Ko and Kim Ride a Wave of Confidence and More from Round One of the ANA Inspiration

IN THOMPSON’S WORLD, CADDIE KNOWS BEST               

In just their second week as a re-found player/caddie relationship, Lexi Thompson is already singing the praises of Benji Thompson. The pair, who are not related, worked together from 2013 to mid-2016, including during her 2014 ANA Inspiration victory, and joined forces again starting at last week’s Kia Classic. 

As the duo considered Thompson’s approach to the 18th green, Benji convinced Lexi that she was likely being too aggressive in her club selection. The player adjusted from a 50-degree wedge to her 47-degree wedge and a deft chip onto the final green gave Thompson a closing birdie and ultimately a tie for second after the first round.

“I was like, thank you so much, Benji,” said Thompson. “That's what a great caddie does. He's there for me to play aggressive and call me off shots that need to be called off.”

Thompson is always in her element here on the Dinah Shore Course. The 24-year-old Floridian, known for her explosive power off the tee, has three other top-10 finishes to go with her win and has never finished worse than 48th.

DÉJÀ VU FOR ROOKIE STROM 

This may be LPGA Tour rookie Linnea Strom’s first ANA Inspiration appearance, but it isn’t the first time she’s played well at Mission Hills Country Club. Strom carded a 3-under 69 in the first round of the ANA Inspiration, and she had similar success at Mission Hills during Stage I of the 2019 LPGA Q School. She opened with 69s across the club’s Palmer and Player Courses and closed shooting 67-66 on the Dinah Shore Course that annually hosts the ANA Inspiration.

“Since I played good at Q-School here I just have good memories from here,” said Strom, who won Stage I to advance to Stage II. “I reminded myself of that today. I know it's a tough course, but there is some birdies out there. Just stay patient and let them come to you and not get ahead of yourself and I think it's good.”

Strom made five birdies against two bogeys in her first round and finds herself in a great spot, just one shot back of first-round leader Ally McDonald. 

“I think I just tried to be relaxed and take one shot at a time,” said Strom. “I knew that the wind was going to pick up a little bit more the further I was going in the round, so I just tried to not get ahead myself. I just focused on every shot and try to take one hole at a time and make some birdies. I got some putts dropping, yeah, so it was good day.”

JIN YOUNG KO AND HYO JOO KIM RIDE A WAVE OF CONFIDENCE TO CONTEND

It's always a massive bonus to bring red-hot form into a major championship and Koreans Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim took full advantage of that as they moved into early contention for the ANA Inspiration in Thursday's first round. Rolex Rankings No. 5 Ko, who has won once and finished second twice in her first five starts on the 2019 LPGA Tour, racked up four birdies and a lone bogey for an opening 69 on the Dinah Shore Course. Kim, who tied the Kia Classic's 18-hole scoring record on Sunday by firing a sizzling 10-under 62 to vault into a share of seventh place, matched Ko at Mission Hills with a 69 that included an eagle at the par-5 second.

"I played really well in the last round at the Kia Classic," said Kim, who has recorded top-10 finishes in her last three starts on the LPGA Tour. "That really elevated my confidence level, and I wanted to be able to take that level into this week of a major. Just wanted to be able to maintain that throughout the whole week. Over those last three weeks, I had a lot of great results, and I think those low scores are because of my confidence level. When I do make mistakes and they come up, that confidence has taken me through and helped me get through that."

Ko, who clinched her third LPGA Tour victory at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup two weeks ago, has been one of the hottest players in the women's game this season while adopting a strategy of staying as happy as possible on the golf course without feeling any self-imposed pressure.

"This is a major, but I don't want to put any pressure on myself for the first major of the year," Ko said. "I don't like pressure on the course. I just like to relax. My goal is happiness, to be a happy golfer on the course. I am praying on the course and hopefully the ball will go straight and I will hit the fairway. That makes me happy. I don't like thinking about the future. Nobody knows about my future or your future, so I'm just trying to have a good finish on the course." 

WIE WORKING OUT THE KINKS

Early in her first round, things were not looking good for Michelle Wie. The fan favorite, making just her fourth start since she withdrew from the AIG Women’s British Open last August, made double bogey at No. 14 (her fifth hole) and added bogeys at 16 and 17 to start 5-over through eight holes. But her breadth of experience was invaluable to the 11-year LPGA veteran.

“I knew that I just needed to just get the rust out and get my confidence back up and see what the little white ball is doing again,” said Wie.

That patience paid off, as Wie carded four consecutive birdies at 18, 1, 2 and 3, finishing the day at +2 and in a tie for 56th. Wie has been battling a recurring hand injury for the last few seasons. She opened her 2019 schedule with a tie for 23rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand but withdrew from the following week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore after 14 holes, citing the injury. 

