KO FEELING FORTUNATE PLAYING WITH WOUNDED WARRIOR PFEIFER
“It’s been two for two for awesome pairings … It's just been so cool to play alongside these celebrities that I probably would have never met if it wasn't for this event,” said former World No. 1 Lydia Ko of the unique format of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. “I've been very fortunate to have [played with] four celebrities that are amazing at what they do and just unbelievable people.”
Ko followed up her first-round 66 with a 3-under 68 on Friday while playing with two-time World Series champion Josh Beckett and three-time Bush Center Wounded Warrior Champion Chad Pfeifer. She played with former MLB stars Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and A.J. Pierzynski on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Ko especially embraced the opportunity to gain valuable perspective, inspiration and a few chuckles from Pfeifer, a retired United States Army Corporal who sits seventh on the celebrity leaderboard, 11 points behind leader Mardy Fish.
“Chad, obviously, as a leg amputee, it's so impressive. He's a right-handed player, and you're always loading into that left leg,” said Ko admiringly. “I complained that I have a zit on my face, and there's him without one leg, and he loves his life, and he's so happy, and he's so talented. So I really had a great time. He even cracked a joke. He left one putt a little short, and he said, ‘oh, man, I'm one leg short.’ Just for him to say things like that just shows how amazing these celebrities are.”
“I'll have to take some Tylenol today and get ready for tomorrow, especially with the four days,” said Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee in 2007 when his patrol vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. “I'm trying to walk as much as I can just because the more people that see me walking, hopefully it's inspiration for people to get outdoors and do what they love and don't let injury set them back.”
PLAYERS LOVING UNIQUE FORMAT AT #DIAMONDLPGA
LPGA players and celebrities alike seem to be having the times of their lives at the inaugural Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. This unusual format, grouping professional golfers with celebrity athletes and entertainers, has led to flowing smiles from all the players as they leave the golf course.
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, no stranger to being at the top of her game, enjoyed her Friday stroll with NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen. She admitted to picking his brain about what it takes to be a successful athlete.
“He told me like, especially, you're a top player, what's your next goal be like? Not only play here and wait for somebody to share with us, but we should have a next goal,” said Jutanugarn. “It means so much to me. Ray is so nice to me.”
The respect was mutual, as Allen spoke glowingly of his inside-the-ropes time with Jutanugarn.
“We've talked about everything. It's interesting to be here and talking with her. She's so friendly, and she's so kind,” said Allen. “She's asked me a lot of questions, how I handle being at the top, how I handle dealing with adversity. You know, I told her a lot of stories, so we definitely had some great conversations out here.”
Nelly Korda enjoyed a quite logical grouping in Thursday’s opening round. Korda, the daughter of professional tennis players Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova, played with tennis champion and newly minted USA Davis Cup captainMardy Fish.
“I had two really great groups. They were really fun,” said Korda, who joked about her shared tennis background with Fish. “Yesterday they played unbelievable. I was like, am I the pro here, or are you guys the pro?”
FISH LEADS CELEBRITY COMPETITION
First-round leader Mardy Fish continues to hold the lead in the celebrity portion of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, shooting back-to-back +39s to sit at +78 through two rounds. Fish, a two-time winner of the Diamond Resorts Invitational, holds a one-point lead over MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz (+77), whose +43 was Friday’s best celebrity round, and a six-point advantage over MLB All-Star Mark Mulder (+72).
“I only hit three bad shots, and they happened to be three bad drives. Those were the three bogeys I made. Everything else felt controlled,” said Smoltz, who qualified for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open. “I've been working on my game for the first time to make the proper swing. I'm getting closer and closer to trusting each and every one of them. So in tournament play, hopefully, the more competition I play at a different level will translate.”
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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