CAROLINE HEDWALL ONE OFF LPGA TOUR LEAD IN CALIFORNIA

                            SWEDE DREAMS: CAROLINE HEDWALL, one off the lead in California.

FROM THE LPGA TOUR.COM WEBSITE
Seven-year LPGA Tour veteran Jane Park (@TheJanePark) got off to a hot start on Thursday at the Kia Classic (@LPGAKiaClassic) and took the first-round lead after carding a 6-under 66 at Aviara Golf Club, Carlsbad in California.  
Park had a bogey-free round with six birdies including three-consecutive on Nos. 4, 5, 6. It was Park’s best round since she shot a 66 in the final round of the Evian Masters in 2009.
She holds a one-shot lead over World and LPGA Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb and 2011 European Solheim Cup Team member Caroline Hedwall. 
Park had 26 putts in the round and said Southern California weather is always an added perk.
“The weather was fantastic today like it always is in San Diego and just wanted to take advantage of that and the fresh greens this morning, and fortunately I made a ton of putts today,” said Park.
“I love playing golf here,” said Park, who resides in Rancho Cucamonga about an hour north of Carlsbad.  “Obviously I'm from here, but yeah, the golf courses here just really fit my eye.  I love the ‑‑ I just love this style of golf course, so maybe that's why I played pretty well today.”
Growing pains: In her seven years on the LPGA Tour, Jane Park has managed the ups and downs of the grind as a professional golfer. The former U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship winner turned pro at 19 and has had trouble replicating her success she had early on in her career.
“Well, my first year on Tour I played pretty well,” said Park. “I finished 25th on the money list at the end of the year and that was an awesome year.  I had so much fun.  I think once you start thinking of it as a job and you kind of put too much pressure on yourself, that's kind of what happened to me as well.  
"But, you know, it's great to finally get a good round under my belt.  It's a little difficult to not play as well as I know I can, but I think with a lot of hard work I can get up there.”
Park has been plagued by injuries and also said some growing pains got in the way. After her 6-under 66 in the opening round on Thursday, she said she hasn’t played that well in about three years. Park made seven cuts in 15 starts last season on tour, finishing 94^th on the money list.
“Some injuries and some personal family issues, and I don't know, just growing up, I guess.  I got on Tour pretty young, I was only 19, fresh out of my first year at UCLA, and thinking back it might have been a little premature, but yeah, it was just growing pains.  
"I would say it's been about three years, about three years.  I went through a couple struggles, about three years ago is when I started to struggle.”
Some well-tweaked preparation this past off season had the Southern California native in high spirits at the start of the year and things have seemed to come together for the 26-year old.
“I think my preparation in the off season was much better this off season than it has been in the past,” said Park. “My career's been riddled with injuries and different things here and there, but I prepared really well and I was pretty confident coming into this week.”
Translating success: Third-year LPGA Tour pro Caroline Hedwall knows how to win. But the Swede’s eight professional victories have all come either on the Ladies European Tour (LET) or the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour (ALPG) and she’s still looking to break into the winner’s circle on the LPGA. 
She got off on the right foot to start the year in 2013 and captured back-to-back victories in Australia at the Mount Broughton Classic and the Bing Lee Samsung Women’s New South Wales Open in January.
“I played a lot of events in Australia on the ALPG Tour and won a couple there,” said Hedwall. “I feel like I've got off to a pretty good start, but I haven't really played well in the bigger events.  But I feel confident about my game and I hope I can get that feeling in the beginning of the year back and shoot low.”
Hedwall’s career-best finish came in Carlsbad a year ago at the Kia Classic at La Costa when she tied for fifth. The 23-year old has goals to translate her early success this year to her season on the LPGA.
“Yeah, obviously.  I mean, I won a lot of events, so I feel confident when I'm up there, but I've just struggled to be up there during the weekend,” said Hedwall. “That's what I'm trying to do, set myself in a good position coming into the weekend because I know when I'm there, I love it and I enjoy playing so much that I usually play well, too.”
It’s rough: Players have had the task of preparing for a new track this week at Aviara Golf Club and players have said that the rough has proved to be a challenge already. When asked what she thought the key was to go low this week, Jessica Korda (@JessicaKorda) said keeping the ball in the fairway is imperative.
“Staying on the fairway is a must” said Korda. “The rough is really thick and it's cold outside so you're not hitting it as far, you're having longer clubs and you don't want longer clubs in the rough.  I kind of experienced that on the last couple holes and it wasn't pretty.”
Karrie Webb, who hit 12 out of 14 fairways in the first round, agreed and said the thick stuff is nothing she wants to be dealing with.
“The fairways are wide enough but you definitely don't want to mess with the rough,” said  Webb. “And it's pretty patchy, so you could get lucky and then you could get pretty ripped off, so I was just happy to get done.”
Rooting interests: Amanda Blumenherst (@Blumenherst) is focused on golf this week at the Kia Classic but she’s also tuned in to the start of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. The Duke University graduate filled out a bracket for this year’s tournament and there was no question where her allegiance lies.
“Duke all the way,” Blumenherst said. “My parents went to Indiana, though, so I have them in the finals.  So we have a family house divided.”
Blumenherst got off to a hot start herself in Thursday’s first round of the Kia Classic, shooting a 3-under 69. The three-time National Collegiate Player of the Year while at Duke and 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion hasn’t been able to duplicate her amateur success since joining the LPGA Tour in 2010. 
But while there have been a few ups and downs over the past few years, Blumenherst was excited about the state of her game on Thursday.
“It was solid, it was solid golf,” Blumenherst said. “I've been struggling off the tee a little bit, so it was nice to hit a few fairways and it just was hitting really solid ball striking.  It was fun.  It's been a while, so it was good to get a low number in there.”
Tweet of the Day: Goes to LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan who admitted his mom bought one of his bobbleheads last week in Phoenix.
“RT @matt_brisson: @LPGACommish where can I get a commish bobble head?
They made 100 - so that means there are 99 left (my mom bought 1)”
Of Note…Rolex Rankings No. 1 Stacy Lewis opened her week with a 2-under 70 and is T16. Natalie Gulbis withdrew prior to the first round citing fatigue…Sophie Gustafson withdrew prior to the first round ... Catriona Matthew had an off-day, a three-over 75 which leaves her T95 and struggling to beat the cut ... Laura Davies had an even bigger off-day: an 82 which puts her in T142 position.
 
