THAILANDER PHATLUM MAINTAINS LEAD IN SAFEWAY CLASSIC
Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola
Columbia Edgewater Country Club
Portland, Oregon
Second-Round Notes and Interviews
FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
First-round leader Pornanong Phatlum was beaming with confidence after firing a second-round 6-under 66 to maintain her lead at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola.
The Thailand native carded a bogey-free second round to move to 14-under for the tournament and leads 11-time LPGA Tour winner Suzann Pettersen by one stroke. Phatlum’s two-day total broke the previous 36-hole tournament record at Columbia Edgewater, which was held by two-time Safeway Classic champion Annika Sorenstam.
Pettersen shot the low round of the week so far on Friday, a 9-under 63, which also marks her lowest round of the 2013 season. The Norwegian moved from tied for 20th to solo second. Germany’s Sandra Gal (66-66) sits two shots off the lead in solo third at 12-under while compatriot and LPGA Tour rookie Caroline Masson (69-64) moved into fourth place after an 8-under 64.
Phatlum’s 14-under-par marks the lowest Safeway Classic two-day total at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and also holds the 36-hole lead for the first time in her five-year LPGA Tour career. The putter has been on fire for the 23-year old and she currently leads the field with a 1.33 putting average.
“I played this good before, but this is the first tournament that I felt really good and really confident, so I've played really good, better than I have done before,” said Phatlum. “I'm more confident and everything is better than I have before.”
Phatlum won the unofficial HSBC Brasil Cup in 2012 and has three top-10 finishes in 2013 including a season-best T2 at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. But she’s no stranger to the winner’s circle on other tours. Phatlum has seven professional victories on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and Ladies European Tour and said an LPGA win would be huge step in her career.
“I really do want it, just at least one tournament,” said Phatlum. “I just want to win it. I'm going to have a lot more confidence. I'm going to feel a lot better about my game. I can play easier golf, just going smooth, not to have a lot of pressure on myself, just to keep it going.”
Suzann Pettersen said she fed off of playing partner and Solheim Cup teammate Beatriz Recari’s fast start on Friday and picked up five birdies in her first nine holes. Pettersen also credited her flatstick for her solid performance and was tied for fourth in the field with a 1.44 putting average.
“It was a great round on the greens,” said Pettersen. “I kind of fed off Beatriz's start. She had five pretty quick birdies. It was kind of nice to get everyone going early. Compared to yesterday I decided when I made the turn to just kind of keep giving myself looks, keep giving myself chances, and every time I pretty much made every good look that I had. One of my better putting performances here.”
Pettersen won the Safeway Classic in 2011 when the event was held at Pumpkin Ridge and sat nine shots off the second-round leader Na Yeon Choi after 36 holes of play. When asked if she’d rather be positioned toward the top of the leaderboard or come off the radar, the 11-time winner has no preference as long as she finishes at the top.
“I really don't care as long as you get the job done,” said Pettersen. “You play so many tournaments over the year where you kind of face all different kinds of situations, positions. You're really just trying to play your best. This is a great start for me. 13 under par after two days, I'll take that any week.”
Icing on the cake: Entering this week’s event, Germany’s Caroline Masson trailed Moriya Jutanugarn by 31 points in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race and with a 19th place finish or better in Portland, she’ll pass Jutanugarn in the standings for the top spot. Jutanugarn missed the cut after rounds of 73-71.
But Masson said she hasn’t been following the points race all too closely and said any extra accolades this year would just be icing on the cake for the rookie campaign.
“I've been happy with my season so far,” said Masson. “I kind of did everything I wanted to. I played Solheim and I kept my card. I'm going to play the Asian events and I'm going to be in CME. There's no pressure for me really. I can only surprise, I guess, and that's my goal for the next two days is to keep doing what I'm doing right now, just have fun.”
Masson said she didn’t have any specific goals at the beginning of the season to earn a win in her first year on the LPGA Tour. But after winning her first professional victory last season on the Ladies European Tour at the South African Ladies Open, she said being in contention this year has been much easier.
“Obviously you always want to win, but I was not trying to get too caught up with it, just play solid golf and see,” said Masson. “If you're in contention going into the weekend you might think about it. I've been in that situation, which is good. I learned how to win, how to be in contention on the LET.
“I think I handle it much better now than I did maybe two, three years ago,” said Masson. “I'm just looking forward to it. It's a great position to be in, and I like the golf course, and my swing feels good. I just want to keep it going and not think about it too much, but it's definitely a goal.”
