Feng holds on for 1 stroke win at LPGA event in Michigan
Shanshan Feng won in Malaysia and Japan during an impressive stretch toward the end of the 2016 season.
On American soil, however, it had been a while since her last victory.
That dry spell ended when Feng shot a 4-under 68 on Sunday to win the LPGA Volvik Championship by one stroke over Minjee Lee and Sung Hyun Park. It was her first victory of the season and seventh of her career – and her first in the U.S. since the CME Group Titleholders in 2013.
“Very happy that I can actually prove to the fans in the U.S. that I can actually win here,” she said.
She led by one shot after a bogey-free third round Saturday, then kept the competition at bay on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club.
Feng, a bronze medallist for China at the 2016 Olympics, led by four strokes with four holes to play, but she made a bogey on No. 16 and Lee birdied 17. Needing a bogey on the 18th to win, Feng easily tapped in for one and finished at 19-under 269.
Lee (65) made six birdies on the front nine, and Park (66) made four on the back.
"I had a really fun day out there. I started off really hot." @minjeegolf finishes T2 after a great final round at the @VolvikLPGA pic.twitter.com/7NcKozUBL0
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 28, 2017
Playing a couple groups ahead of Feng, Lee knew she needed a strong finish to catch the leader, and after her birdie on No. 17, she tried to reach the green on the par-5 18th in two. Lee missed well to the left and ended up near the scoring tent before scrambling to make par.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m four shots behind with like two holes to go.’ So just tried to play and make as many birdies as I could on the last two holes,” Lee said. “I made one.”
But Feng still had room for error as she was finishing her round – not that she necessarily realized it. Feng says she tries to ignore the leaderboard when she plays.
“I had no idea about the others other than my playing partners, so I was maybe assuming somebody in front of me maybe would have a super-low round and maybe would catch me,” Feng said. “So I had no idea. I was just focusing on my own game and own plan.”
Feng’s second shot on 18 left her behind a bunker near the green, and her shot from there still came up short of the putting surface. When she did reach the green, she still had two putts for the win from a pretty short distance.
“I asked my caddie. I handed him the ball, I was like, ‘Is it OK?’ My caddie said, ‘Oh, it’s fine.’ Then I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ve got two putt to win,”’ she said. “And I looked at the leaderboard and I was winning by two, so I didn’t have pressure.”
Lizette Salas (69) and Jeong Eun Lee (67) finished tied for fourth, two strokes behind.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a final round of 4-under 68 to finish in a tie for 21st at 11 under.
Lydia Ko skipped this event but remains No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings. So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn each could have displaced her this week, but Ryu (72) finished tied for 56th at 3 under, and Jutanugarn (71) – the defending champion at this event – was 11 under and tied for 21st. Ryu had finished in the top 10 in 11 consecutive events, dating to last season.
Feng finished last year strong after her Olympic medal, winning twice to cap a streak of six straight tour finishes in the top four.
“I got the bronze medal in Rio and that really gave me a lot more confidence,” she said. “After that I just reminded myself every time, ‘Hey, just smile all the time, it doesn’t matter if you hit a bad shot. I mean it’s going to happen because we’re human beings and we should allow ourselves to do that, and that’s what I’ve been doing well.”
"I think overall I've been a consistent player but I want to win more." @shanshanfengCHN watch press conference at #VolvikLPGA: pic.twitter.com/sfRHYufVDY
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 28, 2017
Feng’s most recent LPGA win before Sunday was at last year’s TOTO Japan Classic , and the ending was similar. She took a three-shot lead to the final hole, then made a double bogey that was enough for a one-stroke victory.
She came into the final round Sunday with a one-stroke lead over Salas and was ahead by two after the front nine. Birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 put Feng ahead by four.
For the full leaderboard click here
Feng takes 1 stroke lead after bogey free 66 in Michigan
Whether she realized it or not, Shanshan Feng finished the third round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in first place.
Feng, who insists she tries to ignore leaderboards at this stage of a tournament, shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Lizette Salas. Feng’s bogey-free round left her at 15 under for the tournament as she pursues her seventh career victory.
