The Daio Paper elleair Ladies Open 2016 of Japan LPGA tour tournament was held from November 17 to 20, at the Elleair Golf Club Matsuyama in Ehime. The top 5 players of the prize money ranking also took part in the tournament, Bo-Mee Lee, Ai Suzuki, Ha-Neul Kim, Ritsuko Ryu and Jiyai Shin. And After this tournament is over, the players that finish in the top 50 of the prize money ranking are seeded in the following year’s Japan LPGA Tour.
In the first round, Erina Hara shot a 63 so she took the first place. Haruka Morita shot a 65 and she took the 2nd place with 2 strokes behind Hara. Bo-Mee Lee aimed to win this tournament 2 years in a row. Lee shot a 70 and she took the 25th place with 7 strokes behind the 1st place.
In the second round, Teresa Lu（Lu Hsiao-ching）shot a 62 so her total score was 15 under and she took the first place. Morita shot a 66 and she kept the 2nd place with 2 strokes behind Lu. Hara shot a 69 and dropped to the 3rd place. All top 5 players of the prize money ranking got through the qualifying round, but Rikako Morita didn’t raised scores and her total score was 1 under. So her place was 60th, she failed a cut lose. As this result, Morita’s prize money ranking was 68th until last week so she isn’t seeded in the following year’s Japan LPGA Tour. Morita is 26 years old now, and she got a prize money queen of Japan LPGA Tour in 2013. But she had won the tournament only once in the next 3 years and she developed a yips of approach shot. She takes part in the final qualifying school of Japan LPGA tour. Then, Kotono Koduma and Rui Kitada also aren’t seeded in the following year’s Tour.
Due to bad weather, the start was delayed in the third round. However, Teresa Lu shot a 67 so her total score was 20 under and she kept the first place. Mamiko Higa shot a 65 and she took the 2nd place with 4 strokes behind Lu. She had taken the third place in the tournament of October, so she was seeded in the next year and played calmly since then. Hara and morita were 3rd place with Erika Kikuchi, their total score were 15 under with 5 strokes behind the 1st place. Bo Mee Lee shot a 74 and dropped to the 37th place.
Teresa Lu raised scores even in the final round. She shot a 68 and her total score was 24 under. So she won the Daio Paper elleair Ladies Open 2016. Her victory score is the best record in the Japan LPGA Tour tournamnet over Natsuka Hori. Then Lu got the winning prize of 18 million yen and took the 6th place of the prize money ranking in the Japan LPGA Tour. Higa shot a 65 and her total score was 23 under. so she ended in the 2nd place with 1 stroke behind Lu. Hara and Suzuki were 3rd place, their total score were 20 under with 4 strokes behind the 1st place. Bo Mee Lee’s total score was 9 under.
Teresa Lu ‘s biography is that she’s the age of 29 and she was born at Taiwan. She became a professional golfer in 2005. She has been played in Japan LPGA Tour from 2010, and won 12 times in Japan until now. Then she was selected to the members of the Taiwanese national women’s Olympic Golf team and played in the 2016 Rio Olympic games. Lu was married to a Japanese man in October 2016, so she has been enhanced even in private life and played golf calmly.
And this tournament was over, the prize money queen of 2016 decided. Bo Mee Lee became a leading money winner 2 years in a row. The continuous leading money winner has been since Sun-Ju Ahn, 2010-2011 season. After that, the LPGA tour championship Ricoh Cup of the last tournament is hold from November 24 to 27 at the Miyazaki Country Club in Miyazaki. The top 25 players of the prize money ranking and the winner of this year take part in this tournament.
This youtube’s video is the interview of Teresa Lu in 2016. Her Japanese became very well and she will be active at the Japan LPGA Tour in the future.
