FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola
Columbia Edgewater Country Club
Portland, Oregon
First-Round Notes and Interviews
Twenty-three-year old Thailand native Pornanong Phatlum fired an 8-under 64 in the first round of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and takes a one-shot lead over American teenager Lexi Thompson.
The fifth-year LPGA Tour member carded 10 birdies and two bogeys at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and holds the first-round lead for the first time in her career. The round of 64 also marks the lowest first round of her career and second-lowest round overall. She shot 63 in the final round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic earlier this season.
Phatlum said she has had recent struggles with her putter and came to Portland this week with a new model in the bag. Her new Odyssey No. 7 seemed to be the exact change she needed and drained just about every putt she lined up on Thursday and had a 22-putt total.
“Putting was so good,” said Phatlum. “This week I changed putter for this week and feeling very good. And I made many birdies today, like ten birdies today.
Phatlum won the unofficial HSBC LPGA Brasil Cup in 2012 and is playing for her first LPGA Tour victory. When asked if she’s ready to notch her first official win, Phatlum said she’s feels comfortable on the track at Columbia Edgewater
“I just try my best and I'm feeling very good with the course, the golf course,” said Phatlum. “I like the course, very nice.”
Lexi Thompson sits in solo second place after 18 holes of play and carded five birdies and an eagle on the par 5 7th hole in her bogey-free round. The Coral Springs, Florida native has made 40 starts since she won her first LPGA Tour title two years ago at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic.
“I would say just my iron shots into the green,” said Thompson. “I hit a lot of good ones and I played the par 5s 4 under, so I took advantage of those. Overall I've just been working on the consistency of my game and working on tightening my shots up.”
Thompson’s round of 65 ties her low first-round score this season, tying her opening round at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic where she tied for 10th. That week in Alabama was also the only time this season she has lead after the first round. She said she’ll try to take advantage of her strong start this season.
“Every round is a learning experience,” said Thompson. “Obviously being close to the lead after the first round, you try to take that momentum into every other round after that. But it's golf so you have to take one shot at a time and not get ahead of yourself. That's all I'm going to do and try to take this into tomorrow.”
Americans Cristie Kerr and Lizette Salas and Germany’s Sandra Gal are in a tie for third and two shots back after each shooting 6-under 66 on Thursday. A group of 14 players are three shots off the lead at 5-under-par including Rolex Rankings No. 2 Stacy Lewis, 2010 Safeway Classic champion Ai Miyazato, former world No. 1 Yani Tseng and two-time LPGA Tour winner Michelle Wie.
Taking up the opportunity: Second-year LPGA Tour member Min Seo Kwak wasn’t even in the field for the Safeway Classic early this morning but got bumped in when nine-time LPGA Tour winner Paula Creamer withdrew before the first round due to personal reasons. Kwak shot a 3-under 69 on Thursday and sits in a tie for 35th. This week marks the fifth start for the South Korean in 2013 and she’s looking to make her first cut this year.
Ace machine: Natalie Gulbis picked up her fourteenth hole-in-one of her golfing career and seventh in competition during Thursday’s first round but didn’t complain she didn’t get a car.
“I know, no cars yet!” said Gulbis. “But I’ll always take a hole-in-one”
Gulbis had an up-and-down day with four birdies and two bogeys in addition to her ace and finished with a 4-under 68 and sits four strokes off the lead in a tie for 20th.
In her comfort zone… It seems unfathomable to think an 18-year-old is in her second-year on the LPGA Tour but that is exactly the case for Rolex Rankings No. 26 Lexi Thompson. The teen phenom made it hard for people to ignore her after capturing the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at the young age of 16.
Thompson received several sponsor exemptions prior to her rookie year in 2012 but as she gears-up for the final stretch of tournaments in her sophomore season, she has finally found her comfort zone.
“I would say last year and this year I have been a lot more comfortable,” said Thompson. “You know, playing on sponsored exemptions when I first came out here, I had a lot to learn and just trying to make my way around here. I am getting used to the travel life and how to get around by myself.”
Thompson recently earned a spot on the 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team and despite the disappointing defeat, the Coral Springs, Fla. native finished the week with a 1-2-0 record. While the U.S. Team failed to regain the Cup, Thompson admitted it was a week to remember as she walked away with several new friends.
