Noh Riding High, Jutanugarn Ready For Weekend at Thornberry Creek

MONDAY QUALIFIER YEALIMI NOH RIDING HIGH AT THORNBERRY

It could be a Cinderella story come Sunday. After earning a spot in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic field via the Monday Qualifier, 17-year-old Yealimi Noh strung together rounds of 63 and 65 to sit in second at -16 after 36 holes. Noh played in the last group of her wave on Thursday and Friday and she’ll play last again on Saturday, this time in the final group alongside Rolex Rankings No. 1 Sung Hyun Park. Only two Monday Qualifiers have won an LPGA Tour event - Brooke Henderson (2015 Cambia Portland LPGA Classic) and Laurel Kean (2000 State Farm LPGA Classic).

“No matter who I play with and how they're playing, anything, I just don't want to think about anything else,” said Noh, who will turn 18 on July 26. “Just focus on my score and my game. I don't want to think too much.”

Noh turned professional earlier this year after an incredible 2018 that saw her win the Girl’s Junior PGA Championship, U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in consecutive weeks. However, that success did not immediately translate into her professional career, which took her by surprise. Noh, who does not have status on the LPGA or Epson Tours, has been playing in mini-tour events and relying on sponsor exemptions and Monday Qualifiers over the last six months.

“I was really thrown off by it and for a couple months I was like struggling. I was like, Where is my game going, like really struggling,” said Noh. “Just to like finally get it together and then play a tournament in Korea (the 2019 Kia Motors Korea Women’s Open Golf Championship, where she finished 31st), that helped a lot, to really play well under pressure. I had a lot of pressure there. A lot of people watching. Definitely helped me for this week.”

ARIYA JUTANUGARN READY TO RECHARGE BEFORE WEEKEND

After a long day on the course at Thornberry Creek, Ariya Jutanugarn is ready to put her feet up and relax. Smiling as she stepped off the course, the former World No. 1 carded a 64 to sit T2 at -15. Despite a bogey-free round, she said there is still room for improvement.

“This course is pretty good, but I still feel I can get better because I missed a lot of tee shots,” said Jutanugarn. “I didn't hit much fairway at all today.”

Jutanugarn only hit 10 of 14 fairways and made the green in regulation 13 times today. Despite the misses, her putter scored her eight birdies with 23 total putts. Her strategy for tomorrow? Keep it simple and take it one shot at a time.

“When I missed the tee, I made birdie, so it kind of make me feel better, so it's just like shot by shot,” said Jutanugarn. “Don't think so much about future. Just keep doing my best.”

TIFFANY JOH’S PATIENCE LEADS TO SUCCESS IN WISCONSIN
Tiffany Joh has had a tough 2019 thus far, missing the cut in seven of her first nine events, with a T11 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic sandwiched in there. Coming into the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic off her first consecutive made cuts of the season, Joh followed a first-round 64 with a second-round 66 to sit in a tie for fourth. The 32-year-old said her work before the season is the key behind her recently improved play.

“I switched coaches this off-season. I started working with a good friend of mine from junior golf, Adam Porzak, and I think it's really that the beginning of the year the swing changes just weren't taking yet. I just really didn't have enough confidence to take them out to the golf course,” said Joh. “ShopRite it got really, really windy and it was able to hold up under that kind of pressure. I think this week I'm just kind of seeing the fruits of my labor of this off-season.”

When asked about pushing through struggling points in the season, she joked about a sweet treat. “A lot of Haribo gummi bears, I'm not going to lie,” said Joh. “But it's golf and it's nice that like our season is so long and we have so many tournaments and so many opportunities that it's actually not as hard to stay patient as people think. Every week you have another opportunity, and that's what is really great about our tour. Not that hard to stay patient if you have enough gummi bears.”

Joh has yet to record a bogey this week but said she is trying to not get ahead of herself this weekend.

