KirkwoodGolf: CHANNEL ISLANDER OLIVIA JORDAN-HIGGINS WINS ON SYMETRA TOUR

Monday, July 29, 2013

CHANNEL ISLANDER OLIVIA JORDAN-HIGGINS WINS ON SYMETRA TOUR

FROM THE LPGA SYMETRA TOUR WEBSITE
Not even a lengthy 4 hour, 12 minute delay could stop Channel Islander Olivia Jordan-Higgins as she fired a final-round 1-over 72 to win the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans.
An excessive amount of rain fell at the par-71 Drumlins Country Club, East Course, rendering the course unplayable at 10:08 a.m., but by 3p.m. course conditions were drastically improved allowing players to continue their final rounds.
Jordan-Higgins began Sunday’s final-round with a 2-stroke lead and carded one birdie and two bogeys to become the 11th different winner on the Road to the LPGA this season.
“It feels great, I’ve waited a long, long time for this,” said Jordan-Higgins. “I had a lot of close finishes but this feels amazing.”
Prior to the final round, Jordan-Higgins devised a game plan that consisted of birdies at the first two holes but after a cold putter, she had to settle for pars until a bogey at the par-4 fifth.
“I definitely struggled a bit today,” said Jordan-Higgins. “I wanted to get out to a fast start and birdie the first two but the putter just didn’t work today. I don’t know why it does this on Sunday but I got away with it today.”
The Charleston Southern University graduate recorded her first and only birdie of the day at the par-4 10th then dropped a shot after a bogey at the par-4 11th. Jordan-Higgins played steady for the remainder of the round with pars and entered the final hole with a 1-stroke lead over P.K. Kongkraphan.
The third-year Symetra Tour member hit her approach to the front of the green leaving her with a lengthy birdie putt while Kongkraphan had a makeable birdie putt inside 25-feet.
Jordan-Higgins lagged her approach putt just shy of the hole leaving herself with a testy 4-footer while Kongkraphan missed her birdie putt and safely tapped-in for par. With her hands shaking and nerves at an all-time high, Jordan Higgins calmly knocked-in the par putt for her first Symetra Tour victory.
“I was very nervous,” said Jordan-Higgins. “My hands were shaking, my heart was beating but it’s what I practise for, it’s what I work for. I just had to stroke the putt and hope it went in and it did.”
To cap off the day to remember for Jordan-Higgins. Her uncle was along for the ride after driving in from Toronto to watch his niece take home the victory.
“I think that was just the icing on the cake today,” said Jordan-Higgins. I had a good feeling about it so this just made it extra special that one of my family could be here.”
Jordan-Higgins not only took home the $15,000 first-place purse but received $2,000 for winning the Credit Union Cup after carding the lowest scoring average at the Credit Union Challenge in Albany, N.Y., and this week’s event in Syracuse. With the money, Jordan-Higgins plans to make a special purchase that will help keep her occupied away from the golf course.
“Actually I would like a bike, that’s what I’m going to buy,” said Jordan-Higgins. “I would like a bike so I can take it with me wherever I go on the back of my car. That’s something that I like to do to clear my mind.”
Volvik Race for the Card…
The highly anticipated Volvik Race for the Card continued at the conclusion of the Symetra Classic. Each year since 1999 players have been playing their way onto the LPGA Tour through the Symetra Tour’s Volvik Race for the Card by finishing atop the season-ending money list.
The Volvik Race for the Card spotlights movement on the Tour’s 2013 season money list as players jockey for position among the top-10 money winners. This year marks the second year 10 players will receive fully-exempt status on next year’s LPGA Tour.
Olivia Jordan-Higgins fired a 6-under-par tournament total to take home her first Symetra Tour victory at the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans. Not only did Jordan-Higgins become the 11th different tournament on Tour this season, but she also moved inside the top-10 on the every changing Volvik Race for the Card standings.
“That’s definitely a dream come true, that’s what I’ve been waiting for,” said Jordan-Higgins. “I was very close last year but it’s not something I can really focus on from here on out because anything can happen, we still have four events to go. It’s obviously exciting but I still have to focus on what I need to do and each shot at a time.”
At the conclusion of the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans, players moving into the top 10 spots on the money list are as follows:
1 P.K. Kongkraphan of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, $41,528
2 Sue Kim of Langley, British Columbia, $34,120
3 Cydney Clanton of Concord, N.C., $33,395
4 Jaclyn Sweeney of Bradenton, Fla., $32,259
5 Marina Alex of Wayne, N.J., $29,522
6 Olivia Jordan-Higgins of Jersey, Channel Islands UK, $29,453
7 Laura Kueny of Whitehall, Mich., $28,176
8 Melissa Eaton of Port Shepstone, S. Africa, $27,385
9 Kim Kaufman of Clark, S.D., $26,786
10 Hannah Jun of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., $25,985


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