“Well, it was the most amazing experience I have ever had on a golf course,” said Thompson. “I love team events. I've played a lot of junior and amateur team events and there's just nothing like that. You make so many new friends there. Just being at Solheim Cup and having hundreds of people around to cheer you on, there was nothing like this. I mean, what I learned, you know, I learned a lot about myself and I made a lot of new friends, like I said.”
Thompson will have another opportunity to compete for her country at next year’s International Crown. Currently in the midst of a season that has included eight top-20 finishes, Thompson stands sixth on the United States standings and will have to move inside the top-4 if she wants to make the team which will be announced at the CME Group Titleholders.
“Yeah, it definitely does,” said Thompson of the extra motivation she receives from striving make the International Crown. “I love events like that. Team stuff, there's nothing like it. I mean, we are so used to being an individual sport that we love playing as a team. I will definitely try my hardest at each event I have left this year.”
Extra boost: Rolex Rankings No. 2 Stacy Lewis did not take her withdraw from last week’s CN Canadian Women’s Open lightly and it’s clear the extra bit of rest made all the difference for the 28-year old Texan. Lewis opened up her week in Portland with a first-round 5-under 67 and said she’s completely recharged after a whirlwind of events following her second major championship win at the RICOH Women’s British Open and a historic loss at the Solheim Cup two weeks ago.
“I felt great,” said Lewis. “I felt like a different person out there from last week. Just being focused and I knew what my game plan was. I felt great out there. Doing what I did last week, other than maybe not starting the tournament and just not even playing at all, but passed that I think I did the right thing.”
Lewis had five birdies in her bogey-free round and said the soft conditions from overnight and early morning rain let her play her typical aggressive style of play.
“Today with it wet out there, I think it was especially important to hit the fairways to we were playing the ball up in the fairways,” said Lewis. “So if you got in the fairways, you could at least give yourself a good lie. You didn't have to worry about that. The key today was really hitting the fairways. The greens are so soft, you are just playing target golf. I love it. Wherever that ball lands, that is how far it's playing. That's my kind of golf.”
Lewis also had an extra boost in Thursday’s first round from her own personal gallery titled “Team Stacy” made up of KPMG employees. A group of about 20 people from the company’s Portland branch came out early to cheer on Lewis and it’s just one of the many ways the company supports her as a sponsor. The organization, which provides audit, advisory and tax services, has its logo on Lewis’ hat as well.
“It's been about a year and a half since I have been working with them,” said Lewis. “They are at the forefront of everything. I do events for them and it's first class. They do everything right. It's just so cool to have those people could be working and making money today and instead they are out here supporting and cheering me on. It's just really cool to have a team like that. They do it for Phil (Mickelson) as well. They did it at the Barclays for him. It's something they've really gotten into. The employees, they love it; they feel a part of what's going on out there.
“At the U.S. Open, Suzann asked if I had a football team with me,” said Lewis. “It's just fun having people following you around, people cheering for you, especially early in the morning. It can be kind of quiet out there.”
The end of a drought? It has been 65 starts since Michelle Wie’s last victory at the 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Open, but after a first-round 5-under 67, she is in position to end her winless drought. The Stanford University graduate carded a bogey free opening round to head into Friday 3-strokes off the lead.
“Just iron play was good,” said Wie. “Just put in a lot of close shots. Didn't really take advantage of par 5s, which I kind of want to tomorrow. It was a good day. It was consistent.”
Nike has sponsored Wie throughout her entire four-year career on the LPGA Tour. The two-time LPGA Tour winner took time out of preparing for this week’s Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola to visit their headquarters.
In addition to her visit with Nike, Wie looks forward to returning to Portland each year thanks to Columbia Edgewater Golf Course and this week’s tournament sponsor, Safeway.
“It's great,” said Wie of her visit to Nike. “We had a product meeting. It's nice to be around Nike campus. It's great to be back on this golf course. Safeway just always hosts a really great event. It's a tournament that we always look forward to, so it's really nice to be back.”
Eyes on Germany… The Solheim Cup is a biennial event that every female professional golfer hopes to be a part of. A rookie on the victorious 2011 European Solheim Cup Team, Sandra Gal failed to earn enough points to land a spot on the historic 2013 European Solheim Cup Team.
