It’s hard to win in any sport, but the LPGA takes it to another level. In 12 events, there have been 12 different winners. Big names like Michelle Wie, Inbee Park and Lydia Ko have won. First-timers like Pernilla Lindberg and Moriya Jutanugarn have also raised a trophy.
That brings us to Jennifer Song. It’s her eighth year on the LPGA Tour and she has five top 10 finishes, but no wins.
She came agonizingly close to her first win earlier this season at the ANA Inspiration when she had about 10-feet for birdie to win in the playoff that included Inbee Park and eventual champion Pernilla Lindberg. Song was eliminated with a par on the third extra hole.
"Being under pressure, being in the moment, it was just a special moment for me," Song said Tuesday from her home state of Michigan, site of this week's LPGA Volvik Championship. "I will go back to that moment any time, but I think I definitely grew as a person and grew as a better golfer. I feel more confident about my game and I'll have less of a worry."
The LPGA is in Ann Arbor, Song's birthplace, this week and she opened up about the difficult pursuit of her first win.
“I’m really desperate to have a first win on the LPGA Tour,” said Song, now 28-years-old. “I haven’t had one and this is my eighth year and I’m working really hard for that first win. It will all come naturally, so I’ll just keep doing my best, stay in the moment and see what will come.”
It’s hard, really hard.
Here is the perfect indication of how deep the talent pool is on the LPGA. Even with 12 different winners, many at the top tier of the women's game haven’t won. Even Lexi Thompson, Shanshan Feng, In Gee Chun, So Yeon Ryu, In-Kyung Kim and Cristie Kerr are without a win this year.
This is a week that evokes great memories for Song and would be apropos for a first career win. She was born at the University of Michigan Hospital and when she returned to the area in the third grade, she picked up the sport. She still remembers the early days playing at nearby Huron Hill Golf Course and Leslie Park Golf Course. Her dad attended the University of Michigan, so she bleeds maize and blue and can likely recite "Hail to the Victors" word for word.
Song has generally played well at Travis Pointe Country Club, site of this week's Tournament. She finished T11 in 2017 and T16 in the inaugural year.
“The greens are definitely a little softer this year so I think it’ll be more interesting since we can attack the pins a little more,” explained Song. “It’s a great golf course and it is going to be a fun event.”
It would be the perfect time for win number one.
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