RAZOR SHARP SUPPORT
More than the thunderous roar from the pro-Razorback crowd, those last two birdies putts provided a glimmer of hope for Stacy Lewis.
Hope that she can repeat as the champion at this event.
“The last four holes were huge,” Lewis said. “If I can get within a couple of the lead, hopefully this afternoon they don’t do anything crazy. I think I was a couple back last year. So you’ve got to shoot low numbers on this golf course and I set myself up to do it again.”
With the 36-hole scoring record having already fallen, Lewis knows it’ll take another low number Sunday to defend her title.
“It’s going to be low again. I think the greens are perfect this year, so I think that’s what you’re seeing in the scores
being so good,” Lewis said. “It’s going to take another low one just like last year. But I’ve done it and I can do it, so hopefully just get hot on the back nine again.”
OLYMPICS IS THE GOAL
Golf makes its return to the Olympic Gamesnext year in Rio and it’s a topic that is on the mind of most of the LPGA players. The top-15 players in the world would qualify automatically, with a limit of four per country, and the
remaining places go to the highest ranked players from countries that do not already have two golfers qualified.
According to International Golf Federation rankings, Inbee Park (1), Hyo Joo Kim (4), So Yeon Ryu (7) and Sei Young Kim (10) would be the four top-ranked Korean players with Na Yeon Choi, currently ranked 20th in the Rolex Rankings, sitting behind Mirim Lee (13), Amy Yang (15) and In Chun (18).
Choi won the season-opening event at the Coates Golf Championship and has two other top-10 finishes. With so many talented countrywomen to battle until the Olympics begin, Choi knows she needs to concentrate on playing well every day.
“It’s my goal, it’s one of my biggest goal like being an Olympic, but I think since I think about that, I got a lot of
pressure,“ Choi explained. “You know, a lot of Korean players playing well and top-5 or top-10. I have to play well. But kind of everything is giving me a lot of pressure so right now that’s my goal. I would like to be there, it would be an honor, but right now just play every day and then play to great.”
A win this week would be a step in that direction.
HUR NOT THINKING
Although M.J Hur hit five less greens in Saturday’s 3-under 68 than Friday’s 8-under 63, she didn’t necessarily blame the scoring disparity on her ball striking.
“You know what, I think my putting was really good yesterday. It dropped more often,” Hur said. “Today it’s like a lot of lip-outs. But I like today’s round. I satisfied with my round today.”
Hur sits two back of Na Yeon Choi, who she’s played against in tournaments for the last 15 years or so. For her to catch Choi, she knows she’ll have to find what she had on Friday.
“I didn’t think too much, just think about where I am,” Hur said. “I just hit it. Didn’t think of, oh, there’s a bunker; oh, there’s wind. I definitely think about the wind but didn’t think about any other bad things on the course.”
She’ll certainly try to avoid any thoughts of the final round here in 2009. She climbed her way all the way into second on Sunday before posting four consecutive bogeys the last four holes to finish in a tie for 14th.
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW
-2 - Cut line after today’s second round at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
26 – It’s been 26 events since Stacy Lewis’ last win, which came here in Arkansas last year. That’s the longest stretch she’s gone without a win since her first career victory at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship. She’s since won 10 more tournaments since that win.
63 – Na Yeon Choi and M.J. Hur’s 8-under-par 63s are one shot shy of the tournament record here
65 – Stacy Lewis fired a final-round 65 here a year ago to come from behind for the one-shot win
93 - Out of the top 100 ranked players in the Rolex Rankings, 93 are playing this week in Arkansas
129 - Na Yeon Choi’s score after the first 36 holes at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
201 - Stacy Lewis’ winning score a year ago
NOTES AND STUFF
• 74 players made the cut, which fell at -2 (140). Notables who missed the cut were World No. 1 and recent KPMG Women’s PGA Champion Inbee Park, Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel, former Walmart NW Arkansas Champions Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato.
• Lisa Ferrero withdrew from the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Friday, citing injury (arm).
• Lisa McCloskey withdrew from the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Friday, citing injury (back).
• LPGA rookie Cheyenne Woods wrote an essay on The Player’s Tribune. In the essay, she talks openly about her
relationship with her uncle Tiger Woods and you can read the whole story by visiting
www.theplayerstribune.com/cheyenne-woods-tiger-niece-lpga-golf/
)
)
)
)
