went to last night," she wrote in the Sunday Times after the attack in Sri Lanka. "Equally, I'd rather be in that middle ground between a desk job and getting shot, no offense to desk jobs.

"For my part, the next war I cover, I'll be more awed than ever by the quiet bravery of civilians who endure far more than I ever will. They must stay where they are; I can come home to London."

Colvin married and divorced twice. She had no children.

Colleagues said she spent her life defending and reporting on the plight of women and children in insufferable war zones.

"She was among the greatest human beings I have ever met because she was always on the side of truth. She was always on the side of the oppressed. She never once tired. She never once faltered. All that mattered to Marie was the truth," American journalist T.D. Allman wrote in the Daily Beast on Wednesday.

She was believed to be the only British journalist in Homs - and was last seen making the media rounds eerily close to her death. In an appearance on the BBC on Tuesday night, she described seeing a baby die in front of her. And in her last report published in the Sunday Times over the weekend she wrote that people in the besieged Syrian city were, "waiting for a massacre."

The scale of human tragedy in the city is immense," she wrote. "The inhabitants are living in terror. Almost every family seems to have suffered the death or injury of a loved one."

Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director of the Human Rights Watch told Britain's Telegraph newspaper it never occurred to Colvin to evacuate the war zone.

"Just yesterday, after she filed her news story, one of the first things Marie Colvin did was get in touch to tell me just how horrible the situation was in Homs. It was vintage Marie Colvin -- I could just imagine her happily chatting away with me as the shells fell around her building, and being totally in her element," he said. "She was one of the most fearless and dedicated ... reporters I have ever met, and someone I looked up to as a hero and an inspiration."

Colvin shrugged off her many accolades and awards and was known for her quick wit, laughter and for being the life of any party, Sky News defense and security editor Sam Kiley wrote.

"She was, however, never coarse. Always elegant. She did not get around to having children but yearned for them without bitterness," he wrote. "Her maternal warmth was so gentle and magnetic than when she played with my toddlers years ago in Jerusalem, it was all I could do to resist giving her one to take home."

Her death, according to the Telegraph, was something she never saw as too big of a price to pay to report the truth.

"Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice," she said at a ceremony honoring foreign journalists in 2010. "We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado?

"Journalists covering combat shoulder great responsibilities and face difficult choices. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price."

St. John's snaps UConn women's 99-game home winning streak

It took something of this magnitude for CBS Sports website to cover women's college basketbal.

From CBS Sports: St. John's snaps UConn women's 99-game home winning streak
STORRS, Conn. -- Geno Auriemma knew UConn's incredible home winning streak would end eventually. He just didn't expect it to come when the Huskies were playing their typical stellar defense.

Shenneika Smith's 3-pointer from the wing with 8 seconds left lifted St. John's to a 57-56 win over No. 2 Connecticut on Saturday night, snapping the Huskies' 99-game home court winning streak. It was also the Huskies' first home loss to an unranked opponent in nearly 19 years.

"You almost hate to say it, but it was the perfect storm for them," Auriemma said. "The funny part about it is if you hold a team to 57 points you're supposed to win that game," he said. "Losses are part of the game itself. If you think you're going to win every game at home, at some point you got to say it's not possible. It's not realistic."

UConn hasn't lost too many games on campus in about 19 years.

St. John's became only the fifth team to win at Storrs since 1993, joining Tennessee, Georgia, Notre Dame and Rutgers. The Red Storm, who have won seven of their last eight games -- the lone loss coming to then-No. 2 Notre Dame -- haven't had much success anywhere against the Huskies. They lost their last 27 meetings before Saturday's win.

The Huskies got little offense from their stars. Bria Hartley, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Tiffany Hayes were a combined 11 for 32 from the field.

Hayes was honored before the game as the lone senior on the team. She had won her first 78 games at home.

"It's just a loss -- period. You never want to lose, especially at home, on a day like this," she said. "It's still a loss, so it's going to feel like another loss no matter what."

