Ritsuko Ryu (click to enlarge)
August 2016 on the JLPGA has belonged to two players, Bo-Mee Lee and Ritsuko Ryu. Bo-Mee opened the month by winning the Meiji Cup. Ritsuko answered with victory at the NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament. Lee was next to title at last week’s CAT Ladies. Ryu now closes out this cycle of the moon in triumphant fashion at the 2016 Nitori Ladies. Not that Bo-Mee Lee didn’t have her chances to capture JLPGA win number 20. However, an atypically wild wild round (4 birdies, 4 bogeys…including 3 on the back 9) conspired to open the door for Ritsuko to catch her at 7-under. Or perhaps I should say Bo-Mee caught Ritsuko at the end of regulation play, as the South Korean needed a birdie on 18 to get to -7 after starting the day tied for the lead with Ai Suzuki, 3 shots ahead of Ryu. Lee came close to holing out for eagle and the win on 18, but her approach shot missed by inches. I suppose it was only fitting that these two would finish August in a playoff. Ryu would claim the last trophy until September with a short putt on the first playoff hole for her 5th career JLPGA win and 2nd in the last 3 events.
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1 RITSUKO RYU (-7)
2 BO-MEE LEE (-7)
3 MI-JEONG JEON (-6)
T4 AYAKA WATANABE (-5)
T4 AI SUZUKI (-5)
LEADERBOARD
| RANK | PLAYER | SCORE | 1R | 2R | 3R | 4R | TOTAL | PRIZE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 優勝 | Ritsuko Ryu | -7 | 71 | 71 | 70 | 69 | 281 | ¥18,000,000 | |
| 2 | Bo-Mee Lee | -7 | 70 | 71 | 68 | 72 | 281 | ¥8,800,000 | |
| 3 | Mi-Jeong Jeon | -6 | 71 | 74 | 66 | 71 | 282 | ¥7,000,000 | |
| 4T | Ayaka Watanabe | -5 | 72 | 74 | 69 | 68 | 283 | ¥5,500,000 | |
| 4T | Ai Suzuki | -5 | 69 | 68 | 72 | 74 | 283 | ¥5,500,000 | |
| 6 | Ha-Neul Kim | -4 | 73 | 69 | 69 | 73 | 284 | ¥4,000,000 | |
| 7 | Saki Nagamine | -2 | 73 | 73 | 71 | 69 | 286 | ¥3,500,000 | |
| 8 | Kotono Kozuma | -1 | 71 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 287 | ¥3,000,000 | |
| 9T | Na-Ri Lee | 0 | 69 | 75 | 74 | 70 | 288 | ¥2,093,333 | |
| 9T | Maiko Wakabayashi | 0 | 71 | 74 | 73 | 70 | 288 | ¥2,093,333 | |
| 9T | Hiromi Mogi | 0 | 75 | 72 | 68 | 73 | 288 | ¥2,093,333 | |
| 12T | Hee-Kyung Bae | +1 | 71 | 73 | 74 | 71 | 289 | ¥1,630,000 | |
| 12T | Phoebe Yao | +1 | 76 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 289 | ¥1,630,000 | |
| 14T | Mayu Hosaka | +2 | 73 | 74 | 72 | 71 | 290 | ¥1,280,000 | |
| 14T | Ji-Hee Lee | +2 | 71 | 77 | 71 | 71 | 290 | ¥1,280,000 | |
| 14T | Mamiko Higa | +2 | 71 | 70 | 77 | 72 | 290 | ¥1,280,000 | |
| 14T | Babe Liu | +2 | 74 | 74 | 70 | 72 | 290 | ¥1,280,000 | |
| 14T | Saiki Fujita | +2 | 72 | 70 | 70 | 78 | 290 | ¥1,280,000 | |
| 19T | Erina Hara | +3 | 77 | 72 | 70 | 72 | 291 | ¥930,000 | |
| 19T | Serena Aoki | +3 | 74 | 67 | 74 | 76 | 291 | ¥930,000 | |
| 21T | Kaori Ohe | +4 | 73 | 69 | 76 | 74 | 292 | ¥840,000 | |
| 21T | Kyoko Furuya | +4 | 75 | 72 | 70 | 75 | 292 | ¥840,000 | |
| 21T | Yukari Baba | +4 | 73 | 75 | 69 | 75 | 292 | ¥840,000 | |
| 24T | Ayaka Matsumori | +5 | 77 | 71 | 73 | 72 | 293 | ¥780,000 | |
