Tag: Albane Valenzuela

Albane Valenzuela needed just 19 putts in final-round 63 at Honda LPGA Thailand

Valenzuela called putting her “nemesis” in recent months.

Albane Valenzuela called putting her “nemesis” in recent months. Well, that changed in a mighty way in Thailand, where she needed only 19 putts in a career-low 9-under 63 on Sunday. The Swiss player’s solo second to Patty Tavatanakit at Honda LPGA Thailand marked her career-best finish on tour.

Last month at the LPGA Drive On in Bradenton, Florida, the 26-year-old Valenzuela had 10 three-putts, calling her speed “totally off.”

On Sunday at Siam Country Club, Valenzuela went on a dizzying streak with the putter after holing out for eagle on the par-4 fifth.

“From No. 7 onwards I only had one-putts,” said Valenzuela. “For all the people that told me I could not putt, there you go.”

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Amy Yang was the last player to record 19 putts in a round on the first day of the 2022 Amundi Evian Championship. Only one player has registered 18 putts in a round since 1980, and that was Minea Blomqvist at the 2008 Fields Open in Hawaii at Ko Olina Golf Club. Valenzuela is the seventh player to record 19 putts since 1980.

The late Joan Joyce holds the LPGA record for fewest putts in a round, needing only 17 at the 1982 Lady Michelob.

Albane Valenzuela celebrates after making a putt during the final round of the 2024 Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club in Thailand. (Photo: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)

Valenzuela, a former Stanford player and two-time Olympian, said the week in Thailand was huge for her confidence, proving to herself that she has that competitive fire in her heart.

“I think I’ve never enjoyed playing a Sunday as much as I did today,” she said, “just because of how calm I was. I told my dad, I finally got out of my way and I really understood a lot about myself today.”

Her solo second earned her $158,182 in prize money.

Meet the top 10 players in contention at the Chevron Championship and what they’re saying about a potential jump in a new pond

Will the winner jump or not?

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Angel Yin remembers vividly a practice round she had with Cristie Kerr several years ago at an LPGA Drive On event in Georgia.

“She was walking after she hit a tee shot off a practice round, and she was like, ‘I’m four days away from people knowing I’m back,'” said Yin.

“That’s the confidence. Every day I tell myself that: ‘Just channel your Cristie Kerr.'”

Yin hasn’t yet won on the LPGA and co-leads the 2023 Chevron Championship with Allisen Corpuz, another American player looking for her first LPGA victory at the year’s first major. The third-round leaderboard at the Club at Carlton Woods is littered with players looking for a break-through week – whether that’s a first-time LPGA victory or a maiden major win.

Only a trio in a share of sixth know what it’s like to win a major – Nelly Korda, Hyo Joo Kim and A Lim Kim, who won her first major down the road in Houston at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open at Champion Golf Club.

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Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 players at the Chevron, and what some are saying about the champion’s leap:

Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela on pace for career-best major finish at Amundi Evian, the course where her parents first met

Albane Valenzuela’s roots at the Amundi Evian Championship run deep.

Albane Valenzuela’s roots at the Amundi Evian Championship run deep. Her parents, Alberto and Diane, actually met at an exhibition match at Evian Golf Resort in 1991. The course had recently opened after a renovation and Franck Ribould invited four amateurs to play against four professionals. Alberto, a Mexican, was the reigning French Amateur champion.

Diane, a 10-handicap, was working in the export department for Evian at the time.

Now, more than 30 years later, their eldest child finds herself on the leaderboard at the LPGA major, in a share of 10th after a third-round 64.

“It means the world,” said Albane. “I love this place so much. This was the first major I played as an amateur, and I’m so thankful to Franck and the entire team at Evian for giving me that opportunity back then.”

Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland plays her second shot on the 11th hole on day one of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 21, 2022 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Valenzuela, a Stanford grad who was born in New York, plays under the Swiss flag and lived in nearby Geneva until the family moved to the Bahamas several years ago. After missing the cut in four appearances at the Evian on special invites, she finally played the weekend in 2019, ultimately taking a share of 37th.

Valenzuela has posted four top-25 finishes in her last six starts on the LPGA, with her best finish a share of fourth at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. She’s currently 57th in the CME points race. Her best finish in a major so far came as an amateur when she placed 24th at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open.

“You know, it’s funny,” said Valenzuela. “I had a little bit of slap in the face in Hawaii when my ball-striking was incredible and I just couldn’t score. I don’t think I was as happy.

