M.J. Hur’s dad may have retired as her caddie after her win here a year ago, but she’s still feeling the good vibes in her return to Alabama as the defending champion.

Hur set a record with a 21-under-par four-day total for her second career win, edging out Stacy Lewis by four shots.

“Everything was working for me that time,” Hur said. “Every tee shot I hit the fairway, every iron shot I hit the greens, and every putt I made. It was so easy to play. I hope I can play like that this year, too.”

But unfortunately she can’t convince her dad to carry the bag anymore. Hur convinced him a year ago by offering up a carry bag, instead of a larger staff bag, to ease the load but the carry bag is out and so is her dad. Instead, he’s taken on a new job this week as the sitter of her two-month old puppy.

“It was a really memorable time with my dad because he caddied for me three, four times and my worse finish with him was 16, tied for 16,” Hur said. “So I hope he can caddie for me every week, but he’s getting old and getting weak.”

Hur laughed, then said she’s just got to “let him just rest” instead of carrying her bag these days. Whether her dad’s on the bag or not, the memories flood her mind on every tee box. She knows the lines, knows how she’s been successful in the past and has more than just last year to go off of. She also finished in a tie for third here in 2012.

“This course has a really wide open fairway so you can smash your driver every time if you’re like very strong,” she said. “And then most important thing is the green, I think. The greens are really fast now and they’re very sloped, so you have to think about where the ball landed and where the ball kicks right or left.”

New Caddie, New Bag, Same Feeling

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