Trailing by two with 16 seconds left, Nadirah McKenith drove the lane and kicked it out to Smith, who hit the 3 to give the Red Storm (18-8, 10-3 Big East) the lead.

"When [coach] wrote the play up, I hadn't hit one all day and this was the going to be the one I hit," said Smith, who had only made three of her 22 3-point attempts this season before that shot.

UConn (24-3, 11-2) had one final chance, but Hartley's 3-point attempt from the corner was short, setting off a wild celebration at midcourt by the Red Storm.

"Days like today are a reminder that you're only supposed to win when you play really well and beat the other team. We didn't deserve to win. I don't care if we won 900 in a row at home," Auriemma said. "Leading up to that last shot, if that shot goes in -- hey that's 100 in a row. Realistically, though, St. John's outplayed us today. They did what they wanted to do better than what we wanted to do. It was a fitting end for them."

The Huskies last lost at home on March 6, 2007, falling to Rutgers in the Big East championship game. The NCAA counts the Huskies' postseason games in Hartford and Storrs as home games. With the UConn men's loss earlier in the day to No. 12 Marquette in Hartford, it marked the first time that both Huskies teams lost at home on the same day since Feb. 27, 1993.

UConn became the latest high-ranked team to lose to an unranked opponent. West Virginia shocked Notre Dame last weekend and Alabama upset No. 7 Kentucky.

"Isn't it great for women's basketball," St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "It's unbelievable and great for our game, our game is growing. When I first started here, people were losing by 50 or 60 night in and night out. It says women's basketball has come a long way and there is a lot of parity in the game."

As shocking as the other two top 10 losses were, the Huskies had always taken care of unranked teams, winning their last 261 straight at home and 173 overall against non-Top 25 opponents. Louisville was the last unranked team to knock off the Huskies at home in the NCAA tournament in 1993.

"I think a loss is a loss," UConn center Stefanie Dolson said. "I don't think we thought about it as, `Oh we lost and it was our first in 20 years or whatever.' We lost because of the way we played. We're just extremely angry with ourselves, frustrated with ourselves."

The Huskies had shattered their own Division I record of 69 straight home wins that they shared with Tennessee. UConn set the overall women's record in November by beating Dayton and passing Division III Rust (Miss.) College, which won 88 straight at home from 1982-89. All but two of those wins during UConn's streak have come by double digits and 35 of them by more than 40.

Stanford now has the longest active streak at 76 games, which includes last year's win that snapped UConn's record 90-game overall winning streak.

The home streak began in the first round of the 2007 NCAAs with an 82-33 win over Maryland-Baltimore County in Storrs.

UConn almost extended it to 100 against the Red Storm when Dolson hit a lay-in with 34 seconds left to give UConn a 56-54 advantage after a back-and-forth affair.

Neither team was able to build more than a four-point lead in the second half. Trailing 34-32 at the break, UConn rallied to take a 42-39 lead with 14 minutes left. From there the two teams traded points over the next 13 minutes. Kiah Stokes' lay-in with 9:02 left made it 48-44 UConn. The Huskies didn't hit another basket until Kelly Faris connected for a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down with 3:31 left. It gave UConn a 53-52 lead.

But St. John's wouldn't quit. After Mary Nwachukwu hit a jumper to make it 54-53 St. John's, Mosqueeda-Lewis hit one of two free throws with 1:07 left to tie the score and set up the exciting finish.

Mosqueeda-Lewis finished with 12 points to lead UConn.

Australian Wright birdies 18 to win New Zealand Women's Open

From CBS News: Australian Wright birdies 18 to win New Zealand Women's Open
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- Australia's Lindsey Wright birdied the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke victory Sunday in the New Zealand Women's Open.

Wright finished at 10-under 206 at Pegasus Golf Club in the event sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf.

