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12/05/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's really only one way to look at the LPGA Tour in 2011:
The Year of Yani.
That means Yani Tseng, of course. Tseng began the year as the No. 5 player in the world, nearly a full point off the average of No. 1 Jiyai Shin. Shin's 10.60 point average then now pales in comparison to Tseng's current average of 18.16, nearly double that of her nearest competitor.
To put it in layman's terms: there's Yani Tseng, and there's everyone else.
Having already passed the status of the "Next One," Tseng dominated the LPGA Tour in 2011 like few have before. She has successfully taken the torch from Lorena Ochoa, who retired not long ago, and, at the young age of 22, figures to hold on to the torch for a bit of time.
It's rather early to speculate, but when all is said and done, Tseng could conceivably challenge Kathy Whitworth's record of 88 LPGA Tour victories. It's possible that we've witnessed the coming out party of the greatest female golfer ever.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Yani Tseng
Duh.
Tseng had seven LPGA Tour victories -- two majors -- and 11 overall wins in 2011, all while no other golfer got more than two titles. If Cristie Kerr, who finished second on the money list, doubled her earnings, she'd still fall short of Tseng's nearly $3 million.
Barely old enough to legally drink in the United States, Tseng is already a third of the way to the all-time major championship record of 15.
Tseng won her second LPGA Championship and second Women's British Open in 2011 and finished second to Stacy Lewis in an exciting Kraft Nabisco Championship. She made 21 cuts in 22 events, finishing in the top five in 12 of them and the top 10 in two more.
She led the tour in scoring average by almost a full stroke and was the only player who averaged under 70 strokes per round. Tseng had 58 more birdies than anyone else, five more rounds under par and led the tour in driving distance.
It was a historic year by any measure, and someday she'll complete the career Grand Slam with a U.S. Women's Open championship. It's quite possible we haven't seen the best of this superstar, and she should be a treat to watch for the next decade or so.
Runners up (but really, there was no competition): Lewis, Suzann Pettersen.
TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR - Kraft Nabisco Championship
It can't all be about Tseng, can it?
The Kraft Nabisco Championship was one of the rare points in 2011 where Tseng was beaten, but her presence all the way to the finish helped make this tournament the most exciting of the year.
In the season's first major, Tseng was looking to successfully defend her title and had a two-stroke lead heading into the final round. But Lewis lurked long enough to take the lead midway through the round, making some incredible shots down the stretch (one of which will be mentioned later) to hold on.
It's difficult to think that Tseng's year could have been more impressive if it weren't for Lewis' clutch play that Sunday. Lewis broke through after three previous top-10 finishes in majors and took the customary leap into Poppie's Pond. The jump wasn't all that successful, as her mother broke her leg, but that will heal, and Lewis rode the victory to quite a season.
She said afterward that beating Tseng reminded her that she could play with -- and beat -- the best in the world. Looking back after the year Tseng had, it may have been the most impressive performance of the year.
Tseng finished with an out-of-character, two-over 74 that day, so Lewis may have caught a break, but one particular putt at the end of the round helped her seal her first career victory...
SHOT OF THE YEAR
...Lewis headed to the 71st hole of the Kraft Nabisco Championship with a two- stroke lead, but was visibly nervous for good reason.
Here was Lewis, who didn't have an official win, battling what we now know to be one of the greatest female golfers ever. Even a two-shot lead, with two to play, has to feel like nothing, knowing what Tseng can do.
Lewis showed her nerves by hitting her tee shot into a greenside bunker, while Tseng had a birdie chance from the edge of the green. Oh no, Lewis must have thought -- the pressure seemed to be winning the battle.
Lewis wedged out of the sand trap to the fringe, about 25 feet away, and Tseng followed with a bad miss on her birdie chance, and the ball rolled just inside where Lewis was.
What followed was the shot of the year.
Lewis seemed to have no shot to save par and was resigned to make bogey, which still would have left her with a likely lead. It would have been okay, but a par would probably seal the tournament. The ball started out to the right, and Lewis could only stand and watch as it rolled perfectly right to left and into the cup.
It was an unbelievable moment, the dagger in Tseng's chances after the now-No. 1 missed her par putt and fell behind by three. After Lewis parred the last hole, history was made.
"I just couldn't believe I made it," Lewis said at the time. "I knew I had a good shot at winning from there, but I was just trying to control my emotions and stay calm."
She had a tough time doing that, but it would be hard for anyone who just accomplished what Lewis did. She went on to finish fourth on the money list, only $1,000 behind Na Yeon Choi for third.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Hee Kyung Seo
Seo won the Rookie of the Year award quite convincingly in 2011, more than doubling the points of runner-up Christel Boeljon. She didn't get a win, but managed to finish an impressive 21st on the money list in her first season with $619,428.
Seo nearly captured a major in her first stint on tour, going to a playoff at the U.S. Women's Open after tying So Yeon Ryu atop the leaderboard on the final day. A bogey on the second playoff hole ultimately doomed her, but it was one of the more impressive and surprising performances of the year.
In all, Seo had two top-five finishes and another top-10, missing only three cuts all year. She'll likely be heard from again in the coming years.
Runners-up: Boeljon, Tiffany Joh, Jenny Shin.
GOOD YEAR
Pettersen - She finished the year as the No. 2 player in the world, posting two titles in 2011 and finishing fifth on the money list. A year after being listed on the 'Bad Year' of this review, Pettersen finally made up for it with her first victory in nearly two years at the Sybase Match Play Championship. She followed with her first stroke-play win in just as long at the Safeway Classic, shedding the choke label she was beginning to receive.
Brittany Lincicome - Other than Tseng, there were three two-time winners in 2011, and Lincicome was one of them. She took the ShopRite LPGA Classic and Canadian Women's Open, adding to her Kraft Nabisco Championship title in 2009. It was the first year Lincicome had won multiple times in a season, and she didn't miss a cut all year.
Karrie Webb - The last of the four multi-winners in 2011, Webb finished only 14th on the money list, but at age 36 she keeps churning out victories. She managed to keep her career win total (38) ahead of her age and will look to become the 12th player to win 40 times on the LPGA Tour in 2012. Webb won consecutive events early in the year before fading, but she also did not miss a cut in 2011.
Lewis - Anyone who beats Tseng on a Sunday at a major has to have a good year regardless of whatever else happens, right? It was Lewis' only win, but she finished fourth on the money list and had five top-fives and 12 top-10s overall.
BAD YEAR
Jiyai Shin - She began the year at No. 1, but is now No. 7 after going winless in 2011. After posting multiple victories for three straight years, Shin couldn't add to her eight career victories and never cracked the top five in her last 11 events. She had a pair of runner-up finishes, but those came early in the year. Shin cashed only two six-digit paychecks all season.
Michelle Wie - She's still getting by on name value, but when does that end? After going winless for the first time since 2008, Wie needs to start performing before her star fades completely. She posted runner-up finishes at the season-opening LPGA Thailand and the Canadian Women's Open, but was mostly down the leaderboards at most events. Might people have expected too much from her too soon? For the record, Wie and Tseng were born in the same year.
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Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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