The Queens were in Palm Springs last weekend enjoying some warm weather, a little golf, the desert nightlife and the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills.  I always view this event as the kick-off to the golf season.  In many ways, the Kraft Nabisco is the equivalent major championship for the women the Masters is for the men.  Like the Masters, it is played on the same course each year, the only LPGA major to do this. It celebrates its traditions and, rather than a green jacket, the winner and her entourage get to jump into the pond.  Like Augusta’s renovations of the course, that pond has undergone several renovations over the years, including an upgrade to prevent the injury suffered in 2011 by Stacy Lewis’ mother who sprained her leg.  It isn’t the jump that hurts, it is the landing.

     Nothing could have predicted this year’s drama when, with a 1 shot lead, I.K. Kim missed what seemed to be a routine par putt at 18 to slip into a playoff she would eventually lose to Sun Young Yoo.  The gasp from the gallery could be heard on television and there wasn’t a person watching who didn’t feel her anguish.  I.K. Kim hit 18 of 18 greens in regulation during the last round.  Having played this course under tournament conditions, I can vouch for the supreme accomplishment that this statistic indicates.  Like Rory McIlroy’s Sunday slip-up at Augusta last year, I.K. Kim will have to find the resolve to put this moment past her.  I expect she will find a way to check out of the heartbreak hotel and summon her amazing ball striking skill to win again.   The irony of sport is that we remember the weird meltdowns more than the winners!  Can you remember who beat Rory McIlroy at the Masters last year?

     Golf is a game you never master.  It forces us learn to live in harmony with what the game gives us.  There is no other game like it, except life.   We’ll be there again next April to see what happens next. 

Play well,

Words of Wisdom