Wright clinched her first win on either tour with seven birdies, including three in a row on holes No. 7, 8 and 9. She also had one double bogey on the par-4 13th.

American Alison Walshe and Australia's Jessica Speechley finished in a share of second place. Walshe closed with a 69, and Speechley had a 65, the lowest round of the tournament.

Canada's Lorie Kane and Australia's Stephanie Na shot 69 to finish equal fourth at 8 under.

Fourteen-year-old Lydia Ko, who had a share of the second-round lead with five other golfers, fell to 17th place after shooting a 74.

The South Korean-born New Zealander, the world's top-ranked amateur, became the youngest winner of a professional tour event last month in the Women's New South Wales Open

Two Tseng birdies swipe Thailand title from Miyazato

From CBS News: Two Tseng birdies swipe Thailand title from Miyazato
CHONBURI, Thailand -- Top-ranked Yani Tseng successfully defended her LPGA Thailand title for her 13th LPGA Tour victory, birdieing the final two holes Sunday to hold off playing partner Ai Miyazato by a stroke.

The 23-year-old Taiwanese star shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 19-under 269 on Siam Country Club's Pattaya Old Course. She opened with a 73, then shot consecutive 65s to enter the final round a shot behind Miyazato.

Before the tournament she made a wish on a lucky Thai statue.

"I had some luck out there," Tseng said. I shot 1 over the first round, but I came back very soon and played 20 under the next three days. I felt like I could improve a lot and I feel like something gave me luck."

She also visited the statue last year.

"I just wish I could win this tournament," she said.

Last year, Tseng won the event for the first of her seven 2011 LPGA Tour victories, including major victories in the LPGA Championship and Women's British Open. The five-time major champion finished the year with 12 worldwide victories. She has 33 career worldwide professional victories.

"I feel much more pressure coming into this year," Tseng said. "Last year, when I started, I was nothing. I was just in the top five in the world, but I don't have 12 wins or world No. 1 title. After last year, I have world No. 1 and I had 12 wins and that pressure keep going on and on."

On the par-5 18th, she came through with the pressure on, nearly holing her 104-yard approach and tapping in for the winning birdie.

"It was an incredible shot. I think it's the shot of the week," Tseng said. "Especially, I saw that Ai hit it so close and I knew she was going to make that putt. So, I tell myself, `I need to get this close.'

"It was tough. I had 104 to the pin and a little uphill. I know my ball is going to spin a lot, so I just tried to keep it low and not spin too much. ... I was very proud of myself for hitting that shot into 18 and making birdie to win."

Miyazato, the Japanese player who won the 2010 tournament, also birdied the final two holes in her 67.

"Of course, Yani is No. 1, so I knew it wouldn't be easy today," Miyazato said. "I kind of expected her to play that way."

South Korea's Jiyai Shin, tied for the lead with Tseng after a birdie of her own on the par-4 17th, had a 67 to finish two strokes back.

Tseng eagled the par-5 opening hole and Miyazato had a birdie, leaving them tied at 15 under. Tseng took the lead with a birdie on the par-4 third, and added birdies on the par-4 sixth and par-5 seventh. At the turn, she had a three-stroke lead over Shin and four-shot advantage over Miyazato.

"I played really well on the front nine, but it was tough on the back nine, especially when you see Jiyai and Ai keep making birdies," Tseng said. "It got tight down the stretch. It was tough. I feel like I had lots of emotions today."

Shin, playing a group ahead of Tseng and Miyazato, birdied the par-4 10th to pull within two and gained another stroke when Tseng bogeyed the hole. Tseng pushed her lead to two with a birdie on the par-3 12th, but bogeyed the par-4 13th.

Miyazato birdied the 10th and pulled within one of Tseng with a birdie on the par-4 15th, then matched Tseng with a par on 16 and the birdies on 17 and 18.

"Overall, I played really well and I'm very happy that I could finish strong today," Miyazato said about her season debut. "I really enjoyed playing with Yani, but next time I want to win."

