PIECING THE ROUNDS TOGETHER
At this point in the season last year, Anna Nordqvist had two victories and a runner-up finish. By the end of 2014, she put together one of the most consistent seasons of her six-year career. She has yet to replicate her success from a year ago but it doesn’t mean the Swede has been playing poorly. Nordqvist has four top-10 finishes so far this year and ranks fifth on Tour in scoring average (70.25). She said putting four good rounds together has been the factor holding her back.
“I feel like this year I’ve been playing solid, just haven’t really put four solid rounds together,” said Nordqvist. “Been up there a few times. I felt like I had a good chance at ANA this year, but you’ve really got to shoot four good rounds, or this week you’ve got to shoot three good rounds, and I think that’s the missing part. I’m definitely working on consistency and giving myself chances to be up there, and I’m very proud of myself for battling it out this week and certainly gives me a chance for tomorrow.”
Nordqvist finished third at this event last year and says it’d be an honor to add her name to the list of esteemed champions that includes Juli Inkster, Betsy King, Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez. She sits one shot off the lead and in great position to break back into the winner’s circle for the first time this year.
“Well, I feel like this is one of my favorite places,” said Nordqvist. “It’s such a good golf course, and it’s such a great tournament with a lot of history. It’s been a lot of great winners over the years. It would mean a lot. Just trying to take a day at a time, and I’m one shot back going into tomorrow. That’s all I’m trying to focus on right now.”
THE PRIDE OF PRINCETON
LPGA Tour rookie Kelly Shon feels close to home this week and put herself in contention heading into the final round for the first time in her young career. Shon’s
alma mater, Princeton, is an hour and a half trip from Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf
Club but said she was shocked to see a group of supporters show up at the turn
during her round yesterday. A group of friends came to cheer her on in the midst of
Reunions weekends, an alumni association event that hosts over 25,000 alumni, family and friends to the campus. Both the men’s and women’s golf coaches were onsite on Saturday for the second round as well.
“I feel really close. Unfortunately and kind of fortunately, the Reunions are going
on right now, so a lot of my friends are having fun there, but actually a big group of
friends came out yesterday to cheer me on,” said Shon. “Yeah, pretty much hungover, but it was good. It was a good hour and a half trip. And they lied to me about it, too. They’re like, oh, we’re sorry we’re going to miss you, and then
they showed up when I was making the turn. Like eight or so, yeah. It was good. They were all wearing their orange.”
Shon hasn’t turned in many strong results in her eight starts since her season-best T11 finish at her first event, the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. She’s missed five cuts and her next best finish was a T62 at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She said a few people gave her advice two weeks ago to not concentrate so much on her swing mechanics and play more freely.
“I actually got a great tip when I was down in Kingsmill,” said Shon. “I was starting to get bogged down with techniques, and someone just told me, go out there and play golf, and then I reflected back on my rounds when I had played with buddies back home just for matches and I had fun, so that’s kind of what I thought about.”
Shon says she’s excited to put two good rounds together and getting in prime position for the final round.
“I’m nervous, of course, but I’m excited, and just trying to have fun and trying to fight really hard, play hard,” said Shon.
She’d be the fourth rookie winner this season and would join Sei Young Kim, Hyo Joo Kim and Minjee Lee. She currently ranks 11th in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race.
SHOCK FACTOR
If Catriona Matthew ends up not winning this golf tournament, she’ll have two holes to point to – her first two of the tournament. Matthew opened the tournament with a triple bogey, double bogey start but reeled off birdies on eight of next 16 holes on Friday and followed that up Saturday with a 1-under-par 70 to get to 4-under for the tournament – three shots back of Morgan Pressel.
“I think I was in shock. I was numb,” Matthew said of her start Friday. “I don’t know, it was windy yesterday when we started, and obviously the putter started it. I just thought if I could hang in and get back to a couple over, but I played pretty well.”
Matthews joked that the triple and double start happened “quite easily” but she’s steadied herself in the 34 holes since and sits with a prime chance of her first LPGA Tour win since the 2011 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
“It should be around there I would say by the end of the day. It should give me a chance tomorrow anyway,” she said.
PLAYING ON SUNDAY
The 36-hole cut fell at 3-over par 145 with 81 players earning their spots to play on Sunday. Notables to miss the cut:
Michelle Wie (+4), Lexi Thompson (+7), Brittany Lincicome (+9) and Cheyenne Woods (+13).
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