“I have a habit that I don’t look at the leaderboards until Sunday night, so I actually don’t really know where I’m at and I don’t really know what the others are doing,” the Chinese star said. “But I’m feeling good about my condition right now and what I’ve done the first three days, so looking forward to the final day.”
Feng birdied the last two holes Saturday on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club. She took over sole possession of the lead when Salas bogeyed No. 18 moments later.
“Finishing like that really just gets under my skin,” said Salas, who birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 15. “I think that is going to be an extra push for tomorrow, too. I had a two-shot lead and now I’m one back.”
Salas (67) was one shot ahead of Suzann Pettersen (69). Second-round leader Sung Hyun Park (72) was tied for fourth with Jeong Eun Lee (68) at 12 under.
Stacy Lewis (68), Jennifer Song (70) and Minjee Lee (71) were 11 under, and six players were another stroke back, including defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn (68).
Jutanugarn has been playing catch-up since shooting a first-round 72, but if she can keep moving up the leaderboard, she has a chance to take over the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings. Top-ranked Lydia Ko is skipping this event.
One scenario that would put Jutanugarn at No. 1 is if she finishes in the top three and So Yeon Ryu is out of the top four. Ryu (70) is well behind at 3 under and appears unlikely to extend her streak of 11 straight top-10 showings.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 72 and is 7 under.
The most recent victory for Feng was at last year’s TOTO Japan Classic. That was her second straight win and capped a run of six straight tour finishes in the top four – and seven in a row counting her bronze medal at the Olympics.
Feng has finished in the top 10 three times this season, including the past two events. Ignoring the leaderboard seems to work out fine for her.
“I actually tell my team, I tell them, people around me,” she said. “I say: ‘Don’t tell me where I’m at. If I want to know something, I’ll ask you, but don’t tell me.”’
It looked as if Salas might be the one entering the final round with the lead when her string of birdies in the middle of the back nine put her at 15 under. She missed only one fairway all day, on No. 13, and she even birdied that hole.
“Just was in the zone and things just came together and I was having fun and I think that’s the most important thing,” she said. “I’m visualizing a lot better and I’m executing.”
Pettersen made the turn at 13 under before playing the back nine in even par. She’s been consistently good all week, shooting two 67s before Saturday’s 69.
“You can see there’s a lot of low scores around this place,” Pettersen said. “If it plays like it does the last couple days, you’ve got to attack pins.”
Brittany Lincicome was 5 under with little chance of winning, but she played one of the more unusual rounds Saturday. She was the first player to tee off and did not have a playing partner, so she breezed to a 68 in under 2 1/2 hours.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Park takes 2 stroke lead with second round 65 at LPGA event, Henderson, T10
Sung Hyun Park leads the LPGA Volvik Championship after 36 holes. Park shot a 65 to enter the weekend at 12 under.
Minjee Lee cost herself a top-10 finish last week when she failed to sign her scorecard. She is in a tie for second after a second round 66, with Suzann Pettersen (67).
It was quite a gaffe, obviously, but it didn’t change the fact that the 20-year-old from Australia was playing pretty well.
“Obviously, it was my fault,” Lee said. “I played good last week and I know my game’s there.”
“I feel pretty comfortable out there,” said Lee, a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour. “I mean, I was having fun out there and kept it pretty light with my caddie. Yeah, just played golf really.”
“I holed a couple long putts & my shots into the green were good as well. Just solid all around today” @minjeegolf leader (-10) @VolvikLPGA pic.twitter.com/1oETM0womE
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 26, 2017
Lee, who turns 21 on Saturday, was disqualified from the Kingsmill Championship because of the mistake with her scorecard. She seems to have put that behind her, and she wrapped up her round Friday with a birdie on No. 9.
On that final hole, playing partner Charley Hull’s approach shot struck Lee’s ball, which was already on the green, so the players had to deal with that unusual situation.
“They said move it three inches so that’s what we did,” Lee said.
Lexi Thompson, who had her own huge penalty at this year’s ANA Inspiration, was in Lee’s group. She shot 68 and moved to 4 under.
Park birdied six holes on the back nine, and the rookie from South Korea appears to be playing with confidence. She was the top earning player in the Korean LPGA last year and also had four top-10 finishes in seven LPGA Tour events. She has three top-10 LPGA Tour showings this season.
