News and Notes: Rd.2 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic

Lexi Thompson charged into contention Friday with a 5-under-par 67 on a day that didn’t feel a lot different than the day prior when she shot 3-under-par 69. The only difference was she had 34 putts yesterday and only 30 Friday. On the week, Thompson only missed three greens combined so it’s all about her work with the putter.

“I just didn’t have any putts fall for me yesterday. It’s all about confidence,” Thompson said. “I hit

it well again today, but the greens are tricky. They’re really fast and you can get some big
breakers.”

Thompson conquered them just fine here in her win in 2011 but these greens are faster than she’s ever seen them. But as far as her long game, she’s got the same feeling she had the week she won here in 2011.

“I would say it’s pretty darn close,” Thompson said. “Like I said, I probably made more putts in

2011, but I mean I felt like I stroked it really well today. It was only a matter of a ball or two with the break or speed.”

Rolex Ranking No. 51 Austin Ernst worked her way up the leaderboard Friday, firing a 7-under 65 to finish the day in solo second at 9-under-par, just one shot off leader Yani Tseng. Ernst had eight birdies and an eagle on the day, but did drop three bogeys.

Ernst’s playing partner, Lexi Thompson, also had a low round shooting 5-under on Friday and it looked as if they were feeding off of each other.

“We both had a string of birdies there on the front nine,” Ernst said. “She was hitting it well. Yesterday we actually said I said something to her after we finished, I don’t think either one of us missed a green yesterday, so we’re like let’s just putt better tomorrow and we’ll shoot a low number…So definitely when you see putts going in with other people, too, I think it just kind of gives you a little bit more confidence that you can just take it deep.”

Confidence is something that Ernst has had with her game the second half of this season, highlighted by her most recent T5 at the 2015 Cambia Portland Classic. It is not just one change that Ernst credits to her stronger finishes but a gradual improvement. 

“I think I’ve just gotten a little bit better every week,” Ernst said. “My wedge game is really good right now.  So out here I get a lot of wedges, so I know that I can pretty much take dead aim…But I think I’ve just kind of gotten a little bit better every week in some aspect, and then hopefully I can get every aspect kind of firing at the same time.”

Ernst will be making a strong push for a win heading into the weekend, and her confidence is not the only thing behind her fire on the course this week. Team USA’s roster for the Solheim Cup was announced this past week, and one name that was not listed was Ernst’s.

“I was disappointed not to be on that team,” Ernst said. “Obviously that was one of my big goals going into the year.  But I’ve kind of used that as motivation for the future.  This week starts I guess 2017’s campaign it for it, so I’ll just use it as motivation to want to get better and I want to try to finish number one on that list so I don’t have to worry about being a captain’s pick next time.”

This week will go towards Ernst’s 2017 campaign and not this year’s, but that doesn’t mean that she will fall back completely. Ernst wants to make a point and prove that she can be a strong competitor for a Solheim Cup team.

Ernst knows that she can’t change the captain’s picks for this year, and she does respect Juli Inkster’s picks, none the less she’s out here to cause some noise. 

“It would be nice to (prove a point this week),” Ernst laughs. “Obviously I think that’s what anybody you know, like Billy Horschel did last year where he won two of the next three right after the pick.  We all want to be on that team.  Obviously Juli did what she thought is best for the team.  I respect Juli, respect the decision she made.  But obviously I want to play as well as I can and kind of maybe give her a little doubt in her mind.”

Jenny Suh knew this day would one day come but she wanted it to be on her own terms. She’ll get that chance,
deciding to walk away from the game this week and in turn walk away from a dream come true. What she does from here, she doesn’t know. She just knows her LPGA days are behind her after missing the cut here Friday.

“I’ve played a lot longer than I ever anticipated that I would already, and to make it to the LPGA and play at the highest level was my dream,” Suh said. “So I did it and now I can leave happy. I feel very fortunate because a lot of my friends couldn’t leave on their own terms, like they’re injured or their health wasn’t good. But to me, this is my decision, so I’m very happy.”

During the afternoon wave of the second-round Friday, weather struck the area and caused a few delays. Play was suspended and the course was first evacuated at 5:09pm CT. Play then resumed at 6:45pm CT, continuation of the second-round. Less than thirty minutes later, play was suspended due to darkness at 7:12pm CT.

The second-round will resume Saturday morning at 7:30am CT. Currently 77 players are within the cutline of 2-over. The Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic’s third-round is estimated to begin at 10:45am CT, playing off both the first and 10th tees.

15 - Yani Tseng has 15 career victories but hasn’t won since 2012.

31 - 31 players still have to finish their second round when play restarts at 7:30 AM.

64 - Yani Tseng’s 8-under-par 64 was her best round since 2013.

96 - A 96-minute delay for lightning in the area pushed second-round play into Saturday.