THREE SHARE LEAD AT SYMETRA TOUR OPENER IN FLORIDA
FROM THE LPGA SYMETRA TOUR WEBSITE
Amelia Lewis (@TheAmeliaLewis), Anya Alvarez (@anyaalvarez), and Caroline Westrup (@CarolineWestrup) all fired blistering 5-under 67’s to claim the first round lead at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
With a morning tee-time, Lewis had the luck of the draw on Friday and was the only player of the three leaders to dodge the torrential downpour at Lake Region Yacht & Country Club. The third-year Symetra Tour member took full advantage of her opportunity and carded seven birdies and two bogeys.
Lewis, who began her day on the back-nine, struck early in her round with three consecutive birdies on her first three holes then notched another three birdies to make the turn at an impressive 6-under.
“I started off with three birdies so it was a good start,” said Lewis. “I was 6-under through nine so it was a good front nine and I was putting really well.”
The Jacksonville, Fla. native cooled off a bit on the back side and stumbled after a birdie at the par-4 fourth with a bogey at the par-4 fifth. Lewis recorded her second and final bogey of the day at the par-4 seventh to shoot a 1-over 37 on the back.
“On the back side it got away from me,” said Lewis. “And I had to make some up-and-downs so it got tough but overall, it was good.”
Alvarez, who attended college at the University of Washington, also began her day on the back-nine and recorded her first birdie at the par-5 11th. She immediately followed-up the impressive start with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14, and 15 to make the turn at 4-under.
The second-year Symetra Tour member continued her solid play with a birdie at the par-4 fourth but stumbled with a bogey at the par-4 seventh to return to 4-under for the day.
Not even the rain could slow Alvarez down who persevered in the peak of the downpour to birdie the par-5 ninth. She relied heavily on staying in the present on Friday to land atop the leaderboard.
“Besides hitting well, just staying in the present,” said Alvarez of what she did well on Friday. “I think when you start well it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and put pressure on yourself to not screw up. I had a really great caddie who was able to keep me focused shot by shot and just not worry about stuff that I couldn’t control.”
Westrup relied heavily on her experience growing-up in inclement weather in Sweden to battle through the inclement weather.
“I’m from Sweden so we’re used to bad weather,” said Westrup. “I’ve had a lot of experience playing in very poor weather and I don’t rush it, I take my time, I know everyone is taking their time to so I try not to focus on the rain even if it’s hailing.”
The Florida State University graduate tee’d off on the back to begin her day and immediate birdied the par-5 11th. Westrup never let down on her opening nine with two additional birdies at the par-4 14th and par-3 17th.
Westrup didn’t let up on her second nine as she recorded back-to-back birdies on the par-4 second and par-3 third. The only blemish on Westrup’s scorecard came at the par-4 seventh but she responded quickly with a birdie at the par-5 ninth.
Despite having 30 putts in her opening round, Westrup relied on hitting 16 greens to put her in contention for her first-ever Symetra Tour victory.
“I hit it really solid all day, I hit 16 greens and I putted really well. I still had 30 putts but I was never in any trouble. I had one three-putt on seven, when it started pouring down I missed a short putt, but otherwise I just sank a lot of putts.”
The trio of players head into tomorrow’s second round with a one-stroke lead over Louisiana State University graduate, Melissa Eaton.
A Lesson Learned… Anya Alvarez (@anyaalvarez) may have started the week off with a bit of aggression in attempt to shake the pang of making a simple mistake that cost her a third-place finish at last year's Daytona Beach Invitational. Following a solid final-round finish, the 23-year-old walked away from the scoring tent without signing a scorecard that would have tallied her first top-10 in her Symetra Tour career.
“Well, I shot 64 in the final round to put myself at third at Mesa but I forgot to sign my scorecard,” said Alvarez. “It’s not an official top-10, all that shows up is a DQ on the website."
The University of Washington graduate now has a new remedy that ensures she won’t make the same mistake twice this year.
“I signed my scorecard before the round even started,” laughed Alvarez. “That’s what I do now.”
Despite a late afternoon downpour, Alvarez was able to post four birdies and no bogeys on the back-nine, which launched her into a tie for the lead along with Amelia Lewis and Caroline Westrup at five-under heading into the second round. Although the rain may distract some, Alvarez says her focus was on a whole new level this week.
“I think what I did well today was just staying in the present,” said Alvarez. “I think when you start well it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and put pressure on yourself to not screw up. I had a really great caddy who was able to keep me focused shot by shot and not worry about stuff that I couldn’t control.”
The Sunshine State… Since turning pro, third-year Symetra Tour member Caroline Westrup has devoted the majority of her time to playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET). This year, however, will be different for the Swedish golfer who plans on playing in every event on the Symetra Tour.
