Pettersen Finding Her Groove and More from Portland

PETTERSEN FINDING HER NEW GROOVE

The last two weeks on the LPGA Tour marked Suzann Pettersen’s first solo appearances on North American soil since she gave birth to son Herman in August 2018. Pettersen has admitted that she seriously thought about never returning to the Tour. But after re-tasting competition over the past few weeks, the 15-time LPGA Tour winner, who was named to Team Europe for the 2019 Solheim Cup as one of Captain Catriona Matthew’s wild-card picks, is finally coming back into her own.

“I'm actually starting to feel quite comfortable overall,” said Pettersen, who recently wrote about her experiences as a new mother balancing professional golf in an exclusive piece for LPGA.com. “I think it's just sharpness on yardages. But obviously this weather is going to be quite different to what we're going to see in Scotland. I think just overall managing your game coming into the Solheim week with a good feel because you don't have too much time to kind of work on your game that week, so you'd rather come in with a good feel and kind of use your time on the golf course instead of getting the reps in on the range.”

Pettersen knew she needed to get more competitive reps under her belt before the Cup begins at Gleneagles on Sept. 13. The timing of Pettersen’s Tour return certainly makes sense. The 38-year-old Norwegian is a past champion of both last week’s CP Women’s Open, which she won in 2009, and this week’s Cambia Portland Classic, where she found the winner’s circle in 2011 and 2013.

“I've always had a big heart for Portland,” said Pettersen. “First, I've played well here, I've won here, and also being a Nike athlete, it's like a second home, at least this side of the country. So I've always enjoyed coming here. Like I said, they usually bring the sunshine to this part of the state. Yes, so when I looked at the schedule, I thought this would be a good kind of tournament to play and get my game ready for the Solheim, and here I am.

HALL-OF-FAME MEMORIES FOR INKSTER AT COLUMBIA EDGEWATER

Juli Inkster is making her 31st appearance at the Cambia Portland Classic, missing just five tournaments since she first teed it up in 1983. She captured the 22nd win of her LPGA Tour career here in 1999, a win that also earned her entrance into the LPGA Golf Hall of Fame.

“I remember my kids flew up with my husband and they were there on the 18th hole,” said Inkster, who was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame the following year. “That was my last point to qualify for Hall of Fame, so it was huge for me.”

Twenty years later and Inkster has returned to Cambia not only as a past champion but also as the first three-time USA Solheim Cup captain in competition history. Inkster comes here off what she called a “tough” weekend, naming her two captain’s picks to Team USA from a long list of deserving players. With that moment behind her, she is looking forward to focusing on Columbia Edgewater and this week’s competition before turning her eyes to Gleneagles and the match-up with Team Europe.

“I don't have to look at stats or scores or anything like that,” said Inkster. “My main thing next week is to get a lot of rest, get a little practice in, and then come Sunday, be ready to go.”

LEWIS HAPPY TO BE BACK IN PORTLAND

In 2017, Stacy Lewis earned one of the most emotional wins of her LPGA Tour career at the Cambia Portland Classic. After Hurricane Harvey ravaged her hometown of Houston, Lewis promised to donate that week’s prize money to help with relief efforts. That Sunday, Lewis broke a three-year winless streak with an emotional victory that gave $195,000 back to Houston.

Lewis was unable to defend her win in 2018 as she was just two months shy of giving birth to daughter Chesnee. “It does feel like I'm defending since I haven't been back,” she joked in her pre-tournament media availability. Lewis has steadily been working her game back into shape and learning the balance of playing and parenthood.

“Doing anything as a mom is different. I'm more worried about her,” said Lewis, who earlier this year published a letter to Chesnee talking about why she has taken up the mantle of gender equality. “As soon as I get done playing, it's I want to get all my stuff done so I can go pick her up. Priorities are elsewhere. But once I'm on the golf course, golf is definitely still the same.”

On Monday, Lewis earned one of Juli Inkster’s two wild-card picks to the 2019 USA Solheim Cup Team. Lewis will head to Gleneagles as one of the veteran players on a team that features five rookies and three more players with just one appearance.

“I wanted to not be a pick and wanted to be on the team on my own, but to be a pick, it's just a really tremendous honor, that Juli sees that in me and she knows what I've gone through this year with the baby,” said Lewis, who will make her fifth appearance for Team USA. “I'm super excited to go over there and just help the team any way I can.

DESIGNATED HOLE FOR AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE

The season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge will highlight the world’s best professional golfers as they tackle the most strategically challenging holes across both the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR schedules. The player from each Tour on top of the Aon leaderboard at the end of the regular season will receive a $1 million prize.

Heading into the Cambia Portland Classic, Lee-Anne Pace leads the standings at -0.818, with Carlota Ciganda in second at -0.789 and Ariya Jutanugarn in third at -0.775. Ciganda and Jutanugarn both eagled the Aon Risk Reward hole twice at last week’s CP Women’s Open to cut into Pace’s lead. 

The designated Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole at the Cambia Portland Classic is the 12th. To reach the green in regulation on this par 5 requires three solid shots played between tree lines and a large embankment on the right. The optimal line off the tee is left center and anything hit right will result in a difficult recovery to get home in regulation. The green is large but can be very challenging for up-and-downs if the player ends up out of position.

The scoring system is identical on both the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR, and players will take their best two scores from each Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, with the winners having the best average score to par at the end of the season. Players must play a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season. The Challenge runs across regular season tournaments (29 LPGA Tour; 36 PGA TOUR).

For more information about the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, visit www.lpga.com/statistics/aon-risk-reward-challenge.

SUE STAROPOLI NOMINATED FOR LPGA’S AXA LPGA VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD

The Cambia Portland Classic is proud to nominate Sue Staropoli for the 2019 AXA LPGA Volunteer Service Award. 

Staropoli has been a volunteer at the Cambia Portland Classic for 41 years but has been serving in volunteer work her whole life. She has volunteered at a local emergency room for 32 years, giving more than 20,000 hours of volunteer time, and is also a 20-year volunteer at her church, where she is the financial secretary. Staropoli has previously been involved with many other organizations such as the American Cancer Society, local schools and the Oregon Senior Golf Association.

Her passion for volunteering at the Cambia Portland Classic comes from knowing the impact it can make for kids. In the last 48 years, the Portland Classic has donated more than $18 million to charity and she is very proud to be a part of that and make a difference in other people's lives. Her all-time favorite LPGA player is 1983 Cambia winner JoAnne Carner and she is also a big fan of three-time tournament winner Nancy Lopez.

For more information on the AXA XL LPGA Volunteer Service Award, visit www.lpga.com/axa-xl.