Fairways and Forehands 2013 Top 30 WTA and LPGA Year In Review: #17 Samantha Stosur and Chella Choi

Samantha Stosur wins 2013 Southern California Open (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 17 on the money list from each tour are Samantha Stosur (WTA) and Chella Choi (LPGA).

SAMANTHA STOSUR (Australia)

Singles: $996,468 Doubles: $94,237 Mixed: $1,947

2013 Official WTA Prizemoney: $1,230,152

Best Finishes: WINNER Southern California Open, WINNER HP Open, Runner-Up WTA Tournament of Champions, Runner-Up Kremlin Cup

Since her signature career win over Serena Williams to take the 2011 US Open, Samantha Stosur had been been searching in vain for her next title until August of 2013 when she took out Victoria Azarenka in the final to win the Southern California Open. She wouldn’t have to wait long to win again, as she captured the HP Open in October. Finishing her 2013 season with a flourish, Samantha was runner-up at the Kremlin Cup and the WTA Tournament of Champions, both times losing to Simona Halep. Stosur raises her career WTA singles titles mark to 5, including 1 Major.

Wimbledon (click to enlarge)

Maybe I’m waiting in vain, but I think Samantha Stosur has the ability to own the tour. When she’s on, she can beat anybody, as demonstrated in her straight set dominant performance against Serena in the US Open 2011 final. But Samantha is so inconsistently brilliant. A perfect example is losing in the first round of the Bank of the West to Olga Govortsova and then turning around the following week and winning the Southern California Open, beating Agnieszka Radwanska and Victoria Azarenka along the way. A player of Samantha’s talent should not lose in the first, second or third round of Majors, as she did in 2013. She’s a great player. There’s no doubt about that. But if she could be a bit more consistent, even turning 30 in March she could be a transcendent player.

Chella Choi at HSBC Women’s Champions (click to enlarge)

CHELLA CHOI (South Korea)

2013 Official LPGA Prizemoney: $739,441

Best Finishes: 2nd Mizuno Classic, T4 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, T5 Wegmans LPGA Championship, T6 Evian Championship, T6 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, T8 HSBC Women’s Champions

Chella Choi keeps getting close to her first LPGA victory. In 2012 she fell in a playoff to Brittany Lang at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. In 2013, Chella was sensational at the Mizuno Classic. However, Teresa Lu was just a little bit more sensational. It’s coming. Chella isn’t just having flash runner-up finishes. She’s starting to collect top 10s, including at Majors like the Wegmans LPGA Championship and Evian Championship. Her daddy caddie can’t retire until Chella wins!

Wegmans LPGA Championship with daddy caddie, Ji-Yeon Choi (click to enlarge)

To get that first victory, she probably needs to improve her putting a little bit. She’s giving herself chances to score, placing 6th in greens in regulation in 2013. But her putts per GIR ranking is 28th and her overall putting average is 76th. So the chances to score are there, she just has to cash in more on those opportunities. If she can, maybe 2014 will see Chella earn her Rolex first-time win…and let her dad retire. 🙂