This year, the Symetra Tour will make five stops in Florida including this week’s stop in Winter Haven, Sarasota, Palm Harbor, Kissimmie and Daytona. Westrup played collegiate golf at Florida State University and because she still resides in Tallahasse, Fla., the five tournaments in Florida proved to be enough to convince her to devote this year to the Symetar Tour.
“That’s one of the reasons,” said Westrup of how the tournaments influenced her decision. “It’s close to home, I can drive to tournaments and I want to play over here. I want to play on the LPGA, its always been my dream so yeah I’ve done the LET for two years and learned a lot and played against different people but you don’t get anywhere from there. You don’t have any relations with the LPGA so I have to go to Q-School.”
If Friday’s first round is any indication, it looks as if Westrup made the right decision to play on the Symetra Tour as she finds herself tied for the lead at 5-under.
She’s the Boss… In 2013, Amelia Lewis is going to be quite the jetsetter dividing her time between the Symetra Tour, LPGA, and Ladies European Tour (LET) but the Jacksonville, Fla. native will have a few different familiar faces on her bag along the way.
Lewis, who was a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2011, will have her permanent caddie, Nick Rust, on the bag when she plays on the LPGA but when competing on the Symetra Tour and LET, she will turn to her family members for assistance.
“My mom or my brother,” said Lewis of who is typically on her bag. “I love it, I have a caddy that travels with me on the LPGA but then when I come to Symetra events it’s my family, it’s nice,”
At this week’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, Lewis’s dad is taking over as caddie and helped his daughter to an opening 5-under 67 on Friday. As Lewis currently stands tied for the lead heading into the weekend, she will be joined by her mother who is coming to cheer on her daughter.
“My mom is coming down this weekend,” said Lewis “but I have three younger siblings so one parent always has to be home to watch them.”
Despite Lewis’s parents doubling as caddie from time-to-time, the conflicting roles of parents and caddies never causes a tiff amongst the tight knit family who know who’s the boss.
“There’s never any conflict on the course,” said Lewis. “They know whose boss.”
Making Moves…Five year Symetra Tour member Melissa Eaton (@MelEaton_golf) found herself busy in the month-long break between the season-opening event and this week’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Originally from South Africa, Eaton took full advantage of the downtime to move from The Woodlands, Texas to Mandeville, La. and according to her, the move turned out to be a wise decision.
“Actually, quite a bit happened for me,” said Eaton of how she spent her off weeks. “I relocated from The Woodlands, Texas, which is where I was living, to Mandeville, Louisiana. I’m staying with a South African family there and it’s been the best move for me ever so I’m very happy. I’ve already made some great friends and it’s just a good place to be, on a golf course and I have great players that I’ve been playing golf with so it’s been a really good move for me.”
A former collegiate golfer at Louisiana State University (LSU), the move back to Louisiana seems even the more fitting for the former Tiger who is now surrounded by fellow fans of her beloved college.
“It’s awesome because everyone you see is like go Tigers and everyone is excited,” said Eaton. “I was a Tiger so it’s really cool to be back and be in Louisiana.”
Despite her content at her newfound home in Louisiana, there is still a big part of Eaton that remains in South Africa: her twin sister, Nicole. The duo played together at LSU and despite only seeing each other twice a year, the pair find time to talk as much as possible.
“I only see her maybe once or twice a year but I’m excited, I’ll see her in about a week’s time when I head back to South Africa for the SA Women’s Open. So at least I’ll get to see her then and we’ll both play in that. I just saw her about two months ago so it hasn’t been too long but it’s tough, we talk as much we can. She’s my best friend so it’s been pretty tough but we’re old, we have to do it.”
Let’s get Loud! The second day of spring is underway and it seems an epidemic of “Spring Fever” has hit the course here in Winter Haven, Fla., with a number of ladies sporting the latest flamboyant styles of Loudmouth Golf clothing. As the President of Loudmouth, Allan Wallace, roamed the course today, it was almost impossible to miss the sea of the colorfully eccentric designs taking over the Lake Region Yacht & Country Club.
First-round leader Amelia Lewis wore one of Loudmouth’s most popular designs today, and says she has even more to choose from in her closet.
“I have shorts, skirts, and pants in every pattern,” said Lewis. “I get four patterns every season and I’ve been with Loudmouth for two-and-a-half years so I have conservatively 40 patterns.”
This year, Loudmouth supplied the Symetra Tour Operations and Media staff with a few designs to wear each week this season. Today, the staff joined in the madness, sporting the Shagadelic design accompanied with a bright green Antigua polo.