JANE PARK, Rolex Rankings No. 298
MODERATOR:  All right, everyone.  I'd like to welcome in Jane Park, shot 6‑under 66 opening round.  Great day out there.  Just start us off with some opening thoughts and how your day went.
JANE PARK:  Well, the weather was fantastic today like it always is in San Diego and just wanted to take advantage of that and the fresh greens this morning, and fortunately I made a ton of putts today.
MODERATOR:  You're a southern California girl but you've never played this course before.  Does it feel like home here or does it feel good to come back to southern California?
JANE PARK:  I love playing golf here.  Obviously I'm from here, but yeah, the golf courses here just really fit my eye.  I love the ‑‑ I just love this style of golf course, so maybe that's why I played pretty well today.
MODERATOR:  You've had some struggles in the past couple years, you just mentioned you had some issues with confidence going into certain weeks, changing things up, you said you're studying with a new coach.  What was your mentality coming into this season and in particular this week?
JANE PARK:  I think my preparation in the off season was much better this off season than it has been in the past.  My career's been riddled with injuries and different things here and there, but I prepared really well and I was pretty confident coming into this week.
Q.  How long has it been since you kind of felt this good on a golf course like you did today?
JANE PARK:  Wow, that's a good question.  I would say it's been about three years, about three years.  I went through a couple struggles, about three years ago is when I started to struggle.
Q.  Why were you struggling?
JANE PARK:  Some injuries and some personal family issues, and I don't know, just growing up, I guess.  I got on Tour pretty young, I was only 19, fresh out of my first year at UCLA, and thinking back it might have been a little premature, but yeah, it was just growing pains.
Q.  I think we who followed you remember that you had this fantastic amateur career and junior career, and then what's it like getting out here and not being able to succeed right away or be in the upper echelon?
JANE PARK:  My first full year on Tour was 2008 and I played pretty quell, I finished 25th on the money list at the end of the year and that was an awesome year.  I had so much fun.  I think once you start thinking of it as a job and you kind of put too much pressure on yourself, that's kind of what happened to me as well.  But, you know, it's great to finally get a good round under my belt.  It's a little difficult to not play as well as I know I can, but I think with a lot of hard work I can get up there.

LEADERBOARD
Par 72
Players from USA unless stated
66 Jane Park
67 Caroline Hedwall (Sweden), Karrie Webb (Australia)
68 Giulia Sergas (Italy), Jessica Korda.
69 Amanda Blumenherst, Lizette Salas, Se Ri Park (S Korea), Austin Ernst, Jodi Ewart  Shadoff (England), Inbee Park (S Korea), Beatriz Recari (Spain), Paula Creamer, Herji Kang (S Korea), Mo Martin.

SELECTED SCORES   
70 Carlota Ciganda (Sp;ain), Sandra Gal (Germany), Stacy Lewis, Belen Mozo (Spain) (T16).
71 Suzann Pettersen (Norway), Karin Sjodin (Sweden) (T26).
72 Felicity Johnson (England), Azahara Munoz (Spain).
73 Anna Nordqvist (Swden) (T57)
75 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) (T95)
77 Becky Morgan (Wales) (T118)
79 Karen Stupples (England) (T134).
82 Laura Davies (England) (T142).

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