Even though there were only two eagles in the final two rounds of last week’s Marathon Classic, the drama was evident.
First, there was South Africa’s Lee-Ann Pace who was in contention but falling away from the leaders late in the third round. She came to the par-5 18th hole and made eagle to complete a 69 and stay in the mix. She finished T22 on Sunday.
Then there was Lexi Thompson. She struggled out of the gate in Sylvania, Ohio, shooting a 1-over-par 72. But that improved from there. The capper was a final-round 67 that pushed her to a T18 finish. The highlight of the day was a holeout on the par-4 ninth hole for an eagle-2. That followed a similar holeout for eagle-2 in the second round on the par-4 12th hole. With the deuces, Thompson has seven eagles this year, second on the LPGA to only Sei Young Kim (nine).
The Wounded Warrior Weekend takes place during the final two rounds at LPGA tournaments (final round only in 54-hole events), with CME Group donating $1,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project for each eagle that is recorded. This amount will increase to $5,000 for each eagle during the weekend of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship and a formal check will be presented to the Wounded Warrior Project during the trophy ceremony. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
The season total moved to 144 entering this week’s Meijer Classic, increasing the total money raised for the Wounded Warrior Project to $144,000, which is on course to meet last year’s total. The weekend eagle totals this year have varied from a season-low one (ShopRite LPGA Classic) to a high of 21 (Kingsmill Championship).
For the 2014 season, 283 eagles were made on the weekend, raising $283,000. While no eagles were made on the weekend in Naples, the CME Group generously rounded up to $300,000. The 2014 season also had a lot of aces and double eagles. Of the 31 holes in one, 15 came in weekend play. Of a record four double eagles during the year, three were scored on the weekend.
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