South Korea's Amy Yang shot a 69 to finish fourth at 14 under.

Sixteen-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn followed her third-round 65 with a 74 to tie for 12th to 7 under. She played the final five holes in 4 over, making a double-bogey 7 on No. 18. Last year, Jutanugarn won the U.S. Junior Girls' Championship and was the Rolex Junior Player of the Year.

Seventeen-year-old American Lexi Thompson had five back-nine birdies in a 66 to tie for 14th at 6 under.

"I'm really happy with the way I'm hitting it," Thompson said. "I'm playing consistent. Just need to get a few more of those putts to drop like today."

Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 78 to drop into a tie for 21st at 4 under. She began the round four strokes out of the lead.

Michelle Wie closed with a 73 to tie for 38th at 1 over.

Morgan Pressel had a hole-in-one with an 8-iron on the 136-yard eighth hole. She finished with a 71 to tie for 49th at 4 over.

Karrie Webb - Australian

From Wikipedia:
Karrie Ann Webb AM (born 21 December 1974) is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She has 38 wins on the LPGA Tour, more than any other active player.

Early life and amateur career
Webb was born in Ayr, Queensland. She was a member of the Australian Amateur team, making six international appearances from 1992–1994, including a 1994 appearance in the Espirito Santo Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships. This was the year she became the Australian Strokeplay Champion where she scored a 128 on a par 68 course, over 36 holes.

Professional career
Webb began her professional golfing career in 1994 playing on the Ladies European Tour where she finished second at the Women's Australian Open and the Futures Tour in the U.S., where she won one tournament. In 1995 she became the youngest ever winner of the Weetabix Women's British Open in her rookie season in Europe, prior to it being classed as an LPGA major, and was European Rookie of the Year. She qualified for the LPGA Tour after she finished second at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament despite playing with a broken bone in her wrist.

In 1996 Webb won her first LPGA tournament in her second LPGA start at the HealthSouth Inaugural on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff. She won three other tournaments and become the first LPGA player to win $1 million mark in a single season topping the year end money list. She was also the 1996 LPGA Rookie of the Year.

In 1997 Webb won three times on the LPGA Tour including another win at the Weetabix Women's British Open, won her first Vare Trophy and was voted 1997 ESPY Best Female Golfer. In 1999 Webb won her first major championship at the du Maurier Ltd. Classic and won her first LPGA Tour Player of the Year award.

Webb also took part in the largest playoff in LPGA Tour history at the 1999 Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. Se Ri Pak birdied the first sudden death playoff hole to defeat Webb, Mardi Lunn, Carin Koch, Sherri Steinhauer, and Kelli Kuehne.

In 2000, Webb won two more major championships, following up her win at the Nabisco Championship with a win at the U.S. Women's Open. This gained her a second consecutive Rolex Player of the Year title and Vare Trophy and she topped the money list, missing out on a chance to become the LPGA's first single-season $2 million winner by taking a mid season break to return home to Australia to run with the Olympic torch.

Teamed with Rachel Hetherington representing Australia she won the Women's World Cup in Malaysia, was awarded the preeminent sport award in Australia, the Dawn Fraser Award. and was named Female Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America.

She successfully defended her U.S. Women's Open title in 2001 and won the LPGA Championship to become the youngest winner of the LPGA Career Grand Slam.

She teamed with David Duval to play against Annika Sörenstam and Tiger Woods in a made-for-TV Battle at Bighorn between the two best male and two best female players in the world that at the time provided women's golf its largest audience ever. Webb's win at the 2002 Women's British Open, which had become an LPGA major in 2001, meant she completed a Super Career Grand Slam – every available major championship in women's golf in her career.

Webb now suffered a three-year slump. She collected just two LPGA wins in the next two years and in 2005 had a best LPGA finish of tied sixth although she did team up with Rachel Hetherington to represent Australia at the Women's World Cup of Golf and won her fifth ANZ Ladies Masters title back home in Australia.