While the disappointment was hard for Gal to ignore, she has her sights set on the 2015 Solheim Cup where she will have the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd of Germany.
“I was really disappointed, to be honest with you,” said Gal. “I tried to take it as a positive and just be more motivated for the rest of the season and for two years when it's going to be in Germany. We're all real excited about that.”
Gal is one of four Germans who are currently members of the LPGA Tour and one of only two players who are actively competing. With the Solheim Cup scheduled to take place in Sankt Leon-Rot, Germany, she hopes to earn a spot on the team and serve as an inspiration for other aspiring golfers in her home country.
“It would be unbelievable,” said Gal. “I think there are so many young girls coming up and just to see the excitement that's surrounds our biggest event for women's golf, it would be amazing to boost the sport and obviously being part of that would be just unbelievable.”
Sibling Support… Finding your comfort zone on the LPGA Tour can be a bit of a tasking process. This was no different for current LPGA Tour rookie Austin Ernst who found the number of events taking a toll on her early in the year.
The former Louisiana State University (LSU) Tiger got off to a slow start in 2013 missing seven cuts in her first 12 starts but a tie for sixth finish at last month’s Manulife LPGA Classic provided Ernst a boost to her rollercoaster of a season.
“My rookie year has had its ups-and-downs,” said Ernst. “I didn’t have as good of a start to the year as I hoped it would be but I had a really good week at Manulife which really helped me. I just made a lot of putts that week and ended up tied for sixth but it’s definitely had its ups-and-downs. Life on Tour has been a little different especially coming from college golf, amateur golf the biggest adjustment has just been playing every week. Not really having any weeks off and really playing four weeks in a row, traveling all around.”
In addition to the solid finish in Canada, Ernst’s brother now serves as her caddie and travels throughout the world with his sister. The change seems to be paying off for Ernst as she fired a first-round 5-under 67 and currently stands 2-strokes off the lead.
“I think recently what has helped me is my brother is on my bag now so I travel with him now too,” said Ernst. “It’s definitely been nice having him out with me as opposed to the beginning of the year when I was on my own trying to find my way. But it’s been a good year so far, obviously I would like to finish it off well and make it into Asia, I’m in CME already so I want to finish the year off strong.”
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Columbia Edgewater Country Club
Portland, Oregon
First-Round Notes and Interviews
Twenty-three-year old Thailand native Pornanong Phatlum fired an 8-under 64 in the first round of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and takes a one-shot lead over American teenager Lexi Thompson.
The fifth-year LPGA Tour member carded 10 birdies and two bogeys at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and holds the first-round lead for the first time in her career. The round of 64 also marks the lowest first round of her career and second-lowest round overall. She shot 63 in the final round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic earlier this season.
Phatlum said she has had recent struggles with her putter and came to Portland this week with a new model in the bag. Her new Odyssey No. 7 seemed to be the exact change she needed and drained just about every putt she lined up on Thursday and had a 22-putt total.
“Putting was so good,” said Phatlum. “This week I changed putter for this week and feeling very good. And I made many birdies today, like ten birdies today.
Phatlum won the unofficial HSBC LPGA Brasil Cup in 2012 and is playing for her first LPGA Tour victory. When asked if she’s ready to notch her first official win, Phatlum said she’s feels comfortable on the track at Columbia Edgewater
“I just try my best and I'm feeling very good with the course, the golf course,” said Phatlum. “I like the course, very nice.”
Lexi Thompson sits in solo second place after 18 holes of play and carded five birdies and an eagle on the par 5 7th hole in her bogey-free round. The Coral Springs, Florida native has made 40 starts since she won her first LPGA Tour title two years ago at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic.
“I would say just my iron shots into the green,” said Thompson. “I hit a lot of good ones and I played the par 5s 4 under, so I took advantage of those. Overall I've just been working on the consistency of my game and working on tightening my shots up.”
Thompson’s round of 65 ties her low first-round score this season, tying her opening round at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic where she tied for 10th. That week in Alabama was also the only time this season she has lead after the first round. She said she’ll try to take advantage of her strong start this season.
“Every round is a learning experience,” said Thompson. “Obviously being close to the lead after the first round, you try to take that momentum into every other round after that. But it's golf so you have to take one shot at a time and not get ahead of yourself. That's all I'm going to do and try to take this into tomorrow.”
