The 9th Tee Podcast

Ben and Kent discuss Lydia Ko's historic performance at the Lotte Championship in awe of her (-38) over her last 90 holes to break out of her nearly three-year victory slump. They break down the value of LPGA Tour events where winning scores are in the mid to high 20s under par and the performance of the final pairing. They delve into Yuka Saso and her future on the LPGA Tour and end with discussing Kent's Bets of the Week. 

Kent chats with 2018 Symetra Tour POY Ruixin Liu about her six months away from the game of golf to heal a Sesamoid bone injury and what has led her to win four of her last ten starts on the Symetra Tour. That included one week of practice before winning the first event of the 2021 season! She talks about going to a Zoo theme park, how she enjoyed her most extended amount of time in China since turning professional, the difficulty of coordinating flying back home during the 2020 season, and her nightmarish car trouble upon returning to the states. 

Ben and Kent talk about Patty Tavatanakit’s victory at the ANA Inspiration, sit in awe at the core values she shared that drove her to victory, her distance and greens in regulation over the week, Lydia Ko’s tournament record 62 and how many years her 16 under would’ve won the tournament. They reflect on the awesome golf played, then discuss some Tokyo Races, primarily focusing on England and Thailand. They talk about the U.S. Solheim Cup, and Ally Ewing creating some separation. They wrap up talking the quality of play this week from the top five players in the world, and analyze Kent’s bets of the week. What an enjoyable week of golf at the first major of the year.

Ben and Kent preview the first major in Golf, the ANA Inspiration. They first reminisce about Mirim Lee’s three chip-ins on Sunday to get into a playoff, then defeating Nelly Korda and Brooke Henderson. They discuss Korda’s major performances, then talk about the top players trending in the right direction. They dissect Nasa Hataoka’s opportunity to right the ship with a major this week to stay the top Japanese player in the world ahead of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and break down the logjam of US Solheim Cup players trying to make the team by Solheim Cup points. They close with predicting who will leap into Poppie’s Pond.

Ben and Kent return to the 9th tee to recap Inbee Park’s 21st career win at the Kia Classic, along with discussing Sei Young Kim’s top 25 streak ending, the course setup changes by the LPGA Tour, and their impact on viewership, and Michelle Wie West’s return. They then talk about Kent’s selection of Inbee Park, In Gee Chun not signing her scorecard, and tease the preview episode discussing the ANA Inspiration.

Ben and Kent chat with Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, founders of Vision54 and coaches of four world No. 1's and nine major champions, about their coaching philosophy, watching student Annika Sorenstam make her return earlier this season. They explain the three keys to their approach, the think box/play box/memory box, and how the technical and human skills mesh together to form into a golfer.

Pia and Lynn then chat about the lessons players learn before winning for the first time and what it's like to climb the mountain into being the world's No. 1 player for the first time versus trying to ascend again. 

They finish by discussing block practice versus simulation practice and how the pandemic has changed their coaching regimen. 

Ben and Kent are joined by Oneda Castillo, the third African-American to become a Class A status as a LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) about her time teaching alongside Tiger Woods, her journey into the game of golf starting at the age of 30, how her childhood of being bused and put into a separate room from the white kids impacted her teaching approach how diversity can be improved within the sport, how Renee Powell inspired her to become a teacher, and the most fulfilling moments within her teaching career. 

Ben and Kent discuss Austin Ernst's dominant victory at Golden Ocala, her third career win. They then break down Jennifer Kupcho's gritty performance through her migraine, the U.S. Olympic race heating up, and that Americans won the first three events of an LPGA season for the first time since 2007. They discuss who is more likely to become the next American to rise to the top of the rankings, Nelly Korda or Danielle Kang, and chat Kang's reign over Drive On Championships. They go over three rookies finishing in the top 10, Albane Valenzuela, Leona Maguire, and Jennifer Chang. They finish with analysis of Kent's bets and the stock up/stock down segment, discussing Jin Young Ko missing her first cut since 2018 and In Gee Chun being the only player to finish in the top 10 in all three events in 2021 so far. 