Webb qualified for entry to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000, but was not eligible for induction until she had played ten LPGA Tour events in each of ten seasons. She met this criterion on 9 June 2005 when she completed the first round of the LPGA Championship.

At age 30, she became the youngest living person ever to enter the Hall of Fame, and kept that distinction until 2007, when fellow LPGA star Se Ri Pak was inducted.

Webb staged a comeback season in 2006. In the final round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship she holed a 116-yard shot from the fairway to eagle the 18th hole and then birdied the same hole in a sudden-death playoff to beat Lorena Ochoa and win her second Kraft Nabisco Championship.

She won four other tournaments including the Evian Masters and Mizuno Classic. Her 2006 Kraft Nabisco win took her into the top ten of the Women's World Golf Rankings for the first time since they were introduced in February 2006.

Her 38 LPGA Tour victories places her in a tie for 11th on the list of players with the most career LPGA tournament wins and first among all active players.

No women's college bball on CBS Sports

The website CBS Sports used to have a link to Women's College basketball under their College BB tab - but it was removed last year. They also didn't cover the WNBA, if I remember correctly...

Under High School they have a link to Girl's Volleyball....

ESPN does have a tab for Women's College Basketball...under MORE SPORTS.

Is it male chauvanism... or is it because they've tried having these tabs in prominent positions for 10 years to little interest?

Ko, 14, in six-way tie for lead at Women's New Zealand Open

From CBS Sports: Ko, 14, in six-way tie for lead at Women's New Zealand Open
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- Fourteen-year-old amateur Lydia Ko shot her second-straight 3-under 69 on Saturday to grab a share of a six-way lead after the second round of her home tournament, the 54-hole Women's New Zealand Open.

Ko, who became the youngest winner of a professional tournament when she won last month's New South Wales Open, briefly held the outright lead at 7-under before a late bogey brought her back to the leading group on a 6-under tally of 138.

The leaders came from six nations: the South Korean-born New Zealander Ko, Mariajo Uribe of Colombia, Lindsey Wright of Australia, Haeji Kang of South Korea, Alison Walshe of the United States and Carlotta Ciganda of Spain.

Five players were a further shot back in seventh place on 139, including Americans Cindy Lacrosse and Gerina Piller.

Ko started the day in joint 12th place, two strokes off the lead but quickly made ground with a birdie on her opening hole. She bogeyed the par-4 third, then had birdies at the fourth and fifth holes to have a share of the lead near the end of her outward nine.

Ko overcame gusty conditions to birdie the par-3 11th and moved into the outright lead with a further birdie at the 13th. But a bogey at the tricky par-4 17th brought her back into a share of the lead.

"It feels good," she said. "I was like 12th or something overnight so it's good to be up with the leaders.

"I'll try hard tomorrow and hopefully play good like I did at New South Wales."

Lacrosse and Canada's Lorie Kane, who were tied in seventh place, shared Saturday's best round at 67. The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Australian and European tours.

Miyazato fires 65 to take 1-stroke lead at LPGA Thailand

From CBS News: Miyazato fires 65 to take 1-stroke lead at LPGA Thailand
CHONBURI, Thailand -- Ai Miyazato shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Yani Tseng after the third round of the LPGA Thailand.

Miyazato, the Japanese player who won the 2010 tournament, birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine. She had a 14-under 202 total on Siam Country Club's Pattaya Old Course.

"I know everyone is going to try to be aggressive tomorrow," Miyazato said. "If I can stay in my game until the last putt, I think I have a chance."

Tseng, the winner last year, shot her second straight 65 after opening with a 73. The Taiwanese star had 12 worldwide victories last year, seven on the LPGA Tour.

"I really want to win this tournament," she said. "To be a defending a champion would be great. I always really enjoy it out here to see a lot of fans and I'm very excited about tomorrow and looking forward to it."

