SISTERLY RIVALRY ON THE TEE AT THE LORENA OCHOA MATCH PLAY
The unpredictable nature of the match-play draw came into clear view on Thursday, as Ariya Jutanugarn and Moriya Jutanugarn both won their first-round matches to set up a second-round sister showdown.
Ariya, the No. 1 seed in the Annika Sorenstam bracket, advanced with a 5-and-4 win over Amy Anderson, while No. 8 seed Moriya, who at age 22 holds a one-year advantage over her 21-year-old sister, notched a 2-and-1 win over Alena Sharp.
“We talked about (playing each other) after we saw the pairing,” said Ariya with a chuckle. “We said we are lucky we hadn’t booked a flight yet. We never know who is going to go back early so we are happy about that.”
“We always try to be ourselves so she’s probably going to say that she’s going to go out there and play her best, so I say I’m going to play my best. So tomorrow will be fun,” added Moriya.
While the Thai sisters were paired together in the final round of last week’s Volunteers of America Texas Shootout presented by JTBC, Ariya says the only time they faced each other in a match came during an amateur event in Canada. They competed as teammates at the last two UL International Crowns in 2014 and 2016.
GONZALEZ ESCALLON UPSETS CHUN IN FIRST ROUND
In the first round’s biggest upset, Belgium’s Laura Gonzalez Escallon, the 16th seed in the Juli Inkster bracket, eliminated two-time major champion In Gee Chun by a 2-and-1 margin. Gonzalez Escallon, a 26-year-old LPGA rookie, won four holes with birdies, including the winning putt on No. 17.
“I am excited with this win; the odds were completely against me, 1 versus 16,” said Gonzalez Escallon, a former Purdue Boilermaker who reached the LPGA Tour by finishing in the top 10 of the Epson Tour’s Volvik Race for the Card in 2016. “I was just trying to focus on having fun. I am lucky to be here, I was not expecting it at the beginning of the year. The most tournaments, I can play the better.”
HENDERSON OUTLASTS KIRK IN 20
The longest match of the day came in the 9 a.m. tee time, as it took Brooke Henderson and Katherine Kirk two extra holes to determine a winner. The 19-year-old Canadian dropped a 40-foot bomb of a putt for eagle to secure the victory after 20 holes and advance to the second round, where she will face American Ryann O’Toole.
Henderson had a four-hole advantage going into the back nine that was cut to two after Kirk holed birdies on 10 and 11. Kirk’s birdie on the 18th made the match all square to force the playoff.
“(Kirk) was playing great and at the turn she made a couple bogeys coming in,” Henderson explained. “I was feeling pretty good at the 4-up lead going to the back nine, and I played great on the back nine as well, but she just made a lot of birdies and I was playing the ball really close almost in every single hole. So, it was definitely a fun match, very exciting and to go two extra holes, I guess that’s what match play is all about.”
BACK AT IT AGAIN
Carlota Ciganda seemed to pick up right where she left off after last year’s win at Club de Golf Mexico in the 2016 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Facing her great friend and host for the week, Gaby Lopez, Ciganda was 1 down after six holes before winning four straight holes to take control of the match and eventually dispatch the Mexico City native by a score of 5 and 3.
Ciganda said she was feeling a bit nervous before the round began: “Playing match play for the first time in a few years is hard because you don’t know how it is going to go and you don’t want to go home after the first round. And then at the same time, I’m staying with (Gaby Lopez) and her family. And they are such good people and I love them, she’s a great player and she’s going to get even better, it was just a shame, 64 players and it was just so unlucky, but it’s something that you can’t control. But I wish her all the best and I hope she comes from it.”
Ciganda hasn’t cracked the top 20 in seven starts since earning her second career victory in Mexico last season, but could be poised to change that this week as she has favorable results in match-play competition. The 26-year-old is a two-time member of the European Solheim Cup Team (2013, 2015) with a 4-1-2 overall record, and was also a member of the victorious Team Spain at the inaugural UL International Crown in 2014, where she posted a 3-1-0 record.
BEWARE THE INJURED GOLFER
England’s Charley Hull had to contend with a bad fainting spell midway through the back nine and a two-hour suspension in play due to the threat of lightning before completing a 2-and-1 victory over American Nelly Korda.
“I felt really faint on the 12th fairway and I just kind of collapsed ... I kept seeing flashing lights and that’s when the medics came out,” said Hull. “I was a bit low on blood sugar so they gave me some Pepsi and a syrup with lots of sugar in it. I started feeling a little bit better but I still felt sick.
“I just kind of forgot who I was playing today. I was trying to concentrate on my walking because I was walking so slow because I had no energy. But sometimes beware the injured golfer, I guess!”
FRIDAY TEE TIMES ADJUSTED DUE TO IMPENDING WEATHER
Due to the likelihood of inclement weather on Friday afternoon, tee times for Friday morning have been moved up two hours. The first group will tee off at 8 a.m. Central, and the final group will tee off at 10:30 a.m. Central.
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