Americans Cristie Kerr and Lizette Salas and Germany’s Sandra Gal are in a tie for third and two shots back after each shooting 6-under 66 on Thursday. A group of 14 players are three shots off the lead at 5-under-par including Rolex Rankings No. 2 Stacy Lewis, 2010 Safeway Classic champion Ai Miyazato, former world No. 1 Yani Tseng and two-time LPGA Tour winner Michelle Wie.
Taking up the opportunity: Second-year LPGA Tour member Min Seo Kwak wasn’t even in the field for the Safeway Classic early this morning but got bumped in when nine-time LPGA Tour winner Paula Creamer withdrew before the first round due to personal reasons. Kwak shot a 3-under 69 on Thursday and sits in a tie for 35th. This week marks the fifth start for the South Korean in 2013 and she’s looking to make her first cut this year.
Ace machine: Natalie Gulbis picked up her fourteenth hole-in-one of her golfing career and seventh in competition during Thursday’s first round but didn’t complain she didn’t get a car.
“I know, no cars yet!” said Gulbis. “But I’ll always take a hole-in-one”
Gulbis had an up-and-down day with four birdies and two bogeys in addition to her ace and finished with a 4-under 68 and sits four strokes off the lead in a tie for 20th.
In her comfort zone… It seems unfathomable to think an 18-year-old is in her second-year on the LPGA Tour but that is exactly the case for Rolex Rankings No. 26 Lexi Thompson. The teen phenom made it hard for people to ignore her after capturing the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at the young age of 16.
Thompson received several sponsor exemptions prior to her rookie year in 2012 but as she gears-up for the final stretch of tournaments in her sophomore season, she has finally found her comfort zone.
“I would say last year and this year I have been a lot more comfortable,” said Thompson. “You know, playing on sponsored exemptions when I first came out here, I had a lot to learn and just trying to make my way around here. I am getting used to the travel life and how to get around by myself.”
Thompson recently earned a spot on the 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team and despite the disappointing defeat, the Coral Springs, Fla. native finished the week with a 1-2-0 record. While the U.S. Team failed to regain the Cup, Thompson admitted it was a week to remember as she walked away with several new friends.
“Well, it was the most amazing experience I have ever had on a golf course,” said Thompson. “I love team events. I've played a lot of junior and amateur team events and there's just nothing like that. You make so many new friends there. Just being at Solheim Cup and having hundreds of people around to cheer you on, there was nothing like this. I mean, what I learned, you know, I learned a lot about myself and I made a lot of new friends, like I said.”
Thompson will have another opportunity to compete for her country at next year’s International Crown. Currently in the midst of a season that has included eight top-20 finishes, Thompson stands sixth on the United States standings and will have to move inside the top-4 if she wants to make the team which will be announced at the CME Group Titleholders.
“Yeah, it definitely does,” said Thompson of the extra motivation she receives from striving make the International Crown. “I love events like that. Team stuff, there's nothing like it. I mean, we are so used to being an individual sport that we love playing as a team. I will definitely try my hardest at each event I have left this year.”
Extra boost: Rolex Rankings No. 2 Stacy Lewis did not take her withdraw from last week’s CN Canadian Women’s Open lightly and it’s clear the extra bit of rest made all the difference for the 28-year old Texan. Lewis opened up her week in Portland with a first-round 5-under 67 and said she’s completely recharged after a whirlwind of events following her second major championship win at the RICOH Women’s British Open and a historic loss at the Solheim Cup two weeks ago.
“I felt great,” said Lewis. “I felt like a different person out there from last week. Just being focused and I knew what my game plan was. I felt great out there. Doing what I did last week, other than maybe not starting the tournament and just not even playing at all, but passed that I think I did the right thing.”
Lewis had five birdies in her bogey-free round and said the soft conditions from overnight and early morning rain let her play her typical aggressive style of play.
“Today with it wet out there, I think it was especially important to hit the fairways to we were playing the ball up in the fairways,” said Lewis. “So if you got in the fairways, you could at least give yourself a good lie. You didn't have to worry about that. The key today was really hitting the fairways. The greens are so soft, you are just playing target golf. I love it. Wherever that ball lands, that is how far it's playing. That's my kind of golf.”
