Toyota Danielle Downey Classic
Brook-Lea Country Club
Rochester, NY
July 13, 2015
Storylines
ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 13, 2015 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, is in Rochester for the inaugural Toyota Danielle Downey Classic at Brook-Lea Country Club from July 16-19. This is the 14th event of the season and the first of back-to-back in Upstate New York. The Tour heads to Albany next week for the Fuccillo Kia Championship at Capital Hills.
The top 144 up-and-coming professionals will compete for a $150,000 total tournament purse with the winner earning $22,500 and taking a significant step up the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the year-end money list earn LPGA Tour membership in category 9 for the 2016 season.
There will be a cut to the top 70 and ties following second-round play on Friday. Weekend play will start from the first tee only. Play will begin all four days at 7:30 a.m.
The Epson Tour comes to Rochester for the very first time filling the void of the LPGA Tour’s departure following the 2014 Wegmans LPGA Championship. The Epson Tour played the Credit Union Classic in Syracuse from 2012-2014. There are 24 players in the field this week that played at least once in the Wegmans LPGA Championship.
With 10 events remaining and $1.2 million still up for grabs, players will start to jockey for position on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The Danielle Downey Classic is one of three big purse events remaining. In early September, the Tour heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a $210,000 purse (Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge) and the season concludes with a $150,000 purse for the Epson Tour Championship (October 15-18). There is just $2,481 separating Madeleine Sheils, No. 11 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, from the top 10. A deeper climb is starting to face the rest of the players as $14,480 now separates No. 20 Haley Italia from the top 10.
A very strong field will tee off on Thursday. Nine of the top 10 players on the Volvik Race for the Card money list are in Rochester. The only top 10 player not in the field is No. 7 Jimin Kang, who withdrew last Thursday due to sickness. In addition, ten of the 12 players that have won official events this year are in the field.
Surprisingly, nobody has won multiple events this season. Jimin Kang has one official win and one unofficial win at the shortened 18-hole Decatur-Forsyth Classic. For perspective, three players won multiple times in 2014 (Marissa Steen - 3, Min Seo Kwak - 2 and Sadena Parks - 2). The last time that no player won multiple times in a single-season was 1995.
There are 18 LPGA Tour members in the field this week.
QUOTABLES ON DANIELLE DOWNEY AND TOURNAMENT: Here are a few quotes on the classic.
“I think it’s fantastic that the Epson Tour is hosting an event in Danielle’s name and in her hometown of Rochester. She would no doubt be honored and proud. Danielle had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. In times of trouble she’d give you the shirt off her back without hesitation. I’m lucky enough to say she was my best friend and overall just a top person.”- LPGA Tour player Sarah Kemp, who Danielle caddied for on the LPGA.
“I was scared to leave golf, scared to make the next move, unsure of the future, worried about everything really. A few more laughs, a few more years, and Deuce had made me feel like I could conquer whatever it is I was going to do next. I am now teaching and coaching basketball at my high school alma mater. Something everyday reminds me of her. Maybe a song or even just having a good cup of coffee or diet coke. She was definitely one of a kind and I know heaven is a better place because she is in it.”- Former LPGA Tour player Meredith Duncan, a friend of Danielle’s.
“Danielle Downey was a fine player and wonderful person who was well liked not only in Rochester, but in her college town and adopted home of Auburn. To honor her on the course that she grew up playing on is a special tribute to her. Danielle spent so much time supporting the young people in her hometown and at Auburn. This tournament is a wonderful addition to Danielle’s legacy in Rochester.”- Honorary host and LPGA legend Nancy Lopez.
“We are honored that the Danielle Downey Classic selected Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection as the beneficiary of the first Epson Tour in Rochester. Our nationally recognized youth development program helps at-risk secondary students stay in school and earn their high school diplomas, while providing invaluable part-time work experience and job skills to help prepare them for life after graduation. The LPGA players are a wonderful role model for our youth, showing them how hard work, perseverance and dedication can help them achieve goals and success in life.”- President of Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection Augustin Melendez.