Ben and Kent chat Nelly Korda's steady hand in winning at Lake Nona, Annika's comeback and working over the weekend, and who they'd want to see come out of retirement for an appearance like Sorenstam this week. They discuss the Korda sister's utter dominance in the sunshine state since Nelly joined the LPGA Tour. They also break down Kent's bets of the week and compare the world's no. 1 and 2 to stocks before going through stock up and stock down analysis of notable performances. 

Ben and Kent are joined by Christina Kim for the 2nd part of talking with a rookie and a veteran about playing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kim shares handling the anxiety of playing the pandemic, traveling to Europe, lessons with Jack Burke Jr. at the U.S. Women's Open, 2021 goals, and lots of bus talk. 

Dang, did this episode get off the rails.

Ben and Kent discuss a buffet of LPGA news dropped over the last week, including Annika Sorenstam's return to play, former world no. 1 Yani Tseng making her first start since 2019 (8:10), Gabi Ruffels turning pro, and the marketing opportunity for Ruffles chips (16:35), current No. 1 Jin Young Ko making her 2021 debut (20:50). They then pivot to range finders being allowed at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship (25:35), the change of major winners now getting a five-year exemption instead of a two-year one for non-members, aka the Popov Rule (32:47), CME Points becoming the basis of status going forward instead of official money and the ramifications of that change (37:52), Cognizant sponsoring the Founders Cup (42:51), and the LET announcing it's 2021 schedule (45:00). 

Ben and Kent are joined by LPGA Tour Rookie Jennifer Chang, heading into her second rookie season on tour. They chat about what she learned about adjusting from college to professional golf, what she worked on during the pandemic break and this offseason, the kind of courses she expects to play well in, and how working with a mental coach has helped her game. They end by discussing Shake Shack versus In N Out Burger. 

Ben and Kent are joined by The IX's Sarah Kellam, who writes a weekly newsletter on women's golf every Thursday, on the 9th Tee for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of the women's golf game. They start chatting about Sarah's golf background, including getting an autograph from Annika Sorenstam and Brandel Chamblee giving her swing advice. They then talk about Hall of Famer Inbee Park and what it'd be to see her facing off against Bryson DeChambeau in a mixed Presidents Cup. They wrap with lukewarm takes on the 2021 Solheim Cup and the value of veterans for the Americans after Suzann Pettersen's winning moment in 2019. 

Ben and Kent discuss the 60 burger of a Saturday for Jessica Korda that drove her into the final pairing Saturday, the playoff on NFL Championship Sunday, Danielle Kang's bogey-free streak, and the fireworks from the final group of the Korda sisters and Danielle Kang.

Ben and Kent discuss five questions ahead of the 2021 season, beginning at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. First, who will win the money title (1:55), which countries will have multiple representatives at the Olympics (15:30), will Jin Young Ko move into 2nd all-time for most weeks as the World's No. 1 (21:25), who will be the rookie of the year (34:05), and who will become a first-time winner in 2021 (41:00). 

Christina Kim and Ron Sirak join Ben and Kent to discuss LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan's announcement that he will phase out at some point in 2021, an 11-year run, making him the longest-tenured Commissioner in the history of the LPGA Tour. Kim joins first and discusses her role as an LPGA Tour board of directors member during Whan's hiring and the difficulty the tour faced, along with the first time she talked to Whan when he was the Commissioner in South Korea at 2:45 in the morning. After (19:30), Sirak joins who talks covering events virtually in 2020 before talking a litany of topics on the outgoing Commissioner. He shares why Whan is on his Mt. Rushmore of commissioners, Whan's most critical decisions to save the tour from nearly folding during the Great Recession, and why his honesty led him to his success at the helm of the LPGA Tour. 

Ben and Kent spend three minutes on each of the top 10 moments from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season in chronological order, beginning in Australia and ending at the CME Group Tour Championship.  They also discuss a couple honorable mentions, and briefly discuss the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions thats only a few weeks away. 

