LEE AND KO GO LOW TO CAP OFF “FUN DAY”
Minjee Lee and Jin Young Ko finished the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational just short of the top in solo second at-21 after recording a four-ball final-round 58, the lowest round of the tournament. As much as they took the tournament seriously, Lee said it was one of the most fun times they have had this year.
“I think definitely we both played better than we did the last time we played four balls. We just had a better rhythm out there. I think we just fed off each other,” said Lee. “Jin Young had so many birdies today, so I just tried to keep up pretty much. We just had a great day out there.”
The duo put together a bogey-free round, posting 12 birdies on the day. Ko said she was proud of their score and hopes to build off this momentum into the Evian Championship and AIG Women’s British Open. But Ko said she is already thinking of the next year in Midland.
“My first time hit in the 60s, in a foursome, really great playing with Minjee. We had a really great time. I want to play next year with Minjee,” said Ko.
CLANTON AND SUWANNAPURA – TWO TRUE #DRIVEON STORIES
Cydney Clanton competed in the 2018 LPGA Q-Series in hopes of bettering her LPGA status for 2019. After missing the top 45 there, Clanton received a late entry into the Blue Bay LPGA. She jetted from North Carolina to the People’s Republic of China in hopes of pulling into the top 100 on the final LPGA Money List. Instead, she came up a heart-breaking $8 short of a full card for the 2019 season.
Clanton has played 2019 primarily on the Epson Tour, where she earned a win at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout. Now an LPGA Tour winner, Clanton will jump up the LPGA Priority List from 179th to 92nd and is assured of full Tour status for the next two years. She also has the fun task of quickly booking international travel, as Clanton is now exempt into next week’s Evian Championship in France and the following week’s AIG Women’s British Open in England.
“This is 100% a God plan,” said Clanton. “I couldn't even dream up to have won a Epson event earlier this year and then to come out and win with Jasmine. It's so funny, this is the tournament that I wanted to come and play in. I was like, team event, I'm in, let's go. So I'm blessed for the opportunity, I'm blessed that Jasmine came and let me come play with her.”
Three years ago, Jasmine Suwannapura didn’t know if she would ever walk again, let alone play golf. While taking a practice swing at the 2016 Kingsmill Championship, Suwannapura broke her back and was sidelined for six months. After surgery, months of rehab and totally rebuilding her swing, Suwannapura saw her hard work and patience pay off when she captured her first LPGA win at the 2018 Marathon Classic. A year later, she has added a second win to that tally and joined Ariya Jutanugarn as the only Thai players with multiple Tour victories.
“I think this is like earlier than I thought I would have this,” said Suwannapura. “I've been working hard with my game and every week is getting better with my irons and everything.”
RESHUFFLE TIME
The second and final reshuffle of the 2019 LPGA Tour season will happen on Monday following the conclusion of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.
Category 8 on the LPGA Priority List comprises members in the Top 80 of the current year’s Money List with priority based on the order of the list. In addition, Members in Categories 13 through 19 who have earned official money will be re-seeded into Category 13 and ranked in the order of their position on the current year's Money List through the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.
- After winning the inaugural Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura have locked in LPGA Membership for two years, with Clanton moving from No. 179 on the Priority List in Category 15 to Category 4
- With a solo third-place finish alongside partner Jenny Shin, Na Yeon Choi is poised to make a jump on the Priority List up from No. 139 in Category 13
- With a T12 finish alongside partner Ruixin Liu, Simin Feng will move up significantly on the Priority List as she was No. 449 in Category 19 entering the week
- With a T27 finish with partner Celine Herbin, Joanna Klatten will take advantage of the reshuffle as she entered the week No. 429 in Category 19
- After making the cut this week, Muni He (T27) and Sarah Burnham (37th) will also be reshuffled out of Category 14
A link to the current LPGA Priority List: http://bit.ly/Priority19
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 106 Jasmine Suwannapura and No. 268 Cydney Clanton (67-64-63-59)
- This is Suwannapura’s eighth season on the LPGA Tour; she won the 2018 Marathon Classic
- This is Suwannapura’s 20th event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is a tie for seventh at the Kia Classic
- Suwannapura broke her back while swinging a club during a practice round at the 2016 Kingsmill Championship and was sidelined for six months for surgery and rehab
- This is Clanton’s eighth season on the LPGA Tour; her best finish is a tie for seventh at the 2014 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic
- This is Clanton’s fourth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her best finish is a tie for 40th at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
- Clanton has also played in seven Epson Tour events this season, taking the win at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout
- Clanton attended Auburn University, where she was named the 2008 NGCA Freshman of the Year
CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE – SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE
The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group will donate $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2019, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
There were no aces made at this week’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. There have been 18 aces recorded this season and a total of $360,000 raised thus far.
LEADERS TOP 10 COMPETITION
The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken.
Brooke Henderson finished in fifth and Hyo Joo Kim finished T6 at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational to move up into a tie for first with Danielle Kang and Nelly Korda with eight top-10 finishes on the season. Jin Young Ko finished as the runner-up and Eun-Hee Ji finished T6 to move into a tie for fifth with seven top-10 finishes along with Lexi Thompson.
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