Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club
Ocala, Fla.
First Rounds Notes and Interviews
January 28, 2015

Minutes before the veil of darkness closed on the first round at the Coates Championship Presented by R&L Carriers, Stacy Lewis, Azahara Munoz and Jessica Korda all snuck in their final hole of the day to steal the first-round lead with 6-under-par 66s. Not all were lucky enough to finish the first round of the season before nightfall. 20 players will return to the golf course to finish their rounds Thursday.

“I just stayed patient out there. Finally on the back nine kind of got more comfortable just with back playing again and started hitting golf shots,” Lewis said. “Had a couple birdies that were just tap-ins, which helped, and rolled a few putts in so it was a good day. I almost wish we didn’t have darkness and could keep going, I finally got into a rhythm there.”

Ha Na Jang and Austin Ernst went out in the morning wave and looked like they would hold the first round lead after 5-under-par 67s, but Lewis, Munoz and Korda all got hot late to steal the first-round lead late Wednesday at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club. Lewis birdied five or her last six, including her last three, Korda birdied three of her last five, and Munoz birdied her last two to close at 66.

Korda described the season opener as the “first day back to school,” and she surely aced her first test. While the school kids break out their freshest gear for the first day, Korda surely unveils her best golf. She won the season opener a year ago at the Pure Silk Bahamas and again finds herself with a share of the lead after the season’s first round.

“I just feel like I’m refreshed and ready to go. I try and bring the mentality with me all the time every time I try and play, but for some reason it shines brighter the first event of the season,” Korda said. “I honestly don’t know what it is about it, but I’m just happy to be back.”

Korda and fellow playing partners – Sandra Gal and Brittany Lincicome – were so worried about finishing before dark that they decided to play ready golf the last few holes and whoever was ready went ahead and hit their shot so they didn’t have to worry about getting up in time to finish their holes at 7:30 AM when the horn blows Thursday morning.

PLAY TO RESUME TOMORROW

For those player not completing their rounds on Wednesday, the resumption of round one will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Round two starting times will begin as scheduled at 7:30 a.m off of the 1st and 10th tees.

EUROPE…UNDERDOGS AT SOLHEIM?

Eight months out and the European team, winners of the last two Solheim Cups, is already trumpeting the underdog card. Even after Spain and Sweden finished No. 1 and 2 at the International Crown last summer and dominated the Americans in 2013 on U.S. soil in Colorado, Azahara Munoz, who has proven to be a match play genius over the course of her career, still believes the Europeans have a great deal to prove before September in Germany.

“Everybody says, well, you won the last two, but the Americans are still the better team. We are the underdogs,” Munoz declared Wednesday. “I think anytime you go to Solheim we’re always going to be the underdogs, and we’re just going to give our best and hopefully get that.”

Her logic? Well, that’s rooted in numbers.

“I mean, if you look at the rankings, it’s really obvious they have – I mean I haven’t looked at the rankings but Stacy’s not No. 1 right now but she’s been No. 1 the last two. And they’ve got Lexi [Thompson], they’ve got Cristie [Kerr], they’ve got Paula [Creamer], they’ve got Morgan, Brittany [Lincicome].”

“Didn’t you forget someone?” Asked someone in the room.

“Michelle [Wie], sorry!” she declared. “Michelle, which is even higher up than the other ones I said. But if you look at the rankings, they are the team to beat. So, I mean, we are still the underdogs.”

HA NA JANG - FROM QUALIFIER TO FIRST PAGE OF THE LEADERBOARD

Despite being the 21st ranked golfer in the latest Rolex Rankings, Ha Na Jang found herself in the Saturday qualifer for this week’s Coates Golf Championship Presented by R&L Carriers due to her finish at Q-School. Jang made the most of the opportunity and earned her spot by shooting a 70.

“I played in the qualifer and it was very hard and windy so it made today an easy round,” Jang said.
Jang will be looking to become the first qualifer to win on the LPGA Tour since Laurel Kean at the 2000 State Farm Classic.

ERNST MOTIVATED BY SOLHEIM CUP

Austin Ernst is coming off the best season of her career in 2014, which included a win at the Portland Classic, but the third year player is looking for something more in 2015.

“It’s a Solheim year, we all know it is,” Ernst said.

Ernst currently sits in 15th place in the latest standings with the top-8 guarented slots on the squad. During the 2015 season points are worth 1.5 time more, meaning a solid 2015 campaingn would put Ernst right in the hunt.

“That’s probably one of my top goals for the year,” Ernst admitted. “I know I just need to keep playing solid golf. You can’t try to chase points or anything. If you play well, if you play good golf, all that stuff will take care of itself.”

What would donning the Red, White and Blue in Germany mean for Ernst?

“It would be unbelievable. I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t want to represent their country at the highest level, so that’s goal number one this year.”

NO. 1 SCENARIOS

Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park and Lydia Ko could all reasonably end the week with the No. 1 ranking.

Lydia Ko will take No. 1 with a win regardless of what else happens. Lydia, with a win, would become the youngest No. 1 in men’s or women’s golf history. If Lydia finishes in solo 2nd, she will take No. 1 regardless of what Stacy Lewis does as long as Inbee Park finishes in a three-way tie for third or worse.

Stacy Lewis will take No. 1 ONLY if Inbee Park finishes 8th-or-worse AND Lydia finishes in a three-way tie for second or worse.

Inbee can lock up No. 1 with a solo third finish-or-better as long as Ko doesn’t win.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

7 - Seven of the top nine players on the leaderboard are ranked in the top-25 in the latest Rolex Rankings 3 -Jessica Korda is looking to win her third season-opening tournament in the past four years (2014 - PureSilk Bahamas, 2012 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open) and is looking to become the first player since Kelly Robbins in 1998 and 1999 to win back-to-back season openers 5/6 - Stacy Lewis birdied five of her final six holes to tie for the lead at 6-under 2000 - Ha Na Jang will be looking to become the first qualifer to win on the LPGA Tour since Laurel Kean at the 2000 State Farm Classic 13- The par-4 13th has played as the hardest hole on the course at 4.508 17 - The par-5 5th has played as the easiest hole on the course at 4.814

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I was in shock actually when I walked on that tee and saw how many people there were. It’s amazing. It shows that this is the kind of town that we should be playing in. We’re the biggest thing that’s coming right now and this is where we should be playing.”

-Stacy Lewis on the fans at the Coates Golf Championship Presented by R&L Carriers

Coates Golf Championship Presented by R+L Carriers First Round Notes

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