| 24T | Mayu Hamada | +5 | 76 | 73 | 74 | 70 | 293 | ¥780,000 | |
| 24T | Haruka Morita | +5 | 72 | 74 | 77 | 70 | 293 | ¥780,000 | |
| 27T | O Sattaya | +6 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 75 | 294 | ¥690,000 | |
| 27T | Megumi Kido | +6 | 69 | 77 | 73 | 75 | 294 | ¥690,000 | |
| 27T | Miki Sakai | +6 | 74 | 72 | 76 | 72 | 294 | ¥690,000 | |
| 27T | Kana Nagai | +6 | 75 | 70 | 73 | 76 | 294 | ¥690,000 | |
| 27T | Erika Kikuchi | +6 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 76 | 294 | ¥690,000 | |
| 27T | Miki Uehara | +6 | 75 | 71 | 71 | 77 | 294 | ¥690,000 | |
| 33T | Rie Tsuji | +7 | 72 | 71 | 77 | 75 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 33T | Nana Yamashiro | +7 | 76 | 70 | 74 | 75 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 33T | Akane Iijima | +7 | 78 | 71 | 71 | 75 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 33T | Asuka Kashiwabara | +7 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 33T | Momoko Ueda | +7 | 73 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 33T | Saki Inoue | +7 | 72 | 70 | 75 | 78 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 33T | Chie Arimura | +7 | 70 | 74 | 73 | 78 | 295 | ¥561,428 | |
| 40 | @Minami Katsu | +8 | 77 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 296 | ¥0 | |
| 41T | Kana Mikashima | +9 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 77 | 297 | ¥490,000 | |
| 41T | Lala Anai | +9 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 297 | ¥490,000 | |
| 41T | Junko Omote | +9 | 68 | 75 | 73 | 81 | 297 | ¥490,000 | |
| 44T | @Sakura Koiwai | +10 | 74 | 72 | 77 | 75 | 298 | ¥0 | |
| 44T | Jennifer Hirano | +10 | 72 | 74 | 78 | 74 | 298 | ¥470,000 | |
| 46T | Yuki Ichinose | +11 | 76 | 72 | 76 | 75 | 299 | ¥440,000 | |
| 46T | Saki Takeo | +11 | 73 | 71 | 80 | 75 | 299 | ¥440,000 | |
| 46T | Yukari Nishiyama | +11 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 299 | ¥440,000 | |
| 46T | Yoko Maeda | +11 | 70 | 78 | 77 | 74 | 299 | ¥440,000 | |
| 46T | Rikako Morita | +11 | 76 | 74 | 78 | 71 | 299 | ¥440,000 | |
| 51 | Misae Yanagisawa | +13 | 72 | 76 | 71 | 82 | 301 | ¥410,000 | |
| 52 | P Chutichai | +14 | 76 | 74 | 76 | 76 | 302 | ¥400,000 | |
| 53T | Rui Kitada | +15 | 75 | 70 | 74 | 84 | 303 | ¥385,000 | |
| 53T | Miki Saiki | +15 | 74 | 75 | 74 | 80 | 303 | ¥385,000 | |
| 55T | Rie Iwahashi | +16 | 72 | 76 | 77 | 79 | 304 | ¥360,000 | |
| 55T | Satsuki Oshiro | +16 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 304 | ¥360,000 | |
| 55T | Mami Fukuda | +16 | 71 | 75 | 81 | 77 | 304 | ¥360,000 | |
| 58 | Rumi Yoshiba | +17 | 76 | 72 | 82 | 75 | 305 | ¥340,000 | |
| 59T | Yasuko Satoh | +18 | 79 | 71 | 76 | 80 | 306 | ¥315,000 | |
| 59T | Yumi Sasahara | +18 | 77 | 73 | 78 | 78 | 306 | ¥315,000 | |
| 59T | Hikari Kawamitsu | +18 | 76 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 306 | ¥315,000 | |
| 59T | Mayu Hattori | +18 | 73 | 77 | 82 | 74 | 306 | ¥315,000 | |
| 63 | Kaori Aoyama | +19 | 73 | 75 | 79 | 80 | 307 | ¥290,000 | |
| 64 | Kaori Yamamoto | +23 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 83 | 311 | ¥280,000 |
Fairways and Forehands 