“I think I’ve definitely felt the pressure and that’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I haven’t performed up to my standards this year,” Park said through a translator. “But I think this week I’m able to let things go a little bit more and play my game.”
Sung Hyun Park finishes with a birdie to take a two shot lead at 12-under ??#VolvikLPGA pic.twitter.com/VCLYDgy9Y0
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 26, 2017
Aside from Park, Lizette Salas was the only player to shoot a 65 on Friday on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club. She was at 9 under after missing the cut last week.
“I kind of started off from scratch after Kingsmill after I missed the cut, so I just started from ground zero and worked my way here,” Salas said. “Just really having fun. I love Michigan golf and I finished second in Grand Rapids a couple years ago, so I don’t know, just kind of got my groove back, I guess.”
First-round leaders Stacy Lewis and Wei-Ling Hsu shot 72s and trailed Park by five strokes. Defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn (66) rebounded from a tough first round but still trails the leader by six.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko is not playing in this event, and the other top players in the Rolex Rankings haven’t been at their best. Third-ranked Jutanugarn made some progress Friday, but second-ranked So Yeon Ryu (71) barely made the cut at 1 under. Her streak of 11 straight top-10 finishes is in jeopardy.
“When you play bad, you can find, ‘OK, I have to fix these.’ Or, ‘I have to do this one better,”’ Ryu said. “But I couldn’t really feel it this week. I don’t even know. I cannot hit it well, I cannot really putt it well. So hopefully it’s going to drop for this weekend.”
Paula Creamer (75), Yani Tseng (72), Michelle Wie (71) and Morgan Pressel (75) missed the cut.
The top ranked Canadian is Smiths Falls Ontario’s Brooke Henderson. She is a tie for tenth after a second round 66.
Henderson went out in a bogey free, 4-under par 32 on the front nine, and recorded three more birdies and just one bogey on the back nine, to finish at 6-under for the day (66).
The full leaderboard can be seen here.
Lewis, Hsu tied for lead after first round in Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Wei-Ling Hsu holed out a 7-iron for an eagle on the very first hole she played, setting the tone for a terrific start.
At the end of the day, the unheralded golfer from Taiwan was tied atop the leaderboard with one of the LPGA Tour’s most successful players.
Hsu shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday and shared the lead with Stacy Lewis after the first round of the LPGA Volvik Championship. Hsu eagled two of her first five holes and was 6 under after six. She and Lewis finished a stroke ahead of 18-year-old Nelly Korda.
"I have a very tough year last year," Hsu said. "I just want to improve more. This year I’m able to see my shot going to the hole, going to making the green in regulation more."
Hsu has only one top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour, and that came in her rookie year of 2015. She finished tied for 43rd last week in the Kingsmill Championship after missing the cut in the previous four events.
Lewis, meanwhile, is a former world No. 1 with 11 LPGA victories — although she’s winless in 72 events since June 2014. She has 12 second-place finishes since her last win.
Lewis birdied three of her first four holes and reached 15 greens in regulation on the 6,734-yard course at Travis Pointe Country Club. She eagled the par-5 14th and capped her round with a small fist pump after a birdie on 18.
"I looked up at the leaderboard and saw I was tied for the lead, so I kind of just wanted to get out there ahead," Lewis said. "It’s always nice to see yourself atop the leaderboard."
Lewis was a shot ahead of Korda when she finished, but Hsu later caught up at 7 under.
Hsu began her round on No. 10, and she holed out from 155 yards for an eagle on the 394-yard par 4.
"I don’t see very well. I just hear my mom and gallery on the side," she said. "My caddie just tells me, ‘Oh, you got it in. You got eagle."’
Korda, a rookie who has joined sister Jessica on the tour, hit only eight of 14 fairways, but she was able to scramble her way to a 34 on the front nine before birdieing four of the first five holes on the back.
"It was a slow start and I saved a couple of long par putts," she said. "Just getting those, making those two pars and just getting my round rolling really helped."
Korda finished her round with a par on the par-5 18th — after hitting her second shot out of the dirt in a hazard.
