News and Notes: Rd.1 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic

Ryann O’Toole remembers the feeling heading here a year ago to the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. She knew that without a top-20 finish she was basically heading back to the LPGA’s Qualifying School later that fall. She ultimately had to but made it through and she’s appreciating her arrival this year to Alabama knowing that at 76th on the money list, she’s almost assured of a top-100 finish on the money list. That figure is important because it means she won’t have to make the annual early December pilgrimage to Daytona Beach for the LPGA’s Qualifying School.

However, O’Toole still has a ton to play for this week – both the Asian events and top-80 status on the money list – and she made solid progress on both goals Thursday with a first-round 5-under-par 67.

“This week is important. I’m in Evian, which obviously lessens the importance of this week, but the one thing that I look at is if I look at this time last year, I was fighting to keep my status,” O’Toole said. “I had to make an incredible week just to give myself somewhat of status. Fortunately, I played pretty decent. I think I finished 5-under for the tournament, but I had to go back to Q School. So if I look where I am now in relation, I’ve got to be happy where I stand and just look at it as stepping stones.”

Friday could be a substantial step forward for her as she’s only two-shots back of the lead but the second round has been her headache all season when she’s come out of the games hot. She’s opened four tournaments with rounds of 68 or better this year but has followed up with an average of 73.25 in the second round.

“I went through some different changes this year. Thursday rounds, I was, you know, shooting lows, and then Friday not playing as good and I had to learn, wait a second, you know,” O’Toole said. “I had to like pull the reins back again and not go -- I mean, yeah, of course you want to go out and win and all that, but sometimes top 20s and top 30s consistently bring on the top 10s, and I had to go okay, stepping stones again.”

Current leader Brittany Lang had the round of the day Thursday, firing a 7-under to hold a two-shot lead at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. Lang, one of the latest additions as a Captain pick for the Solheim Cup, looked at ease on the course today as she made her way up the leaderboard.

Kicking off the day with a birdie on the first hole, following it up with four additional birdies on the front to head into the back nine 5-under par. Lang put herself in good position on top of the leaderboard as course conditions started to change.

“I’ll tell you what, that first hole was tough,” Lang said. “That back left pin with a left right wind, that was a really hard hole. Both the girls in my group made double and bogey, and I felt like I stole one with a birdie there. With this wind, the course is a little bit more difficult than I remember it because you’re playing into the wind on some of the holes where you’re normally hitting wedge.”

Lang was able to bounce back from two consecutive bogeys on her 13th and 14th holes, with consecutive birdies on 16 and 17 to put her back to a two-shot lead.

Whether it was the motivation of making the Solheim Cup team or her confidence in her game, Lang looked comfortable carrying the lead Thursday.

“You know, I’m in a really nice place right now,” Lang said. “I had one of my better years I’ve ever had, the Solheim pick’s over with, I’m just in a really comfortable place, so I just felt really relaxed out there.”

The Senator Course that Stacy Lewis had gotten to know in recent years wasn’t the same one she found early Thursday morning when she teed off, and she struggled to adjust playing the first seven holes in 1-over-par before making birdie on three of her next four holes.

“The wind was blowing early this morning. It was colder, the wind was blowing,” Lewis said. “I don’t think I ever hit a 4-iron into the third hole before, so I was just hitting clubs into holes that, you know, I’ve never hit.”

Although Lewis turned it around, she wasn’t able to fully take advantage making par on the last seven holes when she just couldn’t get anything to drop. Still, though, 2-under-par 70 is more than good enough on a day where she didn’t have her best stuff.

“I mean, if you look at the way the golf course – the golf course is playing hard,” Lewis said. “The greens are as fast as I’ve ever seen them. So you’re – nobody’s running away with this thing. I think the minute you get too aggressive is when the golf course kind of catches up to you.”

Amateur and current University of Alabama golfer, Janie Jackson, has had quite the week here at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. The Monday qualifier had to fight her way into the field this week, winning in a three-hole playoff in the Qualifier for the final spot in the field.

In addition to being from the state of Alabama and playing this course before, Jackson was able to familiarize herself with the course in competition play both Monday and Tuesday, and that is perhaps what gave her an advantage as she shot 3-under for her opening round, currently tied for eighth.

“I had a good feeling,” Jackson said. “I like the golf course, I know it, I’ve played it a few times, it’s in good shape so I had a good feeling.”

Jackson is still currently a full-time student-athlete taking 15 hours this fall and can’t afford to just check out completely this week. Unlike the rest of the players who will spend their time away from the course relaxing or prepping for the next day, Jackson has other obligations.

“I missed (class) Monday, Tuesday, I went Wednesday and I’m missing today and tomorrow,” Jackson said. “But the teachers are really understanding and supportive, especially for an event like this...I’ll go to the hotel tonight and do a couple hours’ worth of homework... it’s definitely worth it, but being a student athlete it’s just part of the job.”

It was a bit of a rocky start for the amateur with a bogey and double-bogey on the front night, but she was able to turn it on to make a push heading into her back nine. Jackson fired two birdies to close her front nine, followed by four birdies in her back nine and now sits just four shots off the lead at 3-under.

4 - This is the fourth time of the season that Ryann O’Toole has opened with a 68 or better, but in those four events, she’s averaged 73.25 in the following round.

6 - Two Monday qualifiers combined for 6-under-par Thursday with both posting 3-under-par 69s.