Karrie Webb and Jiyai Shin were 12 under.

Webb shot a 71, and Shin had a 68.

Webb had a three-stroke lead Saturday morning after the completion of the lightning-delayed second round, playing the final four holes in 1 under after a 65.

Miyazato also returned early to finish the last five holes of her second-round 70. She has seven LPGA Tour victories, all in the last three seasons.

"It was a really, really long day for me," Miyazato said. "I've been up since 4 o'clock this morning so it's been a while. But the temperature dropped down today so that helped a lot too. So that's why I think I could control myself out there."

South Korea's Amy Yang was 11 under after a 68, and second-ranked Norwegian star Suzann Pettersen was another stroke back after a 69.

Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn had two eagles in a 65 that left her at 9 under.

Michelle Wie was even par after a 73.

Jiyai Shin - South Korean

From Wikipedia:
Jiyai Shin (born 28 April 1988), also known as Ji-Yai Shin, is a South Korean professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA). She has broken all existing KLPGA records, winning 10 events in 19 starts on the KLPGA Tour in 2007. In 2008, playing only 10 tournaments on the LPGA Tour as a non-member, she won three events, including the Women's British Open and the ADT Championship. She has been ranked as number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings.

Career
Amateur
In 2005, while she was still in high school, Shin was the only amateur to win a KLPGA event that season when she won the SK Enclean Invitational. She turned professional at the end of the 2005 season.

Professional
2006
Returning to the KLPGA as a rookie in 2006, she started her year with a pair of third place finishes in her first two events and went on to claim three wins on the season.

2007
2007 marked Shin's breakout year. She played 19 events on the KLPGA and won 10 of them, shattering all existing Tour records. She also ventured onto the LPGA Tour for the first time and played three of the four women's major championships. At the U.S. Women's Open she finished sixth after holding the tournament lead going into the final round. The next month at the Evian Masters, an event on the LPGA Tour an a major on the Ladies European Tour, she finished tied for third. Shin finished 2007 ranked 8th in the world, the highest ranked Korean of all, and the only non-LPGA member who ranked in the top ten.

2008
Opening 2008 at the Women's World Cup of Golf, Shin and number two KLPGA player Eun-Hee Ji succumbed to the Philippines pair of Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin with a score of −16 after 3rd and final day of competition. Philippines scored −18 and received the $240,000 cheque.

Shin then played at the Women's Australian Open where she finished 2nd, losing to Karrie Webb in a playoff.

Shin won the Women's British Open in Berkshire, England for her first LPGA Tour and major win. This made her the first non-member of the LPGA to win a major since Laura Davies won the U.S. Women's Open in 1987. She won the 2008 Mizuno Classic in November, shooting scores of 68, 66 and 67. She was six shots ahead of the next competitor to win at −15 (201), to notch her second LPGA career win.[2] Two weeks later she won the ADT Championship, the culminating event in the season-long LPGA playoff series, and claimed the $1 million prize. She became the first-ever non-LPGA member to win three LPGA tournaments.

Shin was the first non-LPGA member to ever win three tournaments.

2009
Shin's wins in LPGA Tour events in 2008 qualified her for LPGA membership in 2009. She got off to a slow start as an LPGA member, missing her first cut ever in an LPGA tournament at the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She rebounded and won the third event of the season, the limited field HSBC Women's Champions, scoring 66 in both the third and fourth rounds. She won again in June at the full-field Wegmans LPGA tournament[3] and in September at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship. By the first week of November she officially clinched the LPGA Rookie of the Year award.

2010
On 2 May, Shin won the Cyber Agent Ladies on the LPGA of Japan Tour. On 3 May, she became the World Number 1 ranked women's golfer, replacing Lorena Ochoa who finished in sixth place in an LPGA tournament the previous day.[4] She held the position until it was taken over by Ai Miyazato on 21 June 2010 and regained it on 26 July after winning the Evian Masters.[5]

On 19 September, Shin won the MetLife-Korea Economics KLPGA Championship, one of the major championships on the LPGA of Korea Tour. With this victory, Shin is now qualified for the KLPGA Hall of Fame, although she has to fulfill her career as professional golfer for 10 years. She will be the third Hall of Famer in 2015, after Ok-Hee Ku and Se Ri Pak.