"I didn’t even know if I could chip it out, and my caddie was like, ‘Oh, maybe you should drop,"’ she said. "I was like, ‘No, I’m going to hit this.’ So I hit it out and then I had 200 into the green and I hit a 4-rescue. It was a good par."
It rained a good deal Wednesday, and although the weather wasn’t too much of an issue Thursday, the course was still quite wet. Lewis said hitting greens was especially crucial.
"They’re pretty small to begin with, and then with the weather, there’s spots around the greens that were pretty wet, kind of muddy almost," she said. "You had some weird lies. So I think today I hit a ton of greens. I only think I had to chip once or twice."
Brittany Lincicome, Ilhee Lee, Sung Hyun Park, Suzann Pettersen and Sarah Jane Smith all shot 67. Lexi Thompson, coming off her first victory of the season last week, finished at even par. So did Ariya Jutanugarn, the defending champion, and So Yeon Ryu.
Ryu is trying to extend a streak of 11 top-10 finishes in a row.
Near flawless Lexi Thompson wins wire to wire at Kingsmill
Lexi Thompson shot a 6-under 65 on Sunday to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Kingsmill Championship with a tournament-record 20-under 264 total.
Thompson broke the tournament record of 19 under at Kingsmill’s River Course set by Annika Sorenstam in 2008. The victory came in Thompson’s third event since she lost the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation reported by a television viewer during the final round.
ICYMI: @Lexi Thompson’s winner’s interview with @GolfChannel’s @JerryFoltzGC @KingsmillLPGA pic.twitter.com/ROh8EtnHtQ
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 22, 2017
The victory, Thompson’s eighth, gave her at least one in five consecutive seasons. That matches top-ranked Lydia Ko for the longest streak on tour.
#LPGAWinnerSelfie with @Lexi Thompson @KingsmillLPGA pic.twitter.com/XjjBwpBXtC
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 22, 2017
In Gee Chun, playing with Thompson, shot a bogey-free 67, but was no match for the leader, finishing five shots back. Thompson also was bogey-free and finished the tournament with just two bogeys, both on the par-3 17th hole.
“I had great round today,” Chun said, “… but she play was so good. Really enjoyed play with her. So I learn a lot from her today.”
Thompson began the day with a three-shot lead and quickly added to it, rolling in long birdie putts on the par-4 first hole and the par-5 third.
Chun used birdies on the third, par-4 fifth and par-5 seventh to get within two shots, but Thompson answered with a birdie at the par-4 ninth and then made three birdies in a four-hole span on the back nine. She eclipsed Sorenstam’s record with a birdie on the par-5 15th, pushing her lead to five shots.
With this birdie putt on 14, @Lexi Thompson’s lead goes back to 4 @KingsmillLPGA.
Tune in now @GolfChannel pic.twitter.com/CzfSnfl5RO
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 21, 2017
Angela Stanford closed with a 66 to finish third, and Danielle Kang was fourth after a 68.
The top-ranked Ko began the day five strokes off the lead, and shot 73 to tie for 10th at 7 under. She is winless since last July.
Smith Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson was the top Canadian, finishing in a tie for 15th, at 5-under par. Henderson recorded four straight under par rounds. After going out in a 1-under par, 35 on Sunday, she was unable to make any birdies on the back nine, carding a 1-under par 71.
The full leaderboard can be seen here.
Lexi Thompson holds onto 3 stroke lead at Kingsmill, Henderson T15
Lexi Thompson remained in position for her first victory since a rules infraction cost her a major title, shooting a 2-under 69 in tricky wind conditions Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over In Gee Chun into the final round of the Kingsmill Championship.
Thompson is playing her third event since losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation that a TV viewer reported.
“I’m as determined as any other person out here,” Thompson said. “We all want to win. I have a little bit more drive now I would say, but I’m just going to go out there and be confident and see where it goes.”
The long-hitting Florida player had three birdies and a bogey – on the par-3 17th – to reach 14-under 199 on Kingsmill’s River Course.
“Pretty solid, just was all over the lips today on the greens,” “ Thompson said. ”But I put some good strokes on a lot of my putts, so that’s all that matters. Hopefully, bring that into tomorrow.“
She has led after all three rounds, opening with consecutive 65s.