“I played golf long enough to know that you've never really figured this game out. I know better than to go out there tomorrow like strutting on the front nine just because I feel like I played it a little bit better,” said Joh. “It's golf and you never know what's going to happen. I'm just going to go out there and try to do the best that I can.”

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 1 Sung Hyun Park (65-62)

• Park’s second-round 62 ties her best 18-hole score during her LPGA Tour career; she most recently recorded it in 2017 in the third round of the Meijer LPGA Classic
• Her 127 is her career-lowest 36-hole score on the LPGA Tour; her previous best was a 129 from the 2019 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
• She hit nine of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens with 25 putts
• Park is in her third season on the LPGA Tour; she is a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour. Her most previous win came at this year’s HSBC Women’s World Championship 
• This was Park’s 12th event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she won the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and has runner-up finishes at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Kia Classic 
• This was her second Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic; she missed the cut in 2018
• She tied with So Yeon Ryu for 2017 Rolex Player of the Year honors and clinched the 2017 Louise Suggs Rolex Player of the Year Award with five events remaining on the schedule 
• Became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards in the same year since Nancy Lopez in 2978

Rolex Rankings No. 558 Yealimi Noh (63-65)

• She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens, with 28 putts
• Noh, who turns 18 in two weeks, is playing in the third LPGA Tour event of her career; she finished T46 at the 2018 CP Women’s Open and T59 at the 2018 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, both as an amateur
• Noh turned professional in January 2019 after winning the 2018 Girl’s Junior PGA Championship, U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in consecutive weeks
• Noh earned a spot in the tournament by tying for the win at the Monday Qualifier; two Monday Qualifiers have won an LPGA Tour event – Brooke Henderson (2015 Cambia Portland LPGA Classic) and Laurel Kean (2000 State Farm LPGA Classic)

Rolex Rankings No. 9 Ariya Jutanugarn (65-64)

• Jutanugarn’s second-round 64 ties her third-lowest 18-hole score of her LPGA Tour career; she most recently shot 64 at the 2019 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
• Her 129 is her lowest 36-hole score of her LPGA Tour career; her previous best was a 131 at the 2017 Bank of Hope Founders Cup
• She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens, with 23 putts.
• Jutanugarn is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she is a 10-time winner on the LPGA Tour and two-time major winner. Her most previous win came at the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open 
• This was Park’s 16th event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she has four top-ten finishes and has two additional top-20 finishes this season  
• This was her second Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic; she missed the cut in 2018
• She tied with So Yeon Ryu for 2017 Rolex Player of the Year honors and clinched the 2017 Louise Suggs Rolex Player of the Year Award with five events remaining on the schedule 
• Became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards in the same year since Nancy Lopez in 2978 

Rolex Rankings No. 182 Mina Harigae (67-63)

• Liu’s 63 is the second-lowest round of her LPGA Tour career; her best round is a 62 in the third round of the 2017 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
• Her 130 is the lowest 36-hole score of her LPGA Tour career, shattering her previous best of 135, which she has returned three times, most recently at the 2013 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic
• She hit 14 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens, with 25 putts
• Harigae is in her 10th season on the LPGA Tour; her best finish is a tie for fifth at the 2013 Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship
• This is Harigae’s 13th event of the 2019 season; her best finish is a tie for 11th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
• She is competing in her third Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic; she tied for 72nd in 2018 and tied for 45th in 2017

Rolex Rankings No. 211 Tiffany Joh (64-66)

• Joh’s 66 is her fourth-lowest of her LGPA Tour career; her best round is a 62 in the first round of the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open
• Her 130 is the second-lowest 36-hole score of her LPGA Tour career; her lowest was a 129 in the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open
• She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens, with 27 putts
• Joh is in her ninth season on the LPGA Tour; her best finish is second at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic
• This is Joh’s 12th event of the 2019 season; her best finish is a tie for 11th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
• She is competing in her third Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic; she tied for 56th in 2018 and tied for sixth in 2017