Endorsements
Shin has endorsement deals with Mirae Asset & PRGR Golf.

Yani Tseng - Taiwanese

From Wikipedia:
Yani Tseng (born 23 January 1989) is a Taiwanese professional golfer currently playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings.

Amateur career
Tseng was the top-ranked amateur in Taiwan from 2004 to 2006. The highlight of her amateur career was winning the 2004 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, defeating Michelle Wie in the final, 1 up. Her amateur accomplishments include:

2002 Won – Callaway Junior World Golf Championships (Girls 13–14)
2004 2nd place – Callaway Junior World Golf Championships (Girls 15–17)
2004 Won – U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links
2005 Won – North and South Women's Amateur Golf Championship
2005 Semi-finalist – U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links
2005 2nd place – North and South Women's Amateur Golf Championship

Professional career
2007
Tseng turned professional in January 2007. That year she competed on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and won the DLF Women’s Indian Open. She also competed on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour where she won the CN Canadian Women’s Tour at Vancouver Golf Club.

2008
Tseng entered the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in the fall of 2007 and finished sixth in the final Qualifying Tournament in December which gave Tseng full playing privileges on the LPGA Tour for 2008. In June 2008, she claimed her first LPGA tour victory at the LPGA Championship to become the first player from Taiwan to win an LPGA major championship. At age 19, she was also the youngest player to win the LPGA Championship and the second-youngest player to win an LPGA major.

Tseng was named LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2008.

2009
On 29 March 2009, Tseng became the fastest player in LPGA history to reach the $2 million mark in career earnings. She achieved this mark in 32 events, spanning one year, one month, and 13 days. The previous record holder was Paula Creamer who reached the mark in one year, four months, and 15 days in 2006.

2010
On 4 April 2010, Tseng won the first major championship of the LPGA season, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, by one stroke. She went on to win her second major of the year on 1 August 2010 by winning the Women's British Open by one stroke and became the youngest woman in the modern era to win three major championships. LPGA founder Patty Berg was younger than Tseng when she won the 1939 Titleholders Championship. However, that was before the formation of the LPGA Tour in 1950 and the designation of official LPGA major tournaments.

In September 2010, Tseng was offered a five-year sponsorship deal from a Chinese company worth NT$1 billion (US$25 million) with access to a luxury villa and private jets. Tseng rejected the offer because one of the requirements of the deal was that she switch her citizenship to the People's Republic of China from Republic of China.

2011
In January 2011, Tseng defended her title at the Taifong Ladies Open on the LPGA of Taiwan Tour. Three weeks later she won the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open and a week later the ANZ RACV Ladies Masters, both events co-sponsored by the ALPG Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Her wins moved her into the number 1 position in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She won again the next week in the first tournament of the LPGA season, the Honda LPGA Thailand.

In June 2011, she won the LPGA State Farm Classic over Cristie Kerr by three strokes. Two weeks later, she won the LPGA Championship. This made her the youngest player to win four LPGA majors. The next month she defended her title at the Women's British Open, becoming the first defending champion winner at the Women's British Open as a major. Her five major titles also made her the youngest player, male or female, to win five major championships.

Tseng won the LPGA Tour Player of the Year for a second straight year. She wrapped up the award while the season still had four events remaining.

Personal life
Tseng's father is Mao Hsin Tseng and her mother is Yu-Yun Yang.[16]

Tseng resides in a residential community at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, in a house that she purchased from former LPGA player Annika Sörenstam in April 2009.

