LPGA PLAYERS PAY TRIBUTE TO FOUNDER MARILYNN SMITH
LPGA players and caddies wore special pins on Wednesday at the LOTTE Championship in remembrance of Founder Marilynn Smith, throughout the first round of competition since she passed last Tuesday, April 9th.
"I mean, we wouldn't be here without her,” said first-round leader Nelly Korda. “She had such a huge role and why women's golf is where it is today. When we saw her she had such a smile on her face. I'm really going to miss that. Her hugs especially. She always had such a positive energy around her.”
Jin Young Ko shared the same sentiments about the Founder, “She has a great smile. I couldn't believe that she passed away so quickly, but I pray for her. All the players, the LPGA players, get lots of inspiration from her so we can play this tour. I have so much to thank her for.”
To read Ron Sirak’s tribute click here.
ARIYA JUTANUGARN DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM TIGER’S WIN AT THE MASTERS
Former World No. 1, Ariya Jutanugarn admits that she’s been having a rocky start to the 2019 season. After a successful season of three LPGA Tour wins, including a major (U.S. Women’s Open), sweeping all the LPGA’s major awards, including the ANNIKA Major Award and the Rolex Player of the Year Award, the 23-year-old Thai drew much inspiration from Tiger Woods’ win at the Masters.
“To watch him come back and win the Masters after a lot of things happened in his life, it’s just so inspiring to me in so many ways,” said Jutanugarn. “Especially right now, I’m struggling right now mentally and I saw him fighting, I told myself, ‘just wake up, fight everyday and take action, try to do something to improve everyday.”
Jutanugarn shot a 5-under-par 67 in Round 1 of the LOTTE Championship and is currently tied for seventh with nine other players.
NELLY KORDA ASKS HERSELF ‘WHAT WOULD TIGER DO?’
You wouldn’t think Nelly Korda would have a streak of laziness, especially after such a hot start to the 2019 season and her first-round 63 at Ko Olina. However, the 20-year-old Florida-native has spent five weeks on the road and feeling a tad unmotivated, found a spark this week after witnessing Tiger Woods’ win at last week’s Masters Tournament.
“I think I posted something on my [Instagram] story that I had like no motivation and I needed to go work out, and then I just thought of Tiger. ‘I wonder if he would be in this position?,’ she asked herself. “Probably not. I'm going to go work out.”
Korda will tee off on the 10th tee at 7:44 a.m. with Amy Olson and World No. 1 Jin Young Ko for Round 2.
KIM KAUFMAN MAKES FIRST PROFESSIONAL HOLE-IN-ONE
Kim Kaufman was 1-under through her first three holes on Wednesday before making her first professional ace of her LPGA Tour career in the first round of the 2019 LOTTE Championship.
“I made a shot and I actually said ‘go,’ which you don't usually say on a par-3,” said Kaufman, hitting a 7-iron from 162 yards on the par-3 4th. “It just fell right in the hole. It was just online the whole way. It was fun. It was great. It was my first one on the LPGA, so kind of cool.”
With Kaufman’s ace, CME Group will donate $20,000 towards St. Jude’s Research Hospital. There have been eight hole-in-ones made prior to the week and a total of $160,000 has been donated thus far in 2019. This is enough to cover half of the treatment for a pediatric patient battling lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer.
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.
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 10 Nelly Korda (63)
Korda’s first-round 63 is her lowest round of the 2019 LPGA Tour season, besting the 65 she shot in the third round of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America
She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens
Korda is in her third season on the LPGA Tour; she won the 2016 Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge and finished ninth on the Volvik Race for the Card Epson Tour money list to earn LPGA Tour status in her first year as a professional
This is Korda’s seventh event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she won the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open earlier this season for her second victory on Tour
She is competing in her first LOTTE Championship
Rolex Rankings No. 20 Eun-Hee Ji (64)
Ji’s first-round 64 is her second lowest round of the 2019 LPGA Tour season, one shot away from the 63 she shot in the first round at the Honda LPGA Thailand
She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens
Ji is in her 13th season on the LPGA Tour; she is a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour. Her most recent win was at the inaugural 2019 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America
This is Ji’s seventh event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she has two additional top-10 finishes this year
She is competing in her eighth LOTTE Championship; her best finish is T11 in 2018
Rolex Rankings No. 30 Hyejin Choi (65)
Choi is making her season debut on the LPGA Tour; she is making her 14th career start on the LPGA this week
Choi’s first-round 65 is her lowest round on the LPGA Tour, besting her 66 score which she shot in the third round of the 2018 Kia Classic
She hit eight of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens
Choi is in her third season on the KLPGA Tour; she is a four-time winner on the KLPGA
She is competing in her fourth LOTTE Championship; her best finish is T30 in 2017
Choi has two runner-up finishes on the LPGA—2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open
Rolex Rankings No. 12 Brooke Henderson (65)
Henderson’s first-round 65 ties her lowest round of the 2019 LPGA Tour season, which she shot in the first round at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America
She hit 9 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens
Henderson is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she is a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour; she is one-win shy of tying Sandra Post’s record for most victories by a Canadian player in LPGA Tour history
This is Henderson’s seventh event of the 2019 season; she has three top-10 finishes this season
She is the defending champion of the LOTTE Championship; this is her fourth start of the LOTTE Championship
QUICK HITS
28 players in the top 20 represent 10 different countries (USA, Republic of Korea, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, Denmark and Spain)
Kim Kaufman made a hole-in-one on Hole No. 4 with her 7-iron from 162 yards
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