Ben and Kent discuss the CME Group Tour Championship, including the astounding four events it took Jin Young Ko to defend her money title, Sei Young Kim winning Rolex Player of the Year, Danielle Kang claiming the Vare Trophy, and notable career money marks. They wrap up with discussing Kent's bets of the week. 

Ben and Kent discuss from the 9th Tee all things U.S. Women's Open, including A Lim Kim's victory, Amy Olson's valiant run and overcoming tragedy affecting her family, the glowing future of women's golf with the strong amateur play and professionals outside of the LPGA Tour showing out, and finish discussing their picks of the week. Ben's picks in particular are notable for DFS players in majors, as he had a 750 to 1 pick in contention Sunday. 

Ben and Kent dive into all things U.S. Women's Open, including their picks of the week, Annika Major Award projections, and Rolex Player of the Year award watch. Ben explains how the value is in non-LPGA Tour players this week. As the USGA aptly put it this week, these are women worth watching. 

Ben and Kent discuss Angela Stanford's 7th career victory in her 20 year career, and how dominant her final round with seven birdies was. They talk potential U.S. Solheim Cup implications, as Stanford and rookie Yealimi Noh both put up strong performances. They delve into the picks of the week, where Kent picked Stanford at 125 to 1 at the start of the week for his third correct selection of the restart. After, they break down the performances of the top five finishers, featuring the Hall of Famer Inbee Park doing Hall of Famer things. They take a look at the Rolex Player of the Year and CME Race to wrap up. 

Ben and Kent delve into Sei Young Kim winning back to back events, becoming the 3rd most winningest player from South Korea in LPGA Tour history. They discuss her ability to convert GIRs into birdies, what it would mean if she became the World's No. 1 player, and her Vare Trophy lead. They talk Ally McDonald's bid to win back-to-back weeks that was thwarted by Kim's strong performance, and reigning Rolex Player of the Year Jin Young Ko and reigning Rookie of the Year Jeongeun Lee6's return to the tour this week. The two conclude discussing their bets of the week, including how to assess the value of a former world no. 1. 

Ben and Kent share the 9th Tee with LPGA Tour players Christina Kim, Jaclyn Lee, Amelia Lewis, and Maddie McCrary as they discuss their experiences and emotions at Q-Series, the LPGA's 144 hole final stage of qualifying and an update from Q-School in 2018. They also talk about the steps to Q-Series, Stage 1 and Stage 2, and the difficulties on and off the course of qualifying, from staying focused through such a lengthy tournament to the finances of qualifying. 

Ben Harpring and Kent Paisley discuss Ally McDonald's first win on the LPGA Tour, Bianca Pagdanganan leading the distance revolution on the LPGA Tour and whether or not the tour benefits from it's arrival, Danielle Kang being the best player on Tour in 2020, and Mina Harigae and Katherine Kirk launching renaissances of their own. They then delve into Kent's picks of the week, narrowly missing Pagdanganan at +16000,  and discuss why +750 is difficult to bet on for any player outright in golf. 

Ben and Kent analyze the third major of 2020 on the LPGA Tour, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. They discuss the record breaking skill level of Sei Young Kim, and that somehow, she's been flying under the radar despite ten career wins coming into this week. They discuss the greatness of Inbee Park, and how much longer she may stay on tour. They then analyze the final group's performance and how the top four players in the tournament all shot five under or lower on Sunday at the difficult Aronimink setup. To end, they discuss each other's picks of the week, including Kent's second correct selection since the restart of Sei Young Kim as the outright winner. 

Ben Harpring and Kent Paisley are joined by two-time LPGA Tour winner Jimin Kang to discuss playing the KPMG Women's PGA Championship as an LPGA Teaching & Club Professional Member, her victories and what it's like coming down the stretch with a chance to win, and her favorite feeling in golf: her students hitting it pure for the first time. The co hosts then dive into players to watch at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and look at the Rolex Annika Major Award with two majors left to go. 

