Defending Cambia Portland Classic champion Austin Ernst has been enjoying her return to the City of Roses.
“It’s great,” Ernst said. “It’s been nice to have what I’ve gotten out of the past year, coming back, the volunteers, and the fans that have been out so far this week, especially to come back to this place too. It’s the home of my first win, so I have a lot of good memories out here.”
So what memory sticks out most for the South Carolina native?
“I can remember the entire round,” Ernst admitted. “I can remember what shots I hit, where I hit it, all the birdies I made. But definitely the scene on 18 with Lizette (Salas) and Amy (Anderson) coming out and showering me with water, that stands out a lot, and then celebrating along with my brother.”
Becoming a Rolex First Time winner helped springboard Ernst to her best season on the LPGA Tour in 2014, finishing 41st on the money list.
“I think it just gave me more confidence,” Ernst explained. “Through the rest of the year after I won, I had a really solid end of the season, throughout the Asian swing, I played well there. I felt like I played better this year. I’ve gotten better as the last year has progressed. So I think just being able to draw back on that win, drawing back, knowing that I can win out here and get it done, that definitely helps every time I’ve been in contention so far this year, and even when I’m not, I know that I can throw out a low round and get that kind of back door top 10.”
The confidence she gained in 2014 has carried over into 2015 as she currently ranks 37th on the money list and 56th in the Rolex World Golf Rankings.
“I definitely had high expectations for myself before I won last year, and then now I think that bar is kind of raised just because I know what I can accomplish.”
STACY LEWIS LOOKING FOR FIRST WIN OF 2015
Stacy Lewis returns to the Pacific Northwest this week looking to capture her first win of the season at the Cambia Portland Classic. Lewis’ last performance in Portland was a runner-up finish in 2013 and the Rolex Rankings No. 3 player feels comfortable and excited to be back.
“I’m excited to be back,” Lewis said. “You know, I missed the tournament last year, but I finished second here the year before, so I have a really good memory coming back on a golf course I really do like. It’s honestly one of my favorites we get to play now, so it’s a great week.“
Although Lewis has not won the Cambia Portland Classic, she has found success in the Pacific Northwest and hopes to channel those good memories this week. Lewis not only shot a bogey-free round in 2013, she was able to stay bogey-free for the entire tournament, but finished just shy of a victory with another second-place finish.
“It’s pretty unbelievable to do that,” Lewis said. “It is disappointing I didn’t win the golf tournament, but it’s one of those things that as the tournament went on you got thinking about it and then you do it. I think I went on a 90 something-hole streak there without a bogey.”
Lewis heads into the week winless for the 2015 season, but has posted nine top-10’s. Lewis has confidence her game is improving and she can finish the year strong by playing well again this week in Portland.
“I’m just looking to try to build on the next few weeks,” Lewis. “What the good thing is I’m in a position where if I get a couple wins, it becomes a frustrating year becomes a really good year, so I like the position I’m in.”
KO ENJOYING HER FIRST TIME IN PORTLAND
Rolex Rankings No. 2 Lydia Ko is making her first trip to Oregon for this week’s Cambia Portland Classic.
“It’s beautiful around here, and the weather has been pretty awesome the last couple of days,” Ko said. “I heard so many great things about this tournament and great things about the city itself, so obviously pretty excited.”
One of the things that stands out to Ko this week is the course, Columbia Edgewater.
“The course conditions are great,” Ko said with a smile. “The greens are running fast. They’re firm. Most of the time when we’re hitting wedges into the green they sometimes spin back, but here I don’t think we’re going to see as much of that. Overall the course is in really good condition.”
Columbia Edgewater also reminds Ko of a place where she’s had success, Vancouver Golf Club the site of her first LPGA victory in 2012.
“It’s a very traditional golf course like next week in Vancouver,” Ko said. “I really like it. I think you can get really creative on this golf course. You can hit three woods off the tee and then hit a little bit of a longer iron, and then you can be a little bit more aggressive where the fairways are a little tighter. So I think the tee shots are really one of the crucial parts here. The course, I really like it, and being in good condition that just makes it even better.”
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