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 106 Ally McDonald (68)

• This is the first time in McDonald’s career that she has held the lead after any round of an LPGA Tour event
• McDonald’s first-round 68 is tied for her best round at the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she shot a 68 in the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand
• Her 68 is also tied for her best round at a major; she previously shot 68 four times at a major, most recently in the first round of the 2018 Evian Championship
• She hit 11 of 14 greens and 13 of 18 fairways, with 27 putts
• This is McDonald’s fourth year with LPGA Tour status (she primarily played the Epson Tour in 2016); her best finish is a tie for third at the 2018 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G
• This is McDonald’s sixth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is T29 at the Honda LPGA Thailand
• She is competing in her second ANA Inspiration; she missed the cut in 2018
• In 2016, she finished the Epson Tour season with $110,359, the second highest total in Tour history; she had eight top-10 finishes, including four runner-up showings
• Also in 2016, she won the Epson Tour’s Heather Wilbur Spirit Award, which honors the player who best exemplifies dedication, courage, perseverance and love of the game and spirit toward achieving goals as a professional golfer
• She was a two-time First Team All-American during her four years at Mississippi State University

Rolex Rankings No. 5 Jin Young Ko (69)

• Ko’s first-round 69 is her career-best round at the ANA Inspiration and her first-ever round in the 60s on the Dinah Shore Course; her previous best was a 70 in the first round in 2017
• She hit 11 of 14 greens and 16 of 18 fairways, with 31 putts
• Ko is in her second season on the LPGA Tour; she won the 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in her Membership debut and won the 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship as a non-Member
• This is Ko’s sixth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she won the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, finished second at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and tied for third at the HSBC Women’s World Championship
• She is competing in her fourth ANA Inspiration; her best finish is T64 in 2018
• Ko won the 2018 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, an award she clinched with four events remaining in the season

Rolex Rankings No. 222 Linnea Strom (69)

• Strom’s first-round 69 is tied for the third-lowest round of her LPGA Tour career; she shot a 65 in the second round of the 2019 Bank of Hope Founders Cup and has two 68s
• She hit six of 14 greens and 13 of 18 fairways, with 27 putts
• Strom is a 2019 LPGA Tour rookie; she earned her Tour card via the Epson Tour’s 2018 Volvik Race for the Card, where she finished fifth
• This is Strom’s fifth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is T18 at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup
• She is competing in her first ANA Inspiration
• Strom spent 2018 on the Epson Tour, where she earned Gaelle Truett Rookie of the Year honors thanks to her 10 top-20 finishes, including a win at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge
• She turned professional in December 2017 after two years at Arizona State University, where she led the Sun Devils to the program’s eighth NCAA Division I National Championship in 2017 

Rolex Rankings No. 9 Lexi Thompson (69)

• Thompson’s first-round 69 is tied for her second-lowest round of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she shot 67 twice and 69 three times, most recently in the final round of last week’s Kia Classic
• She hit seven of 14 greens and 11 of 18 fairways, with 26 putts
• Thompson is in her eighth season on the LPGA Tour; she has 10 victories, including a major win at the 2014 ANA Inspiration
• This is Thompson’s fifth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is T10 at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions
• She is competing in her 10th ANA Inspiration; she won the tournament in 2014, finished second in a playoff in 2017, has two other top-10 finishes and has never missed the cut
• Thompson won the 2017 Vare Trophy for the season’s low scoring average and also captured that year’s Race to the CME Globe
• She has won an event in each of the past six LPGA Tour seasons, the longest active streak on Tour
• She represented the USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she finished T19, and is a three-time member of the USA Solheim Cup and UL International Crown Teams

Rolex Rankings No. 39 Hyo Joo Kim (69)

• Kim’s first-round 69 is tied for her career-best round at the ANA Inspiration; she previously shot 69 in the third round in 2016 and the fourth round in 2015
• She hit 10 of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens, with 26 putts
• Kim is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she has three victories, including a major win at the 2014 Evian Championship as a non-Member
• Her first-round 61 at the 2014 Evian Championship is the lowest round at a major by any golfer, male or female
• This is Kim’s fifth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is T5 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship
• She is competing in her fifth ANA Inspiration; her best finish is T11 in her debut in 2015
• Kim finished second in the 2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race 

QUICK HITS

• Defending champion Pernilla Lindberg opened her first career title defense with a 73
• In 2019, the Round 1 scoring average was 73.86; the Round 1 scoring average in 2018 was 72.051