“I think after Palos Verdes I stayed with my college roommates, and just finding that balance again of me, Albane as young woman and me, Albane as golfer are not the same. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

“So it was just kind of just going back to enjoying playing golf. I think I just have a renewed passion for the game. I just love it so much. But I probably love it more than I ever have in its highs and its lows.”

Valenzuela family at the 2019 Evian left to right: Alexis, Diane, Alberto, Albane. (Beth Ann Nichols)

Valenzuela spent two weeks in Paris before heading to her home club in Geneva last week. The time back in Europe has been good for the soul.

“Being back in Switzerland, this is a country I represent, the country I chose to play golf for,” she said, “and I think it’s – I just love coming back here.

“This is really home.”

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There’s no one happier about a second rookie season than the resilient Albane Valenzuela

It wasn’t long ago that Albane Valenzuela wondered if she’d even be able to play golf in 2021.

Albane Valenzuela took a peek at the leaderboard on Sunday as she made her way up the 72nd hole at the LPGA Drive On Championship and noticed that she was tied for fifth with fellow rookie Leona Maguire and Danielle Kang. She laid up to 80 yards on the closing par 5, and then knocked a 53-degree wedge to about 12 feet. In her mind, Valenzuela told herself there was no way she was going to miss that putt.

The closing birdie gave Valenzuela a solo fifth-place finish in her second start of the season and a $62,882 payday. Kang, who dropped to a share of sixth, told Valenzuela that she had to buy dinner next time.

“(Danielle is) one of my really good friends now,” said Valenzuela, “but I was really happy to beat her by one, honestly.”

It wasn’t long ago that Valenzuela, 23, wondered if she’d even be able to play golf in 2021. A dreadful rookie season—her first of two since LPGA status was frozen last year—left her spending more weeks in bed than at tournaments late in 2020.

“I definitely hit rock-bottom low in the past five months,” said Valenzuela, “physically and mentally in a really bad spot. … a lot of pain, a lot of tears.”

Albane Valenzuela
Albane Valenzuela plays her shot from the 18th tee during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Golden Ocala Golf Club in Ocala, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The pain in her right shoulder first started last August at the tour’s Arkansas stop. Week by week it kept getting worse, transitioning into nerve pain. She downed painkillers and received treatment from the tour’s physical therapists on the course.

The pain eventually traveled from her neck all the way down to her fingers. It was likely a brachial plexus injury, she said, and it was acupuncture that ultimately brought her relief.

While Albane was competing in the ShopRite LPGA Classic in October, her brother Alex, a freshman at SMU, had an emergency appendectomy. Albane had her appendix removed one month later.

She recovered from that only to fall ill again in January with COVID-19.

Even at the Drive On event in March, Albane experienced what she called brain fog. She barely practiced early week, felt dizzy, worn down and overall not as sharp overall. It felt similar to when she suffered a concussion after a bad bike accident at Stanford.

But even though she wasn’t 100 percent, the 2016 Olympian and former Cardinal standout couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t long ago that she thought she might have to take a medical leave from the LPGA. Now she’s looking to see if she can play her way into the year’s first major, the ANA Inspiration.

In a way, her father Alberto said, the time off was a blessing in that it got her away from the technical side of the game that had cluttered her mind. Before the break, she’d pushed herself too hard physically, too.

Albane Valenzuela
Albane Valenzuela talks with her caddie and father, Alberto Valenzuela, on the 16th hole during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Golden Ocala Golf Club in Ocala, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Alberto, a fine player in his own right who played collegiate golf at UCLA before going into finance, helped his daughter get back to a simpler approach. Brad Faxon helped her to have fun on the practice putting green.

“Slowing down has been the best thing I’ve done for my golf game so far,” said Albane, who had dad on the bag her first two weeks back.

The Valenzuelas had great family history at Golden Ocala, as Albane looped for her brother for the first time at a U.S. Junior qualifier, where he shot 68 and won in a playoff with birdie.

“It was the most nerve-wracking day of my life,” she said.

There was a friendly competition within the family about whether or not Albane could beat Alex’s score. A third-round 66 earned her a cup of coffee.

Alex’s time caddying for Albane at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur is what ultimately led him to talk publicly for the first time about his battle with autism. The feedback Alex received about the journey he took from being a nonverbal child to a teenager who speaks three languages, encouraged him to launch Alex for Autism or “A for A,” a foundation that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars toward autism research.