If she were to pull off a win this week in Portland, she’ll become the third Rolex First-Time Winner this season joining Ilhee Lee (Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic) and Jennifer Johnson (Mobile Bay LPGA Classic).
Déjà vu… Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist, and Beatriz Recari were paired together during the opening two rounds of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and as they walked inside the ropes, it looked like a scene straight out of the recent Solheim Cup.
“Yesterday we were just trying to keep up with the group in front of us, so it kind of took a while before everyone kind of loosened up,” said Pettersen. “Obviously it's very nice, good friends of yours, you want them to play very well, as well, and I think it just gives you a little bit of an easy atmosphere out there, as well.”
All three players played an integral role in Europe’s historic victory over the U.S., with Pettersen and Recari teaming-up during Friday and Saturday morning’s foursome matches. The duo emerged victorious in Friday morning’s match against Brittany Lang and Angela Stanford but were defeated 2&1 in Saturday morning’s head-to-head battle with Lang and Michelle Wie.
For Pettersen, who is known on Tour for her fierce competiveness, the pairing was in the forefront of her mind since discovering Recari’s similar never give-up demeanor during the LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented by J Golf.
“From early on this season I was kind of trying to look at potential partners for the Solheim, and after seeing her play in Hawaii, getting to know her game, I said she is definitely a player I would love to be paired with,” said Pettersen. “She has a very tough mentality. She's a grinder. She'll never quit on you.”
Pettersen and Recari not only teamed-up to help Europe defeat the U.S., the pair have also formed a tightknit friendship from their frequent pairings. Recari is sponsored by the Language Training Center (LTC) and has learned to speak four languages including Pettersen’s native tongue, Norwegian.
During Pettersen’s 9-under second-round on Saturday, the duo frequently spoke in Norwegian allowing the Oslo, Norway native a comfort level as she finds herself in the hunt for her 12th career LPGA Tour victory.
“It's kind of nice,” said Pettersen. “She just told me that every time I play with her, I play so well. I don't really keep track of it. But I definitely played good today.”
An artistic talent… Sandra Gal might be talented on the golf course as she already has one LPGA Tour victory under her belt, but there is a lot more to the German standout than meets the eye.
Growing-up, Gal wasn’t interested in playing golf but instead, played the violin and practiced ballet. While Gal has traded in her ballet slippers for golf spikes, she is still reaping the benefits gained from learning ballet for so many years.
“I think it's really helped me growing up because you get a really good feel for your body and how you move in space, and great for balance, too,” said Gal. “Yeah, it's just like another sport growing up.”
Along with dancing, Gal also finds enjoyment in singing and painting. While Gal makes her living competing on the LPGA Tour, she still finds reprieve with occasionally painting throughout her travels on Tour.
“Well, it's very different,” said Gal of golf and art. “Obviously golf is a sport, and art is just something I did as a hobby growing up. I knew pretty much I'm not going to make my money with it, but there's many things I like doing.”
Old stomping grounds… Cristie Kerr returns to her old stomping grounds of Columbia Edgewater this week for the first-time since her victory at the 2008 Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola. While Kerr has joked she is defending champion of the event, it looks as if she has picked-up right where she left off as she stands at 10-under-par for the tournament.
“Yeah, I kind of said I'm kind of defending but not really,” said Kerr. “It's one of my favorite courses obviously. I love it. You can tell by the way I'm playing. But yeah, it's great. It's old, classic style golf, nothing tricky, just straight in front of you. You've got to make the putts, and it's a great course, great place.”
This year, Kerr has posted one win at the Kingsmill LPGA Championship and nine additional top-20 finishes. While she was sidelined for a month with an elbow injury forcing her to miss the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic and Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning & O-I, she is returning back to her old form after a tie for 20th last week.
“I would say it's been pretty good,” said Kerr of her 2013 season. “I've kind of dealt with some injuries as of late with my elbow and tendonitis, and this is my let's see, this is only my fourth event from taking a month off, so I feel like I'm starting to get my stride again.”
Cheers to the Weekend: A total of 85 players made the cut which fell at 2-under-par 142. It marks the lowest cut in relation to par 72 of the 2013 season.
Tweet of the Day: “It's with mixed emotions that I'm now choosing to step away from the @lpga . Thanks for all your kindness over the years.” -@SophieGustasfon Five-time LPGA Tour winner Sophie Gustafson announcing her LPGA retirement after a 15-year career on Tour.
