Pornanong Phatlum at photo session prior to 2013 RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup (click to enlarge)
Instead of a year in review focusing on overall achievements, I thought this time I’d do a countdown of the top 30 money list leaders from the WTA and LPGA. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for this top 30. Number 23 on the money list from each tour are Pornanong Phatlum and Flavia Pennetta.
PORNANONG PHATLUM (Thailand)
2013 Official LPGA Prizemoney: $600,210
Best Finishes: T2 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, 3rd CME Group Titleholders, T3 Kia Classic, T5 Lorena Ochoa Invitational, T7 Reignwood LPGA Classic, T9 Safeway Classic, T10 HSBC Women’s Champions
Facebook: pornanong.phatlum (click)
First things first. I have to acknowledge that Pornanong Phatlum did win on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and Ladies European Tour in 2013. However, for this top 30 LPGA Money List countdown, I focus only on LPGA results. Even without counting those wins on the LAGT and LET, it was an impressive year for Waen. Although she had an LPGA win in 2012, it was not at an official event. Thus, she officially came into 2013 with zero top 10s. She earned 7 top 10s this year, including a runner-up finish at the Mobile Bay Classic, as well as a great two tournament run to close the year with a T5 at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational and solo 3rd at the CME Group Titleholders.
CME Group Titleholders 2013 (click to enlarge)
In December last year I wrote a post about watching Waen in 2013 (read here: LPGA Watch 2013: Pornanong Phatlum). In the last paragraph of that entry I wondered if she could take her decent stats to a higher level. There’s no need to wonder anymore. Jumping from 55th on the money list to 23rd answered that question. So did improving her scoring average by over a full stroke, finishing 27th in scoring. That was a marked improvement from 52nd in 2012. In 2014, I would say the next step is having overall better finishes in Majors, although she did have a T13 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. And of course, I root for Waen to get her first official LPGA victory.
Flavia Pennetta at US Open 2013 (click to enlarge)
FLAVIA PENNETTA (Italy)
Singles: $961,867 Doubles: $127,719 Mixed: $1,035
2013 Official WTA Prizemoney: $1,090,621
Best Finishes: Singles, SF US Open, SF Collector Swedish Open, SF Internationaux de Strasbourg; Doubles, Winner HP Open (with Kristina Mladenovic); Team, Fed Cup Champion (Team Italy)
If you’re going to make nearly 60 percent of your money at one tournament, best to make it playing singles at a Major. Flavia Pennetta went on an inspired run in Flushing Meadow at the US Open. After an opening win against Nicole Gibbs, Flavia beat four straight seeded players; Sara Errani, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Simona Halep and Roberta Vinci. It took world #2 Victoria Azarenka to strike midnight on Pennetta’s Cinderella run. But that two weeks of brilliance from Flavia was good enough for $638,929, earning her a place in the top 25 of the year end money list.
HP Open 2013 with Kristina Mladenovic
The US Open wasn’t the only highlight of Pennetta’s year. She won the HP Open doubles title in Osaka, Japan with partner Kristina Mladenovic. It marked her 15th WTA doubles title. Flavia was also part of Team Italy as they won their 4th Fed Cup title, to go along with titles in 2006, 2009 and 2010).
SELECTED 2013 PICS OF PORNANONG PHATLUM and FLAVIA PENNETTA
ALL PICS CLICK TO ENLARGE
PORNANONG PHATLUM
CME Group Titleholders
Lorena Ochoa Invitational
Reignwood LPGA Classic
Safeway Classic
Safeway Classic
Mobile Bay LPGA Classic
Honda LPGA Thailand
FLAVIA PENNETTA
China Open
US Open
Wimbledon
Internazionali BNL d’Italia
Sony Open
Sony Open
Milan Fashion Week
Fairways and Forehands 