Alex teed it up in his first collegiate tournament the same day Albane played in the final group of an LPGA event for the first time. The tight-knit Valenzuelas had much to celebrate.

“I think in my family we’ve always seen adversity as an upside,” said Albane, who used her unexpected downtime last winter to go to work for one of her sponsors, Slync.io. The Stanford grad with the perfect GPA worked as a personal assistant to Slync Co-Founder and CEO Christopher Kirchner, getting an up-close look at the logistics software company.

Valenzuela family left to right: Alexis, Diane, Alberto, Albane. (Beth Ann Nichols)

Golf has always been at the heart of the Valenzuela home. Alberto first met his wife Diane at Evian Golf Resort while competing in an exhibition match in 1991. Alberto, the reigning French Amateur champion, was competing in the event while Diane, a 10-handicap, was working in the export department for Evian.

When Diane faced brain surgery earlier this year, it was family golf connections that helped bring her to Dr. Ali Jalali at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. A golf-ball sized tumor was removed from Diane’s pituitary gland on Jan. 25, a delicate 4 ½-hour procedure that was dangerously close to the eye nerve.

“She was very courageous,” said Alberto.

A trait that runs deep in the family.

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What did these rookies do over the LPGA break? They graduated from Stanford

LPGA rookies used their downtime wisely to finish up degrees from the Pac-12 school.

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When Andrea Lee and Albane Valenzuela tee it up next week at the Drive On LPGA Championship, they’ll probably feel a little lighter than usual. In many ways, the LPGA restart will feel like the first day of school for the two LPGA rookies. Except that school is in the rearview mirror for these two. Over the COVID-19 break, Lee and Valenzuela became Stanford graduates.

“My mom bought this (graduation) cap off Amazon for $20,” said Lee, from her home in Hermosa Beach, California.

It was always going to be a tall task – juggling the beginning of an LPGA career with college courses. Never mind that it’s Stanford.

Andrea Lee celebrates her Stanford degree at home in Hermosa Beach, California. (Photo courtesy Andrea Lee)

Now, however, they can return to their new jobs free from homework assignments and make-up tests.

“It was definitely bittersweet,” said Lee of the June 14 online graduation. Both players snapped photos at the beach. Lee in California and Valenzuela in the Bahamas, where her family now resides.

Lee, a record nine-time winner at Stanford who took the McCormack Medal last year as the world’s leading amateur, said a few family members came over the day before for Korean barbecue and a Stanford-themed cake. On graduation day, she and her parents watched a 30-minute virtual ceremony. It wasn’t anything like she had pictured four years ago.

“Graduation happened and I cried,” she said. “My four years are over. Probably some of the best years of my life, and it just had a sad ending to it.”

Both Lee and Valenzuela earned LPGA status at Q-Series last November and decided to forgo their final semester of college to turn professional. They couldn’t know then that a global pandemic would wipe out spring college golf too.

The lockdown in the Bahamas was so strict, Valenzuela said, that there were times she literally could not step foot on the golf course outside her house.

“You could risk a fine of $20,000,” she said, “or five years in jail.”

When things did open up Valenzuela, a two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur finalist, got to work on her game. She also enjoyed games of squash with her brother and a growing passion for yoga.

The 2016 Olympian took three classes in her final quarter, including one on sleep.

Even after Valenzuela’s classes her over, she still found herself stressing out the next day.

“Am I really done?” she asked. “It doesn’t feel real when you’re online.”

The same goes for graduating several time zones away from campus. The teammates hope they can celebrate together sometime later this year.

For now, it will be a reunion of sorts at the Inverness Club, where 135 LPGA pros, including 15 rookies, will gather together to compete for the first time since mid-February. Lee competed twice on the LPGA before coronavirus halted play, taking a share of 62nd at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. Valenzuela will make her fourth LPGA start of the year next Friday. Both players are in the Marathon Classic as well, which takes place down the road from Inverness the following week.

“There’s no reshuffle for the rest of the year,” said Lee. “The only way to improve your status is to win. That’s definitely a goal of mine.”

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Star-studded freshman class guarantees tight race for top LPGA rookie in 2020

Of the tour’s 19 rookies, several have already made big impressions on the LPGA.

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This year’s Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year contest was such a runaway that winner Jeongeun Lee6 spent months working on her acceptance speech. The 2020 campaign should prove to be much a tighter race.

Of the tour’s 19 rookies, several have already made big impressions on the LPGA. Some are among the most decorated players to come out of collegiate golf in recent years, including Duke’s Leona Maguire and Andrea Lee of Stanford, who won a program record nine times for the Cardinal.

