Beatriz Recari Defending Kia Classic Champion
Attended Monday, March 3 Media Day Activities at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort
2014 Kia Classic Set for March 24-30
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Carlsbad, CA - The 2014 Kia Classic announced today, defending champion Beatriz Recari, will participate in the upcoming Monday, March 3, Media Day activities at Aviara Golf Club at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad. The fifth annual Kia Classic, slated for March 24-30, will feature a purse of $1.7 million and a field of 144 LPGA TOUR players. In 2013, 49 out of the top 50 players on the LPGA TOUR participated in the event.
Recari, will return to Park Hyatt Aviara Resort to discuss her 2013 win and talk about her year since winning last year’s event. "I'm looking forward to coming back to Carlsbad and defending my title at the 2014 Kia Classic," said Recari. "I have great memories of last year's win and I look forward to competing against the best players in the world at this year's event."
Beatriz Recari won the 2013 Kia Classic in a two-hole playoff over I.K. Kim. Recari made an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe just before dark, to capture the tournament in dramatic fashion earning first prize of $255,000 and a 2014 Kia Cadenza. Beatriz is known as the “Iron Woman” on the LPGA Tour for her consistency and on the final day of the tournament, she used a gritty performance to hold off Kim to win her second-career LPGA victory at the Kia Classic.
Recari, who was bogey-free for the first three rounds in Carlsbad, turned in three bogeys and one birdie in the final round of play, including a bogey on the 18th where she missed a four-foot par putt to win. After her win at the Kia Classic, Recari admitted that her nerves were not nearly as calm as they were during her first career win in 2010.
“I don't think I was even close to being calm,” said Recari in the media tent following her round. “I was the opposite. Every victory is different and this was just amazing; I couldn’t believe it. Capturing the win was really hard work but my training and practice definitely paid off.”
During the final round, Recari and Kim both bogeyed the first playoff hole. But despite the bogey, Recari didn’t let her lapse on the green hurt her confidence.
“Well, I told myself that I still had another chance and that I was still in it. I had a good memory from my only playoff as a professional , which I won, and Andreas, my coach, told me, ‘You've done this before and you know that green,’” said Recari. “I don't know if it was because of the shade, but the final round was definitely quicker than I remembered and fortunately I read the course correctly and finished with a win.”
"Every year the Kia Classic offers a very talented group of women the opportunity to compete at one of the best golf courses in the world and this year we are excited to watch Beatriz Recari defend her title against some world-class competition,” said Tim Chaney, vice president marketing communications. “As the Official Automotive Partner of the LPGA, we are pleased to offer the tournament winner our all-new luxury flagship sedan, the 2015 K900, which we are showcasing at the beautiful Aviara Golf Club throughout the tournament.”
Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club, which was named by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine as one of the best resort golf courses in America, and the No.1 golf resort in San Diego according to the readers of Condé Nast Traveler, overlooks the beautiful Batiquitos Lagoon ecological reserve and is the only San Diego golf course designed by Arnold Palmer. Aviara features a memorable par-72 coastal layout that stretches 7,007 yards and is uniquely sculpted through rolling hillsides, native wildflowers and plenty of bunker and water challenges. The golf club is part of the AAA Five Diamond-rated Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, which features 327 guest rooms, four on-site restaurants, full-service spa, tennis courts, fitness facility and more.
In celebration of the Kia Classic, Park Hyatt Aviara Resort’s exclusive Play Where the Pros Play package will be offered through the end of the year. This package includes accommodations in a Park Suite for two, unlimited golf for two at Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club, lunch at Argyle Steakhouse, as well as personalized bag tags and a Kia Classic valuables pouch. Kia Classic fans can also follow the tournament through social media. The Kia Classic’s Facebook page (search “Kia Classic”) and Twitter feed (@LPGAKiaClassic) will allow fans to keep up on pre-tournament and tournament-week news, view exclusive photos and enter various contests for the chance to win Kia Classic tickets and other prizes.
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