BELLEAIR, Fla. - Julia Lopez Ramirez walked off the golf course on Friday afternoon at Pelican Golf Club feeling like she’d just gone on a wild rollercoaster ride. Lopez Ramirez’ second round at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge saw her make two double bogeys and a bogey, offset by eight birdies. It all added up to a round of 67 and a wild day in which Lopez Ramirez admitted she was left guessing about her game and the changing wind conditions.

“I start not feeling very well on my swing. Kind of took me a little while to like figure out what to fix and try to feel comfortable going at pins. That took a little while.” Lopez Ramirez said about the mid-round adjustment. Still make some birdies because I have a bit of wedges on it, but obviously two doubles in the round, so like that was a bit of a rollercoaster, a bit of a tee shot and bit of around the greens. I know it's still a course that I can do a lot of birdies. Keep patient and keep trying my best like in every shot.”

That patience paid off as Lopez Ramirez positioned herself for a run this weekend and a chance to not only chase down her first victory on the LPGA Tour, but also a chance to play her way into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The top-60 players in the Race to the CME Globe point standings upon conclusion of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican will earn a spot in the field at the final event of the year. Lopez Ramirez came into this week’s tournament ranked No. 66 in the point standings.

In order to keep her mind off of the pressure of trying to play her way into next week’s event and to keep her mind occupied on the golf course, Lopez Ramirez has taken up playing Sudoku. In the middle of her round. In between shots. She says that it helps to keep her mind busy when she isn’t hitting. She got the idea from her caddie, Lauren Whyte, who also plays. Lopez Ramirez started playing the game mid-round while competing in Korea in October at the BMW Ladies Championship and picked up her third top-10 of the season the following week.

While the change in mental approach is something that Lopez Ramirez credits for her success through 36-holes at The ANNIKA, Lopez Ramirez has also been able to take advantage of her length off the tee at Pelican Golf Club. The second year member ranks second on Tour in driving distance with an average of over 285 yards. The layout at Pelican Golf Club with its wide, generous fairways has allowed for the long-hitter to position herself for shorter shots into the greens.

“I think it's still very important to hit the fairways out here. I know they're bigger. It does free me up to hit more drivers and not trying to be more strategic off the tee,” Lopez Ramirez said about her strategy at Pelican Golf Club. “I think it's a comfortable course off the tee, and I think just have to like trust the swing and bomb it. That's what I'm trying to do.”

That’s not to say Lopez Ramirez has been able to be aggressive on every hole. She says she’s had to be strategic in choosing when and where to let her driver fly. She says her experience competing at Pelican Golf Club while still playing in college at the University of Mississippi has been a valuable experience she’s leaned on this week with the added experience of knowing how to navigate the venue.

“Sometimes you just have to be okay with playing in the middle of the green or just even like playing shorter or longer and having 30-, 40-footer instead of 10-footer for birdie,” Lopez Ramirez said about picking her points to play more conservatively. “Sometimes it's okay to do that and play that in a smart way.”

Lopez Ramirez’ round of 67 on Friday came after a bogey-free round of 64 on Thursday to sit at nine-under par through 36-holes.

Julia Lopez Ramirez Rides Rollercoaster Day to a Round of 67

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