Of course, Lee’s priority ranking (161st) makes it difficult to know how many starts she’ll get at the start of the year. A strong early showing would put in her good position for the spring reshuffle, the route Cheyenne Knight took in 2019. Knight made the most of the opportunity, winning the last full-field event on the LPGA schedule in Texas.

Esther Henseleit, at No. 162, is in a similar position. The German rookie recently secured the Order of Merit title on the Ladies European Tour after a victory in Kenya.

Here are five standouts with strong status to keep an eye on next season:

Patty Tavatanakit, Thailand

UCLA star turned pro after the spring season and made it look easy on the Symetra Tour, winning three times in her first eight starts. An explosive player who shot 61 in the final round of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

Yealimi Noh, U.S.

Made a run at two LPGA titles in 2019 after Monday-qualifying for both events. The 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior champ finished second at the Cambia Portland Classic. Made a name for herself quickly as a pro despite having no status on any tour.

Leona Maguire, Ireland

No one spent more time at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking than Maguire. One of the best players in the history of college golf, the Duke grad finished seventh on the Symetra Tour money list to earn her card for 2020.

Haley Moore, U.S. ­

Graduated from Arizona and LPGA Q-Series before she even turned 21. The ceiling is high for a player who is learning how to keep her emotions in check. No stranger to the big stage, Moore is familiar with pressure.

Albane Valenzuela, Switzerland

Former Olympian and Stanford star is a seasoned player when it comes to professional events, particularly the majors. A two-time runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, skipped her final semester of college to make a run at Tokyo 2020.

The following is the complete list of 2020 LPGA rookies, with their priority ranking in parenthesis:

2019 Symetra Tour graduates

Patty Tavatanakit, Thailand (95)
Jillian Hollis, U.S. (98)
Leona Maguire, Ireland (100)
Esther Lee, U.S. (102)

LPGA Q-Series top 45 and ties

Yealimi Noh, U.S. (128)
Albane Valenzuela, Switzerland (135)
Jennifer Chang, U.S. (138)
Yui Kawamoto, Japan (137)
Haley Moore, U.S. (143)
Jiwon Jeon, South Korea (147)
Maia Schechter, U.S. (150)
Matilda Castren, Finland (154)
Linnea Johansson, Sweden (156)
Andrea Lee, U.S. (161)
Esther Henseleit, Germany (162)
Yujeong Son, South Korea (163)
Nuria Iturrioz, Spain (165)
Bianca Pagdanganan, Philippines (167)
Kyung Kim, U.S. (169)

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When it comes to college players, LPGA qualifying system still needs work

Time and time again, top college lose their best players after LPGA qualifying. The whole process needs another look.

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Albane Valenzuela apologized for the background noise. She was riding through campus on her bike (helmet on) as we discussed her decision to quit college golf with one semester remaining.

One day prior, the Stanford star stood before her teammates and told them something similar. Only there among friends, especially the seniors, Valenzuela bawled.

Walking out of that room, second thoughts poured in. Was she doing the right thing?

“I thought about that in my head,” she said, “but in my heart I think I knew it was time to turn pro.”

For those who don’t follow college golf regularly, this is a scene that plays out annually at top programs across the country. Elite players who want to position themselves for the next step sign up for LPGA qualifying and, in many cases, feel they can’t afford to put aside tour membership to finish out the spring semester. (It’s like the top five players in basketball getting drafted before March Madness.)

Along with Valenzuela, USC’s Jennifer Chang accepted her LPGA card and will turn pro for the start of the 2020 season. Florida’s Sierra Brooks and Frida Kinhult of Florida State will play a full season on the Symetra Tour in hopes of making their way to the LPGA.

The timing of Q-Series is awful for college programs. Stanford’s top-ranked player, Andrea Lee, has yet to announce if she will return for her final semester. It’s obviously impossible to replace two top-five players in the middle of the year.

Regardless of what Lee decides, the system still needs work.

The dates of Q-Series aren’t moving. So what else can be done?

Last year the LPGA allowed players to defer their tour status until after the spring semester. Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi were the first ones to try that route. Both enjoyed outstanding springs (Kupcho won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and Fassi won the NCAAs) and went on to keep their tour cards despite playing only half a season.

On one hand, the deferral system could be viewed as a rousing success. But it’s also possible that no one with a top-20 finish at Q-Series defers again.