Lewis also had an extra boost in Thursday’s first round from her own personal gallery titled “Team Stacy” made up of KPMG employees. A group of about 20 people from the company’s Portland branch came out early to cheer on Lewis and it’s just one of the many ways the company supports her as a sponsor. The organization, which provides audit, advisory and tax services, has its logo on Lewis’ hat as well.
“It's been about a year and a half since I have been working with them,” said Lewis. “They are at the forefront of everything. I do events for them and it's first class. They do everything right. It's just so cool to have those people could be working and making money today and instead they are out here supporting and cheering me on. It's just really cool to have a team like that. They do it for Phil (Mickelson) as well. They did it at the Barclays for him. It's something they've really gotten into. The employees, they love it; they feel a part of what's going on out there.
“At the U.S. Open, Suzann asked if I had a football team with me,” said Lewis. “It's just fun having people following you around, people cheering for you, especially early in the morning. It can be kind of quiet out there.”
The end of a drought? It has been 65 starts since Michelle Wie’s last victory at the 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Open, but after a first-round 5-under 67, she is in position to end her winless drought. The Stanford University graduate carded a bogey free opening round to head into Friday 3-strokes off the lead.
“Just iron play was good,” said Wie. “Just put in a lot of close shots. Didn't really take advantage of par 5s, which I kind of want to tomorrow. It was a good day. It was consistent.”
Nike has sponsored Wie throughout her entire four-year career on the LPGA Tour. The two-time LPGA Tour winner took time out of preparing for this week’s Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola to visit their headquarters.
In addition to her visit with Nike, Wie looks forward to returning to Portland each year thanks to Columbia Edgewater Golf Course and this week’s tournament sponsor, Safeway.
“It's great,” said Wie of her visit to Nike. “We had a product meeting. It's nice to be around Nike campus. It's great to be back on this golf course. Safeway just always hosts a really great event. It's a tournament that we always look forward to, so it's really nice to be back.”
Eyes on Germany… The Solheim Cup is a biennial event that every female professional golfer hopes to be a part of. A rookie on the victorious 2011 European Solheim Cup Team, Sandra Gal failed to earn enough points to land a spot on the historic 2013 European Solheim Cup Team.
While the disappointment was hard for Gal to ignore, she has her sights set on the 2015 Solheim Cup where she will have the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd of Germany.
“I was really disappointed, to be honest with you,” said Gal. “I tried to take it as a positive and just be more motivated for the rest of the season and for two years when it's going to be in Germany. We're all real excited about that.”
Gal is one of four Germans who are currently members of the LPGA Tour and one of only two players who are actively competing. With the Solheim Cup scheduled to take place in Sankt Leon-Rot, Germany, she hopes to earn a spot on the team and serve as an inspiration for other aspiring golfers in her home country.
“It would be unbelievable,” said Gal. “I think there are so many young girls coming up and just to see the excitement that's surrounds our biggest event for women's golf, it would be amazing to boost the sport and obviously being part of that would be just unbelievable.”
Sibling Support… Finding your comfort zone on the LPGA Tour can be a bit of a tasking process. This was no different for current LPGA Tour rookie Austin Ernst who found the number of events taking a toll on her early in the year.
The former Louisiana State University (LSU) Tiger got off to a slow start in 2013 missing seven cuts in her first 12 starts but a tie for sixth finish at last month’s Manulife LPGA Classic provided Ernst a boost to her rollercoaster of a season.
“My rookie year has had its ups-and-downs,” said Ernst. “I didn’t have as good of a start to the year as I hoped it would be but I had a really good week at Manulife which really helped me. I just made a lot of putts that week and ended up tied for sixth but it’s definitely had its ups-and-downs. Life on Tour has been a little different especially coming from college golf, amateur golf the biggest adjustment has just been playing every week. Not really having any weeks off and really playing four weeks in a row, traveling all around.”
In addition to the solid finish in Canada, Ernst’s brother now serves as her caddie and travels throughout the world with his sister. The change seems to be paying off for Ernst as she fired a first-round 5-under 67 and currently stands 2-strokes off the lead.
“I think recently what has helped me is my brother is on my bag now so I travel with him now too,” said Ernst. “It’s definitely been nice having him out with me as opposed to the beginning of the year when I was on my own trying to find my way. But it’s been a good year so far, obviously I would like to finish it off well and make it into Asia, I’m in CME already so I want to finish the year off strong.”
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