KO CAN CONTEND AGAIN
Lydia Ko comes to Rogers this week riding a wave of confidence, not only from her solid play this year but also a terrific track record at Pinnacle Country Club. This will be Ko’s fourth appearance at this event and she has not finished outside the top-6 in her first three starts. Out of her nine rounds played here, she’s only shot one round not in the 60’s and her scoring average is an impressive 67.44.
“I really like it. It’s a great blend,” said Ko. “There are some par 5s where, you know, you can be reaching it in two, kind of like the 18th hole, and that makes it a lot exciting, especially because the 18, that’s normally where the most fans are…I really like it, and obviously, you know, playing well here gives me a lot of good memories.”
Ko continues to be outstanding week in and week out and still leads the Tour in eight statistical categories. She has two wins, three runner-ups, three additional top 10s and hasn’t had a finish worse than T23.
“But I said if you come in second every week, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going probably going to be the Number one 1 player anyway. So it’s more about consistency and how many times you can put yourself in those positions to contend and lead,” said Ko. “I think that’s the important thing about here, that you have to try to put yourselves in these good positions and, you know, I think when you do put yourselves in those positions, that’s when you can learn from those experiences and then, you know, finish at the top here and there.”
Lydia Ko - Record at the NW Arkansas Championship
| Year | Scores | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 70-69-63=202 (-11) | T6 |
| 2014 | 69-68-65=202 (-11) | T2 |
| 2013 | 69-66-68=203 (-10) | T4 |
HENDERSON’S FIRST START IN ROGERS
Brooke Henderson, the No. 2 player in the Rolex Rankings and the most recent major champion on the LPGA Tour, will play in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G for the first time in her career this week. The 18-year-old Canadian was able to cross an item off of her career goal list with her win in a playoff over World No. 1 Lydia Ko at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship two weeks ago. But the teen says she still has plenty of other things left to accomplish.
“I don’t think you can ever predict something like this, but you can always dream about it and chase after big goals and big dreams,” Henderson said of the success in her young career. “I still have one more spot to go, and I definitely have a lot of big things I’m trying to chase after and work towards, and trying to just be a little bit better every single day.”
Although never having seen Pinnacle Country Club, Henderson likes the layout of the par-71 course. Players will face five par-3s each round, and with Henderson tied for ninth on the LPGA in par-3 scoring average she could add to her Tour-leading ten top-10 finishes by posting a strong result this week.
“They said I never played this tournament before, but I have been able to play it the last few days and I have a really good feel for the atmosphere and the way the course sets up, so I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully have three solid rounds of golf and contend for the championship on Sunday.”
Click here to watch Henderson's pre-tournament interview.
Brooke Henderson Top-15 2016 Statistical Categories
| Category | Statistic | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Rounds Played | 63 (16 Starts) | 1 |
| Birdies | 251 | 1 |
| Top-10 Finish % | 63% (10/16 Events) | 2 |
| Official Money | $1,090,715 | 3 |
| Round Under Par % | 71.43% (45/63 rounds) | 3 |
| Scoring Avg. | 69.92 | 4 |
| Greens in Regulation | 73.46% | 8 |
| Eagles | 5 | 9 |
| Rounds in the 60s | 24 | 11 |
| Avg. Driving Dist. | 267.91 | 11 |
| Putts per GIR | 1.78 | 13 |
HOGGING ALL THE ATTENTION
The three amateurs in the field this week all happen to be stealing the limelight and will be fan favorites the next three days at Pinnacle Country Club. All three were stars on this year’s University of Arkansas’ women’s golf team. Maria Fassi (rising sophomore), Alana Uriell (rising junior) and Regina Plasencia (recent graduate) were decked out in matching Razorback gear on Thursday and expressed their excitement about earning spots in their first LPGA event.
Uriell, who shot a 64 on Monday to win the qualifier, said that the reality of playing alongside the world’s best players sank in yesterday while she hit balls on the range.
“I would say the coolest thing is that I was on the range yesterday and I was between Brooke Henderson and Lydia Ko, and I was amazed just to be there with them,’ said Uriell. “It’s a great experience.”
Plasencia just finished her career in Fayetteville and recently graduated with a degree in International Business. The Mexico native said earning a spot in the field after falling short in the Monday qualifier the past two years is the best graduation present she could have given herself.
“It’s an incredible experience that I have this tournament,” said Plasencia. “It’s the perfect good bye, you know, for my time here in Arkansas. I’m wearing this uniform and I could not be more proud to wear it, so I’m going to have fun out there and enjoy it and enjoy the crowd, because it feels like home.”
Fassi, who received a coveted sponsor invitation, earned All-American Honorable Mention Honors and an All-SEC Second Team nod during her first year at Arkansas.
“Well, it’s definitely great to get the invite for this tournament,” said Fassi. “It’s probably one of the best tournaments on the tour besides Majors. I’m really proud of getting the invite this week, and I can’t wait for the week to start. I have been working really hard and it’s just going to be really a fun week.”
“Obviously I would like to make the cut and hopefully be in a really good place for Sunday,” said Fassi. “But I just want to come here, have fun, enjoy these three rounds and learn a lot from the pros, learn a lot from this golf course, and just start to see how being a pro is.”
QUOTABLE
“You know, it’s only a three day event, but it’s almost like a major championship, you know, everything is really high end, it’s really upscale, and it’s really beautiful here”- Brooke Henderson, who is playing in this event for the first time
“No. I’ve played with Stacy here before, and, you know, I think the 17th hole is the loudest hole on the tour. When we’re playing together, you obviously hear, ‘Go Hogs,’ you know, ‘Go Stacy.’ So at first, I was ‘What’s hogs?’ But then I got to learn about it and it’s just really cool, like for Stacy to come here, where she went to school, you know, for university here, and for her to get that support. It’s always really cool when you’re playing with the home girl, and, you know, you see these fans who are super excited to, you know, see her play well.”-Lydia Ko on whether she has ever ‘called the hogs’
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