Of Note…Defending champion Mika Miyazato just made the cut on Friday after posting rounds of 71-71 and heads into the weekend in a tie for 66th at 2-under-par…Rolex Rankings No. 24 Amy Yang withdrew during the second round on Friday
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Columbia Edgewater Country Club
Portland, Oregon
Second-Round Notes and Interviews
FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
First-round leader Pornanong Phatlum was beaming with confidence after firing a second-round 6-under 66 to maintain her lead at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola.
The Thailand native carded a bogey-free second round to move to 14-under for the tournament and leads 11-time LPGA Tour winner Suzann Pettersen by one stroke. Phatlum’s two-day total broke the previous 36-hole tournament record at Columbia Edgewater, which was held by two-time Safeway Classic champion Annika Sorenstam.
Pettersen shot the low round of the week so far on Friday, a 9-under 63, which also marks her lowest round of the 2013 season. The Norwegian moved from tied for 20th to solo second. Germany’s Sandra Gal (66-66) sits two shots off the lead in solo third at 12-under while compatriot and LPGA Tour rookie Caroline Masson (69-64) moved into fourth place after an 8-under 64.
Phatlum’s 14-under-par marks the lowest Safeway Classic two-day total at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and also holds the 36-hole lead for the first time in her five-year LPGA Tour career. The putter has been on fire for the 23-year old and she currently leads the field with a 1.33 putting average.
“I played this good before, but this is the first tournament that I felt really good and really confident, so I've played really good, better than I have done before,” said Phatlum. “I'm more confident and everything is better than I have before.”
Phatlum won the unofficial HSBC Brasil Cup in 2012 and has three top-10 finishes in 2013 including a season-best T2 at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. But she’s no stranger to the winner’s circle on other tours. Phatlum has seven professional victories on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and Ladies European Tour and said an LPGA win would be huge step in her career.
“I really do want it, just at least one tournament,” said Phatlum. “I just want to win it. I'm going to have a lot more confidence. I'm going to feel a lot better about my game. I can play easier golf, just going smooth, not to have a lot of pressure on myself, just to keep it going.”
Suzann Pettersen said she fed off of playing partner and Solheim Cup teammate Beatriz Recari’s fast start on Friday and picked up five birdies in her first nine holes. Pettersen also credited her flatstick for her solid performance and was tied for fourth in the field with a 1.44 putting average.
“It was a great round on the greens,” said Pettersen. “I kind of fed off Beatriz's start. She had five pretty quick birdies. It was kind of nice to get everyone going early. Compared to yesterday I decided when I made the turn to just kind of keep giving myself looks, keep giving myself chances, and every time I pretty much made every good look that I had. One of my better putting performances here.”
Pettersen won the Safeway Classic in 2011 when the event was held at Pumpkin Ridge and sat nine shots off the second-round leader Na Yeon Choi after 36 holes of play. When asked if she’d rather be positioned toward the top of the leaderboard or come off the radar, the 11-time winner has no preference as long as she finishes at the top.
“I really don't care as long as you get the job done,” said Pettersen. “You play so many tournaments over the year where you kind of face all different kinds of situations, positions. You're really just trying to play your best. This is a great start for me. 13 under par after two days, I'll take that any week.”
Icing on the cake: Entering this week’s event, Germany’s Caroline Masson trailed Moriya Jutanugarn by 31 points in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race and with a 19th place finish or better in Portland, she’ll pass Jutanugarn in the standings for the top spot. Jutanugarn missed the cut after rounds of 73-71.
But Masson said she hasn’t been following the points race all too closely and said any extra accolades this year would just be icing on the cake for the rookie campaign.
“I've been happy with my season so far,” said Masson. “I kind of did everything I wanted to. I played Solheim and I kept my card. I'm going to play the Asian events and I'm going to be in CME. There's no pressure for me really. I can only surprise, I guess, and that's my goal for the next two days is to keep doing what I'm doing right now, just have fun.”
Masson said she didn’t have any specific goals at the beginning of the season to earn a win in her first year on the LPGA Tour. But after winning her first professional victory last season on the Ladies European Tour at the South African Ladies Open, she said being in contention this year has been much easier.
“Obviously you always want to win, but I was not trying to get too caught up with it, just play solid golf and see,” said Masson. “If you're in contention going into the weekend you might think about it. I've been in that situation, which is good. I learned how to win, how to be in contention on the LET.
“I think I handle it much better now than I did maybe two, three years ago,” said Masson. “I'm just looking forward to it. It's a great position to be in, and I like the golf course, and my swing feels good. I just want to keep it going and not think about it too much, but it's definitely a goal.”
If she were to pull off a win this week in Portland, she’ll become the third Rolex First-Time Winner this season joining Ilhee Lee (Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic) and Jennifer Johnson (Mobile Bay LPGA Classic).