Ben Harpring and Kent Paisley discuss the Shoprite LPGA Classic. They start with Mel Reid's performance and ability to bounce back for a victory after back to back weeks being the 54-hole leader on the LPGA Tour. Jennifer Kupcho and Jennifer Song's valiant efforts in the final group, and room for growth for the 2nd year LPGA Tour player going forward. The Korda sisters and brother Sebastian had a strong week, Kent's picks struggled royally, and Ben and Kent tease their KPMG Women's PGA Championship preview. 

Ben and Kent analyze Georgia Hall's playoff victory over Ashleigh Buhai, her approach of not looking at leaderboards and how that strategy varies from the pace setter to those chasing, and Buhai's performance. They then discuss Buhai and Yealimi Noh qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open, and analyze Kent's picks of the week. They talk about Inbee Park's move up the Rolex Player of the Year rankings, and the close race that the top South Koreans are facing in the coming months to the 2021 Olympics. 

Ben and Kent dive into the Poppie's Pond of content from the ANA Inspiration. They discuss Mirim Lee's THREE chip ins on Sunday to get into a playoff. They break down the playoff, then delve into Nelly Korda and Brooke Henderson's performances. They consider who will walk away from losing the major in a better mindset, how the wall next to Poppie's Pond made golf into bumper cars on the 72nd hole, and the strong performance from a couple future LPGA Tour players in Rose Zhang and Gabriela Ruffels. They wrap up the show discussing Kent's picks of the week, and discuss the Cambia Portland Classic next week.

It's going to be a scorcher in Rancho Mirage! Ben and Kent talk about the triple digit weather and caddies in carts at the Dinah Shore Course, the return of Sung Hyun Park (8:20), and run through Ben's players to watch this week. Kent runs through three players without majors who have a strong opportunity to win their first one (31:02). They then discuss how a victory this week would put Stacy Lewis on Hall of Fame watch (39:46). Kent and Ben throw on their commissioner's hats in discussing the Sophia Popov situation (46:00). As always, Ben leaves room for a hot take at the end. 

Ben and Kent recap Austin Ernst’s victory at the Walmart NWA Championship, her first in 145 starts. They talk about how difficult it is to go low in a 54-hole event, how the 14th hole swung the one on one duel to Ernst from Nordqvist (8:05). Sei Young Kim on Vare Trophy alert as she looks for her first major victory in two weeks (17:20), chasing Annika Sorenstam’s Vare Trophy scoring record of 68.7 (22:27). They look at rookies Esther Lee and Yealimi Noh’s T15 performances and what they did before their rookie seasons (24:11). They go over Kent’s Bets of the Week (29:06), before a brief discussion of how difficult it is to manage the LPGA Tour’s truncated schedule post COVID-19 (34:14).

Ben and Kent dive into the historic upset that was Sophia Popov, at 304th in the Rolex Women's World Rankings, winning the AIG Women's Open. They talk about Popov's incredible road to the AIG Women's Open off the top, the testament to the strength of the game that a player that deep in the rankings could win (11:40), Catriona Matthew's early run (18:45), the Olympics positioning for Inbee Park and Jasmine Suwannapura (23:05), and Danielle Kang's Sunday charge and how difficult it is to stay in contention week over week (33:15). Ben analyzes Kent's bets on The Paisley Par, and how Sophia Popov's odds were a reminder of the value out there (36:05). They briefly preview the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship (40:44) as well. 

Ben and Kent preview the first major of the 2020 LPGA Tour season. They discuss the dominance of Danielle Kang so far (5:40), the fact that with less travel there's less opportunity for the best players on international tours to showcase their skills (12:20), the return of Inbee Park to the Tour (22:30), Georgia Hall's Rose Ladies Series performances and aiming to win her homeland's major again (28:00), Lexi Thompson's 352 week reign in the top 10 in the world in jeopardy (31:24), Brooke Henderson returning to play (33:47), and Ariya Jutanugarn trying to return to the winner's circle for the first time since 2018 (36:31). 

Kent Paisley and Ben Harpring are launching the 9th Tee Podcast, talking the storylines of the LPGA Tour during the 2020 season. They explain the name of the podcast, why there is so little sports coverage in women's sports. They delve into moments on the LPGA Tour they felt were under covered, and what to expect going forward on the podcast.