It was an exciting day at the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play Presented by Areomexico and Delta at Club de Golf Mexico. The day saw plenty of action in the Round of 64 from blowouts and extra holes to nearly a two-hour weather delay.
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 with the final group set tee off at 10 a.m. Central.
(9) Michelle Wie Defeats (8) Lizette Salas - 6 & 5
Michelle Wie went 1-Up early in the match with an eagle on No. 2 against fellow Solheim Cup teammate Lizette Salas.
“Yes, I love match play, it reminds me of Solheim, it brings back a lot of memories, I love it,” said Wie. “I had fun today, and Lizette was a really good opponent.”
This event holds a special place in Wie’s heart having won in Mexico back in 2009; she was glad to see it return to the schedule in a new format.
“Sure, I was scared that we were going to lose this event and the fact that we got to keep it and as a Match Play event, I’m just glad that we still have it.,” explained Wie. “I love coming to Mexico and getting to see Lorena once every year. And I think the legend match on the weekend is going to be really fun to see. I saw Lorena smiling in the Pro-Am, it was fun to see that.”
(4) Jessica Korda Defeats (13) Christina Kim – Wins In 19 Holes
It took one extra hole to determine a winner. The match went back and forth throughout much of play with Christina Kim going 2-Up early in the round. But Jessica Korda bounced back to bring it to All Square made possible with a birdie on No. 6 and a bogey by Kim on No. 7. The two went shot for shot the next three holes before Kim made birdie on No. 11 to take a 1-Up lead heading into the final stretch. Korda made birdie on No. 15 to square up the match and take it to extra holes.
Korda birdied the 19th hole to win the match 1-Up.
(4) Carlota Ciganda Defeats (13) Gaby Lopez – 5 & 3
Carlota Ciganda shook off the nerves to defeat good friend and hometown favorite Gaby Lopez 5 & 3. Lopez struggled early with a bogey on No. 2 to fall 1-Down but recovered with two consecutive birdies to go 1-Up before dropping three bogeys to give Ciganda the advantage.
“It was a weird day, it’s tough to play against one of your best friends, but at the end it’s golf, and you need to be professional out there, so it wasn’t easy I felt a little nervous in the beginning. Just relax, breathe, drink some water,” explained Ciganda. “I started playing very good, but then I hit some bad shots on the front, Gaby made a few bogeys, so I won a few holes. Then 10 and 11 were good for me; I made a really good shot on 10. I birdied on 11. She was the one who tried to play more aggressive, it was a good day, and I’m excited for tomorrow.”
(7) Danielle Kang Defeats (10) Su Oh - 7 & 6
The most dominant match of the afternoon came in Danielle Kang’s defeat of Su Oh 7 & 6. Kang built an early lead on the front nine with four birdies and an eagle, coupled with a few mistakes by Oh; she took a commanding 5-Up lead through eight holes. Oh got one back on No. 5 with a birdie, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Kang’s solid match play performance. The match remained 5-Up at the turn, with Kang winning the next two holes to close out the match.
(1) Lydia Ko Defeats (16) Ana Menendez – 3&2
Lydia Ko was the first to win a match in Mexico, defeating hometown favorite Ana Menendez 3 & 2. Playing match play is different and takes a few more made putts and birdie opportunities, but at Club de Golf Mexico it’s not the easiest to do. With only one birdie in the opening match, Ko managed to capitalize on mistakes made by Menendez.
“Playing with hometown girl you know one of the favorites I knew that it was going to be a tight one and it was fun,” said Ko. “Ana, I still think she played great and I think she did her country proud. Match play is definitely a different game to stroke play I enjoyed it but you just never know rankings doesn’t matter as much in match play because it goes hole by hole.”
(2) Shanshan Feng Defeats (15) Laetitia Beck (15) - 7 & 5
The most dominant win of the morning came in Shanshan Feng’s defeat of Laetitia Beck 7 & 5. Feng built an early lead on the front nine with two birdies, coupled with a few mistakes by Beck, she took a commanding 4-Up lead through six holes. Beck got one back on No. 7 with a birdie, but struggled again at the next hole to again fall 4 Down. The match remained 4-Up for the next two holes, with Feng winning the next three to close out the match.
“I think, overall I did pretty well. I was really happy with my ball striking,” said Feng. “I hit many greens in regulations today, had a lot of birdie chances. Putting was working like really well and I was lucky enough to make enough birdies to win the matches.”
(10) Sarah Jane Smith Defeats (7) Candie Kung - 1-Up
The match went back and forth throughout much of play with Kang going 1-Up early in the match. Smith upset No. 7 seed with a late flurry of birdies on the back nine.
(3) Brooke Henderson Defeats (14) Katherine Kirk – Wins in 20 Holes
This match took extra holes to determine a winner. It was all Henderson on the front nine, taking a 4-Up lead at the turn. But then Kirk went birdie, birdie to pull within two of Henderson. The two went shot for shot on the next three holes before Kirk recorded her third birdie of the day to move one back heading into the final three holes. Needing a birdie to extend the match on No. 18, Kirk drained a 10-footer to force extra holes. Henderson birdied the 20th hole to win the match 1-Up.
“I was feeling pretty good about a 4-Up lead going to the back nine,” said Henderson. “I played great on the back nine as well but she just made a lot of birdies and was hitting the ball very close almost on every hole. It was definitely a fun match, definitely very exciting and to go two extra holes I guess that’s just what match play is all about.”
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