With the first two rounds beneath her, 23-year-old Stanford alum, Andrea Lee, is set to begin the weekend at four under after making five birdies today.
"I really built some confidence over the last month,” Lee said. “I've been playing some good golf. On this course, you have to stay really patient. I came out in the morning hoping that it wouldn't be as windy (as yesterday) and that I could shoot a better score, which I did."
The Hermosa Beach local has played at the Palos Verdes Golf Club since she was 15 years old. Andrea said, "I'm so glad that the LPGA has the chance to come out and play here. I have a home crowd and people that I know from the Los Angeles area following me out here, so it's nice to have that."
Although Lee has years of experience playing at this course, she said, "The nines are switched, so I'm getting really confused."
The winds and hilly terrain have been tripping up several players this week. "I feel like you can never get a flat lie out here on this golf course,” said Lee. “It's either downhill, uphill, or sidehill." Her game plan is to stay as balanced as possible and play smart to combat unexpected winds.
"Yesterday we were last off (the tee) at 2:00 pm, and I knew there would be some high winds out there; I just told myself to stay really patient. Even or under par was going to be a good score. Came out 1-under, which I was really happy with," Andrea said.
Overall, Lee had an excellent performance today, putting her in a good position for the rest of the weekend. She said, "I had a few birdies, a couple of bogeys on the par-3s. Hit a really good 7-iron into No. 18 to about an inch. I think the crowd was making noises like it almost went in. But it was nice to have a tap-in there. I just closed it out with a couple birdies on the front nine and was smart at the same time."
Andrea's been working with Jim Gormley, the Director of Golf at Palos Verdes Golf Club, for a few months now on her putting, giving her another at-home advantage. "He's kept everything simple for me, which is what I need. I'm a feel player and not super technical, so keeping it simple.”
Lee’s first professional win on the Epson Tour earlier this month has helped her confidence. "It definitely felt good to get that first professional win under my belt. The Epson Tour girls out there are great competitors. I think a few of them could even come out here and win on the LPGA Tour. It's still a strong field," she said. "I've been making quite a few putts in the last couple of months, so it just feels good to have that confidence with the flat stick."
Andrea intends to play the same way she has for the past few days to achieve similar success. She plans on "just hitting fairways, hitting greens, making some putts when I can, and playing aggressive."
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