WITH A WIN…
At 32 years, 8 months and 7 days of age, Eun-Hee Ji would become the oldest winner from the Republic of Korea since Se Ri Pak won the 2010 Bell Micro LPGA Classic at 32 years, 7 months and 18 days of age
Lydia Ko would earn her 16th career LPGA victory and move into a tie for 35th on the All-Time Wins List with Jan Stephenson
Brooke Henderson would earn her eighth career LPGA victory and tie Sandra Post the most LPGA victories by a Canadian player
FLORIDA GIRL NELLY KORDA LOVES PLAYING WITH CELEBRITIES
Nelly Korda has been loving every moment at the LPGA Tour’s new season-opening Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions. Poised in fourth place after shooting a bogey-free 65 on Saturday, her round was highlighted with an eagle at the par-5 seventh and fun celebrity partners. Korda was grouped with two-time World Series champion Derek Lowe, who sits in fourth place on the celebrity leaderboard with 105 points, and three-time Bush Center Wounded Warrior champion Chad Pfeifer, tied for fifth with 104 points.
“I love it. Legitimately, absolutely love it,” said Korda, who earned her spot in the event thanks to her win at the 2018 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship. “Getting to hear their stories and know their background is really cool and really inspiring, but they're really down to earth. So that's what makes it a lot of fun.”
Despite weather forecasts of possible Sunday showers and wind gusts up to 35 mph, Korda is looking forward to tomorrow’s final round. “I'm a Florida girl. I don't like it, but there’s nothing I can do,” she said. “I know the weather is not supposed to be too great tomorrow. You never know. Just try to hit fairways and try to hit greens. If one sneaks in, great.”
DIAPER DUTY SUITS LEWIS JUST FINE
Leave it up to 2-month-old Chesnee Chadwell to keep Stacy Lewis on her toes. Life certainly has changed for the new mom and 12-time LPGA Tour winner.
“We're sitting at dinner last night and you can see she's over there pooping, and then it's outside her clothes. It's a great dinner,” said Lewis with a laugh of her daughter’s antics. “You forget about your tee time the next morning. It's just a great back to reality.”
Lewis is making her big return to competitive golf after becoming mom to little Chesnee on Oct. 28, 2018. Her opening-round 66 belied her six-month layoff, but some tired legs led to a second-round 74. Always fighting back, the 33-year-old Texan gutted out a 5-under 66 on Saturday, tied for the second-lowest round of the day, and sits in a tie for eighth heading into Sunday’s final round.
“If I could finish this thing under par for four days, I was going to be happy,” said Lewis, who is looking for her first win since the 2017 Cambia Portland Classic. “I've hit some good chip shots, I've hit some good putts. I feel like the touch and the feel is coming back. I still hit some weird golf shots, which is fatigue, I think, more than anything.”
SMOLTZ LEADS CELEBRITY COMPETITION
The celebrity competition saw its first change at the top of the leaderboard, as MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz eagled the par-5 seventh hole en route to a third-round +39 and a three-day total of +116. The Fox analyst holds a four-point lead over MLB All-Star Mark Mulder (+112) and a five-point lead over 36-hole leader and defending celebrity champion Mardy Fish (+111).
“This is going to be a great test for me. Physically, I haven't been able to do this in a long time,” said Smoltz, who qualified for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open. “I've been strengthening my shoulder and really trying to get ready for these kinds of events in the future, and to be able to continue to hit balls without pain has been an absolute godsend.”
The celebrity competition is playing with a Modified Stableford scoring system. A double eagle earns 10 points, an ace earns eight points, an eagle earns five points, a birdie earns three points, a par earns two points, a bogey earns one points and a double bogey or higher earns zero points.
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