Alex gets first win
After missing the cut last week at the CP Women’s Open, Marina Alex took to Instagram and wrote, after a struggle on the golf course over two days in Canada, “luckily there is next week.”
“Next week” wrapped up Sunday at the Cambia Portland Classic in spectacular fashion for Alex, who notched her first-career LPGA Tour win after 124 tries.
“It's been a lot of hard work,” said Alex. “I haven't been in a ton of contention situation… a few here and there. But I really just didn't know how to handle them, and I learned the best that I can. I'm just really happy.”
Alex shot a 7-under-par 65 to win by four shots over overnight leader Georgia Hall. The Vanderbilt University alum became the first graduate of that program to win on the LPGA Tour. She shot a course-record 10-under-par 62 Thursday and admitted she had trouble backing that round up Friday and Saturday.
Alex trailed by six shots going into Sunday’s final round, making her win the largest come-from-behind victory of the year. She is the 20th different winner of the season and the eighth first-time winner in 2018.
She also moves to 10th in the Race to the CME Globe with her victory.
“The first day I played so incredible, and I knew that it was in there,” said Alex. “Yesterday and on Friday I was a little nervous. It was tough to back up the first round with some good rounds. I mean, I shot 1-under each day, and I thought I played okay, and it was actually nice having… just a hole I needed to dig myself out of, so I felt like I could just go out there and free-wheel it and make as many birdies as I could.”
Alex had Travis Wilson on the bag this week, the longtime caddie for Stacy Lewis – who won this event last year. Alex said Wilson is “such a wonderful guy” and his calm demeanor helped her to relax.
“I was just kind of waiting for some good golf, and I’m really happy he was along for the ride with me,” she said.
Alex was 6-under-par after her first nine holes and it was off to the races from there as the leaders to start the day – Hall and Minjee Lee – dropped back.
“It was just an incredible day,” she said. “I’m proud.”
Uehara has her best finish of the year
After missing the cut in her last four tournaments, it was a sweet change of pace for Japan’s Ayako Uehara, who tied her best-career LPGA Tour finish Sunday.
Uehara shot a 3-under-par 69 Sunday in Portland to finish tied for third.
She said it was “so tough” Sunday, with the greens running very quick. Uehara managed to go bogey-free, which, she said, was “very, very good.”
Uehara’s previous best result in 2018 was an eighth at the ANA Inspiration. She said her goal this week was to have a better finish than at the ANA, which she did, which will move her up the money list and get her into some events on the Asian Swing over the next few months.
She said the key this week was her putting, which she improved by doing a few new drills and having her caddie read the putts for her.
“Usually I'm reading myself… but this time I changed a little bit, and I had a good result,” she said.
Uehara will go to Los Angeles to see her coach next week before flying to The Evian Championship, the final major of the year.
Hall falls short, still pleased with her result
Georgia Hall fell out of the lead Sunday after a 3-over-par 75 and just couldn’t get anything going as Marina Alex climbed the leaderboard.
But the LPGA Tour rookie was still very pleased with her week in Portland.
“I came second, and it was a great tournament for me still, and I'm really pleased,” she said.
Hall took a few weeks off after winning the RICOH Women’s British Open on home soil – her first-career LPGA Tour win.
She said Sunday in Portland the pin positions were “really, really tough” and she was just trying to stay patient and try to “stay in it.”
The highlight of the day for Hall was when she chipped in to save par on the par-3 16th. She made one birdie on the day, rolling in a 30-footer on the par-4 11th.
“It's really hard to get to the pins anyway, and I think even level par around here would have been a good score, so I wasn't too far away from that,” she said.
“My tempo wasn’t quite there today, and I hit some good putts that didn’t quite go in, but that’s golf. That’s the way golf is.”
Still, Hall was quick to compliment the play of Marina Alex Sunday, who shot 7-under-par 65 on a difficult day.
“I mean, she shot, what, 7-under? That's incredible. Like 10-under (on Thursday), 7-under for two rounds? My hat’s off to her,” said Hall. “She played amazing, and she deserves to win.”
Hall goes into The Evian Championship playing her best golf of the year, having gone T7-T21-1-T28-2 for her last five tournaments. All three of her top-10 finishes in the year have come in her last five LPGA Tour starts.
Lee stumbles Sunday
It wasn’t the Sunday Minjee Lee was looking for in Portland, in fact, she characterized it as “very bad.” But still, her fourth-place finish was her 11th top-10 of the year.
Lee just couldn’t get anything going at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in the final round, as she shot a 5-over-par 77. She admitted she didn’t really have her ‘A’ game.
Lee captured the LPGA Volvik Championship earlier in the year, and finished second at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
After finishing tied for fourth at the CP Women’s Open last week, Lee came into this week with a high level of confidence. She was trying to concentrate on making birdies Sunday, but did manage to see how well Marina Alex was faring.
“She did do really well,” said Lee. “It’s really good. Good for her.”
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