Of Note…Seema Sadekar (@seemasadekar) had a hole-in-one on the 168 yard 15th hole with a hybrid.
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Amelia Lewis (@TheAmeliaLewis), Anya Alvarez (@anyaalvarez), and Caroline Westrup (@CarolineWestrup) all fired blistering 5-under 67’s to claim the first round lead at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
With a morning tee-time, Lewis had the luck of the draw on Friday and was the only player of the three leaders to dodge the torrential downpour at Lake Region Yacht & Country Club. The third-year Symetra Tour member took full advantage of her opportunity and carded seven birdies and two bogeys.
Lewis, who began her day on the back-nine, struck early in her round with three consecutive birdies on her first three holes then notched another three birdies to make the turn at an impressive 6-under.
“I started off with three birdies so it was a good start,” said Lewis. “I was 6-under through nine so it was a good front nine and I was putting really well.”
The Jacksonville, Fla. native cooled off a bit on the back side and stumbled after a birdie at the par-4 fourth with a bogey at the par-4 fifth. Lewis recorded her second and final bogey of the day at the par-4 seventh to shoot a 1-over 37 on the back.
“On the back side it got away from me,” said Lewis. “And I had to make some up-and-downs so it got tough but overall, it was good.”
Alvarez, who attended college at the University of Washington, also began her day on the back-nine and recorded her first birdie at the par-5 11th. She immediately followed-up the impressive start with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14, and 15 to make the turn at 4-under.
The second-year Symetra Tour member continued her solid play with a birdie at the par-4 fourth but stumbled with a bogey at the par-4 seventh to return to 4-under for the day.
Not even the rain could slow Alvarez down who persevered in the peak of the downpour to birdie the par-5 ninth. She relied heavily on staying in the present on Friday to land atop the leaderboard.
“Besides hitting well, just staying in the present,” said Alvarez of what she did well on Friday. “I think when you start well it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and put pressure on yourself to not screw up. I had a really great caddie who was able to keep me focused shot by shot and just not worry about stuff that I couldn’t control.”
Westrup relied heavily on her experience growing-up in inclement weather in Sweden to battle through the inclement weather.
“I’m from Sweden so we’re used to bad weather,” said Westrup. “I’ve had a lot of experience playing in very poor weather and I don’t rush it, I take my time, I know everyone is taking their time to so I try not to focus on the rain even if it’s hailing.”
The Florida State University graduate tee’d off on the back to begin her day and immediate birdied the par-5 11th. Westrup never let down on her opening nine with two additional birdies at the par-4 14th and par-3 17th.
Westrup didn’t let up on her second nine as she recorded back-to-back birdies on the par-4 second and par-3 third. The only blemish on Westrup’s scorecard came at the par-4 seventh but she responded quickly with a birdie at the par-5 ninth.
Despite having 30 putts in her opening round, Westrup relied on hitting 16 greens to put her in contention for her first-ever Symetra Tour victory.
“I hit it really solid all day, I hit 16 greens and I putted really well. I still had 30 putts but I was never in any trouble. I had one three-putt on seven, when it started pouring down I missed a short putt, but otherwise I just sank a lot of putts.”
The trio of players head into tomorrow’s second round with a one-stroke lead over Louisiana State University graduate, Melissa Eaton.
A Lesson Learned… Anya Alvarez (@anyaalvarez) may have started the week off with a bit of aggression in attempt to shake the pang of making a simple mistake that cost her a third-place finish at last year's Daytona Beach Invitational. Following a solid final-round finish, the 23-year-old walked away from the scoring tent without signing a scorecard that would have tallied her first top-10 in her Symetra Tour career.
“Well, I shot 64 in the final round to put myself at third at Mesa but I forgot to sign my scorecard,” said Alvarez. “It’s not an official top-10, all that shows up is a DQ on the website."
The University of Washington graduate now has a new remedy that ensures she won’t make the same mistake twice this year.
“I signed my scorecard before the round even started,” laughed Alvarez. “That’s what I do now.”
Despite a late afternoon downpour, Alvarez was able to post four birdies and no bogeys on the back-nine, which launched her into a tie for the lead along with Amelia Lewis and Caroline Westrup at five-under heading into the second round. Although the rain may distract some, Alvarez says her focus was on a whole new level this week.
“I think what I did well today was just staying in the present,” said Alvarez. “I think when you start well it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and put pressure on yourself to not screw up. I had a really great caddy who was able to keep me focused shot by shot and not worry about stuff that I couldn’t control.”
The Sunshine State… Since turning pro, third-year Symetra Tour member Caroline Westrup has devoted the majority of her time to playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET). This year, however, will be different for the Swedish golfer who plans on playing in every event on the Symetra Tour.