NO. 1 MOLINARO WITH 18 CONSECUTIVE ROUNDS OF EVEN OR UNDER: Giulia Molinaro (Treviso, Italy) ranks No. 1 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list with $41,358 earned in just nine starts, seven of which have resulted in top 10 finishes.
Molinaro has vaulted to number one behind four straight top five results and 18 consecutive rounds of even par or better. Of the 18 rounds, 16 have been under par. She has not posted an above par round since the final round of the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay on April 26.
The 24-year-old is 47 under-par in the last six tournaments combined. Molinaro leads the Epson Tour with a 70.23 scoring average.
The last Epson Tour player to end the year with a sub-70 scoring average was Jennifer Song in 2010 (69.148).
HOMECOMING FOR NY STATE CHAMP TESSA TEACHMAN: Tessa Teachman found success at an early age on the golf course. She already had a New York State Junior Girls Amateur Championship attached to her resume at 13. In the eighth grade, she helped Webster Thomas High School win the New York State Championship. The following year, she was on America’s Junior Ryder Cup Team. In 2005, she was a sponsor exemption into the Wegmans LPGA Championship as a 14-year-old.
Growing up in Rochester, who did she look up to? Danielle Downey.
“Danielle Downey was the player to be,” said Teachman during a phone interview last Wednesday. “She was the player always in the paper when I was growing up and she was always very, very supportive.”
Teachman, whose family moved from Rochester to Baton Rouge, Louisiana the day Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, will play in the upcoming Danielle Downey Classic on a sponsor’s exemption.
“I still have letters that Danielle sent me telling me to keep working hard and pursue my dreams and one day we’d both be playing the Tour together,” said Teachman. “It’s unfortunate what happened, but it is great they now have a tournament in her name.”
Now 25, Teachman still remembers playing in the same group as Suzann Pettersen and Laura Diaz in the ’05 Wegmans LPGA Championship as a young teen.
“It was kind of a circus, there was a lot of attention because Rochester rallies around golf so well,” said Teachman. “I had a lot of support when I played. It was really cool at such a young age to be playing inside the ropes in that tournament in my hometown.”
Although she was sad to see the LPGA leave Rochester because she had a goal of playing in the event again when it became a major, she was thrilled to hear about the Epson Tour event.
“It’s great that Mike Vadala (tournament director) was able to pull a Epson Tour event up to Rochester,” said Teachman. “I think there is going to be a lot of support for all the girls.”
Teachman graduated from LSU in 2012 and then turned professional. She played in one Epson Tour event in 2013 and has not played since. In 2014, she played on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and still is a member. She plans on going to LPGA Qualifying Tournament Stage I August 3-9 with hopes of earning better Epson Tour status or LPGA Tour status.
“I have been hopping around playing wherever I can since qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2012,” said Teachman. “I’ve really just been preparing for Q-School this year. Since I have limited status on the Epson Tour, it was great to earn the exemption.”
Teachman knows that a good finish could help her status for the remainder of the season, but she’s more focused on the experience.
“Getting the experience of playing in a four day event will definitely help prepare me for first stage of Q-School in August.”
It will be a homecoming of sorts for the entire Teachman family. Tessa’s dad will serve as her caddie while her mom and extended family including aunts, uncles and cousins will form a large gallery that will follow her every swing around Brook Lea Country Club.
WILL BROOKE (Henderson) PLAY BROOK-LEA?: 17-year-old Brooke Henderson petitioned for Epson Tour membership following her win at the Four Winds Invitational and LPGA commissioner Mike Whan quickly accepted.
Henderson had another incredible week on the LPGA in Lancaster, Pa. at the U.S. Women’s Open, closing with a 4-under 66 to finish in a tie for fifth to earn $141,396. In just eight starts on the LPGA, Henderson has earned $458,866 as a non-member, the equivalent of 17th on the LPGA Tour money list. Henderson will earn LPGA Tour membership for 2016 if she finishes inside the equivalent of top 40 on the money list. Last year, 40th on the LPGA money list earned $447,658.