“Same mindset as the last three days,” Thompson said. “All I’m focusing on is my own game and sticking to my routine and committing to my lines off the tees and just having fun with my caddie in between shots.”
Chun had a 67. The two-time major champion had six birdies and two bogeys.
“I love tough courses,” Chun said. “Today was tougher because the wind was from a different direction.”
Canadian Brooke Henderson shot a 69. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native is tied for 15th place, 10 shots behind Thompson. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is 13 shots back.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko was five strokes back at 9 under after a 70. Trying to hold off So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn for the No. 1 spot, Ko is winless since July.
“It was really tough out there with the wind action being opposite to what we’ve played the last couple days,” Ko said. “I thought the forecast said it was going to be light breeze. If this is light breeze, I don’t know what windy is.”
Sei Young Kim (66) and 2015 winner Minjee Lee (67) also were 9 under.
Gerina Piller, second entering her third straight round alongside Thompson, had a 74 to drop into a tie for ninth at 6 under.
The second-ranked Ryu, the ANA winner, was 4 under after a 72. The third-ranked Jutanugarn, defending the first of her five tour victories last year, had a 70 to also reach 4 under.
The full leaderboard can be seen here.
Lexi Thompson opens 3 stroke lead at Kingsmill
Lexi Thompson shot her second straight 6-under 65 on Friday to take a three-stroke over playing partner Gerina Piller into the weekend at the Kingsmill Championship.
Thompson is playing her third tournament since losing the major ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation that a TV viewer spotted.
“I feel great with where my game is at,” Thompson said. “I am just trying to keep my thoughts very simple, focus on doing my routine and picking small targets out and committing to my shots. If I do that, my game is in a good spot.”
The long-hitting Florida player had six birdies in a bogey-free round on Kingsmill’s River Course. She waited out a rain delay in the middle of the round.
“Always stalls you a bit,” Thompson said. “Wasn’t too loose on the first iron shot that I hit, but, it was a beautiful day out. Not much wind. Hopefully, we get some good weather this weekend.”
“I feel great with where my game is at.” @Lexi has a 3 shot lead heading into the weekend ? Watch her 2nd round interview @KingsmillLPGA: pic.twitter.com/aUyPv7F8OC
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 20, 2017
Piller shot a 67, closing birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey. Winless on the LPGA Tour, she chipped in for her birdie on 17.
“I feel like my putting is really great right now,” Piller said. “Just excited for tomorrow. … Hit the fairway, hit the green, make the putt. Keeping it as simple as possible.”
“I feel like I belong out there and I feel like my game is as good as anyones.” @Gerinapiller 3 shots off the lead @KingsmillLPGA pic.twitter.com/L4k62foCXe
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 19, 2017
Piller will play alongside U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Thompson again Saturday.
“She’s a great ball-striker and hits it far,” Piller said. “This course definitely suits the long-ball hitters, especially now. The greens are firming up and getting a little quicker. To have a shorter iron in is definitely an advantage.”
Top-ranked Lydia Ko was four strokes back at 8 under after a bogey-free 67. Trying to hold off So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn for the No. 1 spot, Ko is winless since July.
“There is a lot of golf to be played,” Ko said. “All I need to do is focus on my game and be excited for the weekend.”
Ryu, the ANA winner, was 5 under after a 67. Jutanugarn, defending the first of her five tour victories last year, was 3 under after a 67 playing in the group with Thompson and Piller.
Candie Kung joined Ko at 8 under. Kung eagled the par-4 sixth in a 66.
In Gee Chun (66) and Vicky Hurst (67) were 7 under, and Angela Stanford (66), Shanshan Feng (67) and Brittany Lincicome (70) were another stroke back. Chun rebounded after an opening bogey on the par-4 10th.
“Walking to the (next) tee I said, ‘Forget it, start again,” Chun said. “I tried to stay patient and made a lot of birdies.”
The South Korean player is one of five major champions in the top nine, joining Thompson, Ko, Feng and Lincicome.
The full leaderboard can be seen here.
Lexi Thompson shoots 65 to lead Kingsmill Championship
Lexi Thompson had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch and finished with a 6-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship.
Playing her third tournament since losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation that a TV viewer spotted, Thompson had a one-stroke lead over U.S. Solheim Cup teammates Gerina Piller and Brittany Lincicome and young American Angel Yin.