Ai Miyazato - Japanese

From Wikipedia:
Miyazato Ai (born 19 June 1985) is a Japanese professional golfer who currently competes on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour (JLPGA). She was the top-ranked golfer in the Women's World Golf Rankings for three periods of time in 2010.

Early life and amateur careerMiyazato was born in Higashi, Okinawa, Japan. As an amateur in 2003, she won a professional event on the LPGA of Japan Tour – the Dunlop Ladies Open in Miyagi Prefecture, where she was attending high school at the time.

Professional career
In her 2004 rookie season on the JLPGA Tour she won five tournaments. In February 2005, she represented Japan along with Rui Kitada winning the inaugural Women's World Cup of Golf. In 2005, she won six events on the JLPGA tour, and was the #2 ranked player on the JLPGA Tour behind Yuri Fudoh.

In winning the Japan Open Championship at age 20 in 2005, Miyazato became the youngest player on the JLPGA Tour to win a major. Furthering the notion that Miyazato has revived the JLPGA Tour after the retirement of Ayako Okamoto, over 32,000 people, the largest gallery ever to attend a JLPGA event, witnessed the final day of that tournament.

She dominated the 2005 U.S. LPGA Q-School and secured her tour card, enabling her to compete in the 2006 season. She finished under par for four of the five qualifying rounds, and finished 12 strokes ahead of the closest competitor, setting a record for the largest margin of victory.

Back in Japan, on 15 December, she played the opening rounds of the Okinawa Open, becoming the first Japanese woman to compete in a domestic men's professional event, although she failed to make the cut for the final rounds.

Miyazato earned her first LPGA Tour win at the 2009 Evian Masters, shooting 14-under par 274 to tie Sophie Gustafson who she then beat on the first playoff hole.

In 2010, she won four of the first nine official tournaments on the LPGA Tour and on 21 June rose to number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She held the spot for only one week and was replaced by Cristie Kerr who held the spot for three weeks, before Miyazato regained the spot again on 19 July, by a margin of 0.0006 average points.

On 22 August 2010, Miyazato won for the fifth time in 2010 at the Safeway Classic with a two stroke victory over Cristie Kerr and Na Yeon Choi. She regained the number 1 spot in the World Rankings, which had been briefly retaken by Kerr. She gave up the top spot again to Kerr on 25 October.

In 2011, Miyazoto won the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit despite only playing in two events on that tour. The tour has no minimum tournament requirements for membership and her win at the Evian Masters, whose purse is much larger than most LET events, earned her enough to top the list.

Endorsements
She has endorsements deals with Suntory, Bridgestone Corporation, Japan Airlines, Oakley, Honda, Hisamitsu, Mitsubishi Electric and NTT Docomo.

Family
Her older brothers, Kiyoshi Miyazato and Yūsaku Miyazato are also professional golfers. She is not related to fellow Japanese LPGA Tour player Mika Miyazato.

Honda LPGA Thailand 2012

There were 70 golfers in the field at the Honda LPGA Thailand 2012.

Location: Chonburi, Thailand
Siam CC - Old Course, Par 72
Yardage: 6477
Purse: 1500000.00

Round 3 is complete, and the top 10 golfers to this point are:

Ai Miyazato 1
Yani Tseng 2
Jiyai Shin 3
Karrie Webb 3
Amy Yang 5
Suzann Pettersen 6
Ariya Jutanugarn 7
Jenny Shin 8
Stacy Lewis 8
Amanda Blumenherst 10
Pornanong Phatlum 10
Na Yeon Choi 10

(The number after their name is their position.)

Hallalulah!

I tried about 10 blog titles before this one worked - "Room to move," "Women In Sports", "Sportswomen" and titles of that ilk. No luck.

So I chose Sevateem. Doctor Who fans will remember that Tom Baker's Doctor's companion Leela was a member of the Sevateem (short for Survey Team.) What can I say, I was getting fed up and I knew this one would work!

Purpose of the blog - to recount the stories of women and the sports they participate in.