Why? Because it’s a huge risk. Missing the first five months of the season presents a massive mountain to climb for a rookie. Kupcho killed it this year. She’s currently 38th on the money list with $502,123. Fassi, however, finished 98th on the money list and made only 11 starts. The difference between Fassi kicking back in November and heading to Q-Series was a mere $6,117.

Arkansas coach Shauna Estes-Taylor knows that hosting NCAAs last May played a massive role in Fassi’s decision to return to campus.

“If the situation had been different,” said Estes-Taylor, “I don’t know what her answer would’ve been.”

Similarly, the 2020 Olympics played a major role in Valenzuela’s decision to turn professional. She represented Switzerland in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro before coming to Stanford and places a return to that stage as her highest priority.

Even so, she’d like to see the LPGA work with college coaches to make it easier for players like her to finish out the spring semester.

Alabama coach Mic Potter believes a wrap-around money list might be a possible answer. Allow earnings to accumulate from June 1 to May 31 of the following year.

Here’s another idea: Rather than have the top players in college golf get a pass to the second stage of Q-School, where players only have to complete four rounds to earn Symetra Tour status, Estes-Taylor would like to see those players instead get exemptions straight onto the Symetra Tour after the spring season.

This would also keep players from needlessly missing college events in the fall and perhaps keep a few who aren’t ready for Q-Series from putting themselves in the position to advance by being forced to tee it up (and pay) for Stage II.

The LPGA is all about protecting its own. Well, here’s the truth: College players have a distinct advantage over professionals in the qualifying process.

Q-Series is an eight-day grind. There’s nothing easy about it. But college players certainly have the best shot at getting through because unlike professionals, they have a cushy backup plan.

“It’s not really fair,” said Estes-Taylor. “One group is playing to put food on the table, and the other group is testing the waters.”

The fix for that is an obvious one: Make Q-Series for professionals only.

“You go there as an amateur,” said Stacy Lewis, “you’ve got nothing to lose.”

(Lewis, by the way, was medalist at the 2008 Q-School after graduating from Arkansas.)

It’s not a bad thing to make these players face a decision that has consequences. The thought process for going to Q-Series and taking that next step without a safety net looks completely different to the current landscape.

Amateurs haven’t always been allowed to participate in Q-School.

Why not go back to that?

It’s up to the LPGA to make some changes that will benefit all of women’s golf. Deferral was a good idea in theory, but there won’t be many Kupchos and Fassis who follow.

College golf isn’t the tour’s responsibility, but it is the main feeder system for the LPGA and Symetra Tour, and the lifeblood of American women’s golf.

Once again, there’s got to be a better way.

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Albane Valenzuela opts to leave Stanford golf to live out LPGA dream

Stanford senior Albane Valenzuela will head straight to the LPGA rather than finish out the spring with the Cardinal.

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Albane Valenzuela dreams of returning to the Olympics in 2020. It’s her ultimate goal, and therefore a major reason why she decided to forgo her final semester at Stanford to give herself the best chance of getting to Tokyo.

The qualification period for the Olympics ends June 29, 2020. Valenzuela hopes her new LPGA status helps her make the field of 60 players. She represented Switzerland in Rio de Janeiro before starting at Stanford in 2016 and tied for 21st.

“I think it would complete a great circle,” said Valenzuela of the possibility of returning to the Olympics on the heels of graduating from Stanford with a degree in political science.

Valenzuela told her coaches and teammates earlier this week of her decision to quit college golf. She was one of two Stanford seniors to earn LPGA status for the 2020 season at the recent Q-Series. While Valenzuela tied for sixth, teammate Andrea Lee took a share of 30th. Lee, who was recently the top-ranked amateur in the world, has yet to announce her decision.

Stanford is currently ranked fifth by Golfweek.

A two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur finalist, Valenzuela is currently No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She has made the cut in numerous LPGA majors, recently earning low-amateur honors at the Evian Championship.

“My decision does not come from a place that I wanted to stop college golf,” said Valenzuela. “It was more about me and my aspirations as a professional golfer. My dream of going back to the Olympics.”

As a junior, Valenzuela was named the Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Year, the first in program history.

Of the five college players who teed it up at Q-Series, Valenzuela is the fourth to turn professional. She joins USC’s Jennifer Chang, Frida Kinhult of Florida State and Florida’s Sierra Brooks.

Last year the LPGA introduced the option to defer LPGA status to June so that players could participate in the postseason and still keep their cards. Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi were the first to choose that route. So far, no one has followed suit.

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