This year, the Symetra Tour will make five stops in Florida including this week’s stop in Winter Haven, Sarasota, Palm Harbor, Kissimmie and Daytona. Westrup played collegiate golf at Florida State University and because she still resides in Tallahasse, Fla., the five tournaments in Florida proved to be enough to convince her to devote this year to the Symetar Tour.
“That’s one of the reasons,” said Westrup of how the tournaments influenced her decision. “It’s close to home, I can drive to tournaments and I want to play over here. I want to play on the LPGA, its always been my dream so yeah I’ve done the LET for two years and learned a lot and played against different people but you don’t get anywhere from there. You don’t have any relations with the LPGA so I have to go to Q-School.”
If Friday’s first round is any indication, it looks as if Westrup made the right decision to play on the Symetra Tour as she finds herself tied for the lead at 5-under.
She’s the Boss… In 2013, Amelia Lewis is going to be quite the jetsetter dividing her time between the Symetra Tour, LPGA, and Ladies European Tour (LET) but the Jacksonville, Fla. native will have a few different familiar faces on her bag along the way.
Lewis, who was a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2011, will have her permanent caddie, Nick Rust, on the bag when she plays on the LPGA but when competing on the Symetra Tour and LET, she will turn to her family members for assistance.
“My mom or my brother,” said Lewis of who is typically on her bag. “I love it, I have a caddy that travels with me on the LPGA but then when I come to Symetra events it’s my family, it’s nice,”
At this week’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, Lewis’s dad is taking over as caddie and helped his daughter to an opening 5-under 67 on Friday. As Lewis currently stands tied for the lead heading into the weekend, she will be joined by her mother who is coming to cheer on her daughter.
“My mom is coming down this weekend,” said Lewis “but I have three younger siblings so one parent always has to be home to watch them.”
Despite Lewis’s parents doubling as caddie from time-to-time, the conflicting roles of parents and caddies never causes a tiff amongst the tight knit family who know who’s the boss.
“There’s never any conflict on the course,” said Lewis. “They know whose boss.”
Making Moves…Five year Symetra Tour member Melissa Eaton (@MelEaton_golf) found herself busy in the month-long break between the season-opening event and this week’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Originally from South Africa, Eaton took full advantage of the downtime to move from The Woodlands, Texas to Mandeville, La. and according to her, the move turned out to be a wise decision.
“Actually, quite a bit happened for me,” said Eaton of how she spent her off weeks. “I relocated from The Woodlands, Texas, which is where I was living, to Mandeville, Louisiana. I’m staying with a South African family there and it’s been the best move for me ever so I’m very happy. I’ve already made some great friends and it’s just a good place to be, on a golf course and I have great players that I’ve been playing golf with so it’s been a really good move for me.”
A former collegiate golfer at Louisiana State University (LSU), the move back to Louisiana seems even the more fitting for the former Tiger who is now surrounded by fellow fans of her beloved college.
“It’s awesome because everyone you see is like go Tigers and everyone is excited,” said Eaton. “I was a Tiger so it’s really cool to be back and be in Louisiana.”
Despite her content at her newfound home in Louisiana, there is still a big part of Eaton that remains in South Africa: her twin sister, Nicole. The duo played together at LSU and despite only seeing each other twice a year, the pair find time to talk as much as possible.
“I only see her maybe once or twice a year but I’m excited, I’ll see her in about a week’s time when I head back to South Africa for the SA Women’s Open. So at least I’ll get to see her then and we’ll both play in that. I just saw her about two months ago so it hasn’t been too long but it’s tough, we talk as much we can. She’s my best friend so it’s been pretty tough but we’re old, we have to do it.”
Let’s get Loud! The second day of spring is underway and it seems an epidemic of “Spring Fever” has hit the course here in Winter Haven, Fla., with a number of ladies sporting the latest flamboyant styles of Loudmouth Golf clothing. As the President of Loudmouth, Allan Wallace, roamed the course today, it was almost impossible to miss the sea of the colorfully eccentric designs taking over the Lake Region Yacht & Country Club.
First-round leader Amelia Lewis wore one of Loudmouth’s most popular designs today, and says she has even more to choose from in her closet.
“I have shorts, skirts, and pants in every pattern,” said Lewis. “I get four patterns every season and I’ve been with Loudmouth for two-and-a-half years so I have conservatively 40 patterns.”
This year, Loudmouth supplied the Symetra Tour Operations and Media staff with a few designs to wear each week this season. Today, the staff joined in the madness, sporting the Shagadelic design accompanied with a bright green Antigua polo.
Of Note…Seema Sadekar (@seemasadekar) had a hole-in-one on the 168 yard 15th hole with a hybrid.
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: Pro Ladies
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