Thompson played her opening nine in even par with a birdie on No. 11 and a bogey on No. 17, then birdied No. 1 and Nos. 3-7 on Kingsmill Resort’s River Course.
“The second nine was pretty crazy,” Thompson said. “I hit some great shots and rolled a few good putts, so definitely helps out my confidence.”
“Words can’t even describe the feeling. It was just like a feeling of freedom jumping out” @Lexi talks skydive & current lead @KingsmillLPGA pic.twitter.com/5FEzuur0JA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 18, 2017
Thompson played alongside Piller and defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn.
“It always helps to see the other players in your group play well,” Thompson said about Piller. “She played great today, too. She struck it very well and rolled a lot of great putts. It’s something that we feed off each other with.”
Jutanugarn shot a 72.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 70 while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot 71.
On Wednesday, Thompson began a charitable partnership with the SEAL Legacy Foundation called the Lexi Legacy Challenge, completing her first parachute jump by landing on the first tee for her pro-am round. She made her sky diving debut in tandem with a Navy SEAL.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” Thompson said. “Supporting the SEAL Legacy Foundation is my No. 1, and just the military in general. But the only way I would jump out of a perfectly good plane is with a SEAL on my back. There was nothing like it. Words can’t describe the feeling. It was just like a feeling of freedom jumping out.”
Top-ranked Lydia Ko was two strokes back at 67 along with Sarah Jane Smith and Giulia Molinaro.
“I don’t think I was hitting the ball fantastic, so there is a little bit of improvement to do there,” Ko said. “The girls are playing great, so I know that I need to try and keep up, and to be in contention, I need to make a lot of birdies out there.”
Piller had six birdies and a bogey.
“It’s always good to get off to that kind of start and get comfortable,” Piller said. “The greens are rolling phenomenal. The course is in the best shape I’ve ever seen it. Just happy to be under par and looking forward to tomorrow.”
“I’d love to get my first win but golf is merely my job it’s not who I am.” Watch more from @Gerinapiller at @KingsmillLPGA: pic.twitter.com/km21oabrit
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 18, 2017
Lincicome had five birdies in a bogey-free round. She won the season-opening event in the Bahamas.
“I think it’s best I’ve ever seen it,” Lincicome said about the course. “The greens are so fast. If you get above the hole you got to be really careful.”
The full leaderboard can be seen here.
Canadian golf star Henderson believes she’s close to a second year breakout
The results have not been coming quite as quickly for Brooke Henderson in her second year on the LPGA Tour.
Henderson has two top-10 finishes through 10 events this season – by no means a sophomore slump, but well behind her pace of eight top-10 results through nine events as a rising rookie last year. However, the confident 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., believes a breakout will happen soon.
“It’s been a little disappointing, some of the results, but I feel like my game is extremely close,” Henderson said Tuesday at an Ottawa-area charity golf tournament while making a rare visit home. “It’s just one or two shots every week.”
“I’m really excited about the upcoming tournaments and hopefully I can switch the momentum and finish near the top.”
Henderson’s best finish has been a tie for fourth and the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore earlier this year. She finished tied for 14th at the ANA Inspiration, the first major on the LPGA Tour schedule in late March. She has her sights set on the other four majors on the calendar, including the KPMG Women’s Championship, where she will be the defending champion.
She played the most out of anyone on the LPGA Tour last year and said she has been able to apply that learning. She admitted she will take two weeks off later this summer to make sure her “focus and mental strength is where it needs to be.”
“Playing all the courses last year, this year I knew where to hit it. I knew where the good spots and the bad spots were, even in the hotels I felt more comfortable and the surroundings.” she said. “Every golf course I see, everywhere I go and get to do `more’ it makes me feel better for this year, and for years to come.”
She said she’s particularly looking forward to the CP Women’s Open in August at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Henderson was recently bestowed an honorary membership to that club, which last hosted the Women’s Open in 2008.
She knows it will be a pressure-packed week.
“Almost every week I think about the CP Women’s Open in the back of my mind,” she said. “When there are TV cameras or crowds around I think about how it’s going to be at the CP Women’s Open and take every week as a stepping stone. I know it’s going to be pressure filled.