Déjà vu… Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist, and Beatriz Recari were paired together during the opening two rounds of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and as they walked inside the ropes, it looked like a scene straight out of the recent Solheim Cup.
“Yesterday we were just trying to keep up with the group in front of us, so it kind of took a while before everyone kind of loosened up,” said Pettersen. “Obviously it's very nice, good friends of yours, you want them to play very well, as well, and I think it just gives you a little bit of an easy atmosphere out there, as well.”
All three players played an integral role in Europe’s historic victory over the U.S., with Pettersen and Recari teaming-up during Friday and Saturday morning’s foursome matches. The duo emerged victorious in Friday morning’s match against Brittany Lang and Angela Stanford but were defeated 2&1 in Saturday morning’s head-to-head battle with Lang and Michelle Wie.
For Pettersen, who is known on Tour for her fierce competiveness, the pairing was in the forefront of her mind since discovering Recari’s similar never give-up demeanor during the LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented by J Golf.
“From early on this season I was kind of trying to look at potential partners for the Solheim, and after seeing her play in Hawaii, getting to know her game, I said she is definitely a player I would love to be paired with,” said Pettersen. “She has a very tough mentality. She's a grinder. She'll never quit on you.”
Pettersen and Recari not only teamed-up to help Europe defeat the U.S., the pair have also formed a tightknit friendship from their frequent pairings. Recari is sponsored by the Language Training Center (LTC) and has learned to speak four languages including Pettersen’s native tongue, Norwegian.
During Pettersen’s 9-under second-round on Saturday, the duo frequently spoke in Norwegian allowing the Oslo, Norway native a comfort level as she finds herself in the hunt for her 12th career LPGA Tour victory.
“It's kind of nice,” said Pettersen. “She just told me that every time I play with her, I play so well. I don't really keep track of it. But I definitely played good today.”
An artistic talent… Sandra Gal might be talented on the golf course as she already has one LPGA Tour victory under her belt, but there is a lot more to the German standout than meets the eye.
Growing-up, Gal wasn’t interested in playing golf but instead, played the violin and practiced ballet. While Gal has traded in her ballet slippers for golf spikes, she is still reaping the benefits gained from learning ballet for so many years.
“I think it's really helped me growing up because you get a really good feel for your body and how you move in space, and great for balance, too,” said Gal. “Yeah, it's just like another sport growing up.”
Along with dancing, Gal also finds enjoyment in singing and painting. While Gal makes her living competing on the LPGA Tour, she still finds reprieve with occasionally painting throughout her travels on Tour.
“Well, it's very different,” said Gal of golf and art. “Obviously golf is a sport, and art is just something I did as a hobby growing up. I knew pretty much I'm not going to make my money with it, but there's many things I like doing.”
Old stomping grounds… Cristie Kerr returns to her old stomping grounds of Columbia Edgewater this week for the first-time since her victory at the 2008 Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola. While Kerr has joked she is defending champion of the event, it looks as if she has picked-up right where she left off as she stands at 10-under-par for the tournament.
“Yeah, I kind of said I'm kind of defending but not really,” said Kerr. “It's one of my favorite courses obviously. I love it. You can tell by the way I'm playing. But yeah, it's great. It's old, classic style golf, nothing tricky, just straight in front of you. You've got to make the putts, and it's a great course, great place.”
This year, Kerr has posted one win at the Kingsmill LPGA Championship and nine additional top-20 finishes. While she was sidelined for a month with an elbow injury forcing her to miss the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic and Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning & O-I, she is returning back to her old form after a tie for 20th last week.
“I would say it's been pretty good,” said Kerr of her 2013 season. “I've kind of dealt with some injuries as of late with my elbow and tendonitis, and this is my let's see, this is only my fourth event from taking a month off, so I feel like I'm starting to get my stride again.”
Cheers to the Weekend: A total of 85 players made the cut which fell at 2-under-par 142. It marks the lowest cut in relation to par 72 of the 2013 season.
Tweet of the Day: “It's with mixed emotions that I'm now choosing to step away from the @lpga . Thanks for all your kindness over the years.” -@SophieGustasfon Five-time LPGA Tour winner Sophie Gustafson announcing her LPGA retirement after a 15-year career on Tour.
Of Note…Defending champion Mika Miyazato just made the cut on Friday after posting rounds of 71-71 and heads into the weekend in a tie for 66th at 2-under-par…Rolex Rankings No. 24 Amy Yang withdrew during the second round on Friday
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: LPGA TOUR
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