She can also earn membership through the Epson Tour if she wins two more events. Henderson drove from Lancaster to Toledo, Ohio on Sunday night to attempt to Monday qualify for the Marathon Classic. If she doesn’t qualify, she is expected to play in the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic.
Henderson has made two starts on the Epson Tour as a non-member and one start as a member. In her lone start as a member, she finished solo third at the Island Resort Championship and ranks 49th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.
Henderson’s second T5 in an LPGA major moved her up 13 spots to No. 32 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
LEE LOPEZ FINISHES T20 AT U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN/EARNS SPORTSCENTER TOP PLAY: After failing to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open four times previously, Lopez qualified this year. On Sunday, she posted a 1-under 69 to finish in a tie for 20th, which pockets $48,082. Lopez posted rounds of 71-70-72-69 and showcased why she is No. 4 on the current Volvik Race for the Card money list.
It was a whirlwind weekend for Lopez who made an ace on the sixth hole during the third round that was the top play on Sportscenter on Saturday night.
In the Epson Tour event prior to the U.S. Open, Lopez finished in a tie for second at the Tullymore Classic with a final-round 10-under 62, which tied the 18-hole Epson Tour scoring record.
In 32 career Epson Tour starts, she has ten top 10 finishes. Lopez, who was part of a national championship team at UCLA, finished 14th on the money list in her rookie 2014 campaign.
MADISON PRESSEL STAYING WITH SAME FAMILY AS MORGAN: Madison Pressel has been slowed by a wrist injury this year and has only played in two events. The last event she played in was the Mission Health Wellness Classic from May 15-17.
Pressel is excited to make her return to competition at the Danielle Downey Classic, especially with all she has done to help promote the event.
“Mike (Vadala) gave me my first sponsor invite as a professional into the tournament in Syracuse and so I know first hand how invested he is in women’s golf and the players,” said Pressel, who finished 22nd on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in her rookie 2014 season. “I have been so fortunate to go to Rochester and meet many of the people who are making this event possible and I cannot wait to see their hard work pay off.”
Pressel has made numerous trips to Rochester to help Vadala during media days and sponsor dinners.
“I’ve seen the behind the scenes work that goes on, literally until the last minute,” said Pressel. “This week is going to be such a great tribute to Danielle and I am honored to be a part of it.”
Madison’s older sister Morgan was a crowd favorite during her playing days in Rochester. Morgan is a 2-time LPGA Tour winner and recently finished in a tie for fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Madison is staying with the same family that Morgan stayed with for many years in Rochester, the Gorslines.
“I am so excited to keep the tradition going and stay in their home,” said Madison. “They are really like
family to us.”
AUBURN GOLF REPRESENTED THIS WEEK: Because of Downey’s deep ties to Auburn athletics, recent Auburn graduate Victoria Trapani received a sponsor exemption into the field.
Trapani finished her career following the 2014-2015 season with the ninth best scoring average in Auburn history.
“Being able to make my professional debut in such a prestigious event is an amazing opportunity and an accomplishment in itself,” said Trapani. “The Toyota Danielle Downey Classic puts a whole new meaning on my professional debut because Danielle holds a special place in my heart.”
The Hollywood, Florida native spent the last four years at Auburn and developed a close bond with Downey.
“She made me look at life in a whole new light, caring for me in a way that was genuine,” said Trapani. “She showed me the light at the end of the tunnel and I am so lucky to be able to say that I got to be a part of such an amazing person’s life. She’s made me the best version of myself and she represented Auburn every single day of her life; I plan to do the same.”
Trapani was a 2012 and 2013 WGCA All-American scholar. She was All-SEC Second Team following her freshman season.
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW
2 - Number of players with New York listed as their hometown (Annie Park - Levittown & Megan Grehan - Mamaroneck)
23 - Number of events on the Epson Tour schedule, most in last 27 years. The Epson Tour schedule has grown from 15 events in 2013 to 20 events in 2014 to 23 events in 2015.
24 - Number of countries represented in the field outside of the United States. There are 53 total international players.
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