“There are going to be a lot of expectations for sure, and I don’t want to disappoint. I want to give them a good show.”
But the pressure, she said, is something she’s starting to relish.
“I do think there are a lot of expectations on me, but I love pressure and I think it’s just what you make of it,” she said.
And despite more than US$2 million in earnings in her career, rolling up to the course in a new BMW SUV, and just having procured a home in Naples, Fla., Henderson remains a teenager at heart.
She said she’s binge-watches the show White Collar on Netflix, follows her hometown Ottawa Senators during their Stanley Cup playoff run, has a penchant for Disney films and is a big texter away from the golf course.
“It’s nothing too crazy,” she said. “Just a typical teenager.”
Henderson will take the rest of this week off, staying in her hometown of Smiths Falls visiting with family and friends – she has not been back since Christmas – before going to Williamsburg, Va., for the next event on the LPGA Tour schedule.
“I love being home, even though it’s like December here, it’s so cold,” she said. “I’m excited to get back playing again next week in Virginia, and hopefully have some great finishes.”
Sei Young Kim wins Lorena Ochoa Match Play
Sei Young Kim held off Ariya Jutanugarn 1 up on Sunday to win the Lorena Ochoa Match Play for her sixth LPGA Tour title.
After Jutanugarn won the par-5 17th with a birdie to force another hole, Kim finished off the match with a halve for a par on the par-4 18th.
“It was a really tough day today,” Kim said. “I never had such a hard win like today. I am happy that I was able to win and hold this trophy.”
Though, that wasn’t easy.
“That trophy is really heavy,” Kim said. “When I held it, I felt pain.”
In the morning semifinals at Club de Golf Mexico, Kim beat Mi Jung Hur 5 and 4, and the third-ranked Jutanugarn topped Michelle Wie 4 and 3. Hur won the third-place match, overcoming a five-hole deficit to beat Wie in 22 holes.
Kim trailed for only four of the 95 holes she played, also beating Maude-Aimee Leblanc (3 and 1), Danielle Kang (3 and 2), Charley Hull (3 and 1) and Karine Icher (5 and 4) in the event that switched from stroke to match play and moved from November. The 24-year-old South Korean player is projected to jump from 12th to eighth in the world ranking.
Sei Young Kim talks about her 6th LPGA career win @LOYMEXICO and celebrating her victory with a margarita! pic.twitter.com/ffDDOMqAgT
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 7, 2017
Kim opened birdie-eagle-birdie to take a 3-up lead in the final.
“She is an aggressive player, even with the 3-up start, I was still very nervous and focused in making birdies,” Kim said. “I just kept playing as if I was 1 down.”
Jutanugarn, a five-time winner last year, won the par-5 10th with a birdie, Kim took the par-4 12th with a birdie, and Jutanugarn cut the deficit to two holes with a par win on the par-4 14th.
Kim missed a chance to win on the par-3 16th when her short birdie try lipped out. She then drove out of bounds to the right on the par-5 17th, and Jutanugarn took the hole with a 12-foot birdie putt.
“I had a problem with my ball-striking. It was really pushy,” Kim said. “That’s why it was going out of bounds. I tried to stay calm, but I really couldn’t. My hands were shaking, my legs were shaking too. It was really hard to keep calm.”
Both players had birdie tries from about 10 feet on the par-4 18th. Kim’s just brushed the hole, knocking her to her knees in disbelief, and Jutanugarn missed to end the match.
Wie had a 5-up lead over Hur after 10 holes. Hur took five of the next seven holes to tie it and won with a birdie on the 22nd hole.
“I was so frustrated with my game,” Hur said. “I played 36 holes on Saturday and today as well, my mind was trying to keep it up. My caddie kept saying positive things and trying to keep my focused.”
Wie is winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. She won the then-Lorena Ochoa Invitational in stroke play in 2009 in Guadalajara for her first tour title.
Kim knocked off friend Hur in the morning.
“We have a good relationship. We live in the same area in Dallas so we’ve had dinner a couple times,” Kim said. “It’s really tough to play against a close friend, but it is a tournament, so we forget about it and focus on the tournament.”
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