Tag: Alexa Pano

Lydia Ko, determined to bounce back from dismal 2023, tied for lead after 36 holes in LPGA opener

A win this week would provide a much-needed bounce-back for the former world No. 1.

A little more than a month ago, Lydia Ko teamed with Jason Day to win the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational, a new mixed team event for LPGA and PGA Tour players.

But a win this week would be a much bigger deal for Ko.

The 2022 champion of the CME Group Tour Championship didn’t qualify in 2023 and therefore couldn’t defend her title in the season-ender, putting a cap on a most disappointing season, her 10th on the LPGA.

But it appears that GTI win sparked something in her game.

Ko has opened 69-67 at her home course at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and will head to the weekend tied for the lead with Ayaka Furue, who shot 65-71.

“I think Grant Thornton helped a lot,” she said Friday afternoon. “We did a lot of good work the week before with my coach flying over and spending some time here at Lake Nona. I think even though you do good work, at the end of the day you got to pull it off and make that work when you’re playing and playing competitive rounds.

“Even though it was a unique format at Grant Thornton, I think it just was really beneficial week for me to kind of be in positions where I was uncomfortable and still be able to commit to my shots.”

So far this week she has eight birdies and eagle and just two bogeys. She had eight straight pars before a closing birdie in Friday’s round even as the weather turned a bit sour.

Ko, who is committed to a more aggressive schedule this season, has the comforts of home right around the corner as she seeks her 20th career victory but admits she has to make sure she’s not too comfortable.

“I have forgotten to set my alarm once and I turned up to the golf course later than I normally do because I was so used to being at home, sleeping in my own bed, so I’m trying to not make that mistake this year.”

The tournament also features a celebrity division, made up of pro golfers, former pro athletes from baseball, basketball and hockey as well as actors and comedians. Tied atop that leaderboard is Annika Sorenstam and former NHL standout Jeremy Roenick. They each have 75 points using the Modified Stableford scoring system.

2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Annika Sorenstam acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during the second round of the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando. (Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

“The weather in the end got a little iffy,” Sorenstam said. “I would say today was a good scramble day. Really scrambled out there. Didn’t hit as many good shots as yesterday. Just didn’t give up. Kept on fighting. Missed few more greens. Had to do some more chipping today. Just hung in there.”

Roenick sounded more than pleased with his round.

“I played well today. I think I shot 69 or 70 today, which was amazing. Didn’t make any mistakes. Just kept it on board,” he said.

Back on the main leaderboard, Gemma Dryburgh and Gaby Lopez are tied for third after 36 holes. Tied for fifth is defending tournament champ Brooke Henderson and Alexa Pano, in her second year on the LPGA.

“I was kind of a mess when I first started as a rookie last year, and I feel a lot more comfortable and got a good hang on things,” she said. “I worked really hard this off-season to be ready for this. I think this is the fun part. This is getting to see it all come to fruition.”

Other notables in the field of 35 include: Nelly Korda (4 under, T-7), Rose Zhang (4 under, T-7), world No. 1 Lilia Vu (2 under, T-16) and Danielle Kang (T-31, 3 over).

Photos: Lexi Thompson, Lilia Vu, Annika Sorenstam and more LPGA stars walk green carpet at Rolex Awards

The annual event is one of the highlights of the week at the CME, which is held in Naples, Florida.

With the season-ending 2023 CME Group Tour Championship winner upon us, LPGA stars walked the green carpet at the annual Rolex Awards banquet at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.

Among those in attendance were world No. 1 Lilia Vu and No. 2 Ruoning Yin, 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champ Allisen Corpuz, LPGA stars Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson as well as World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam.

The annual event is one of the highlights of the week at the CME, which is held in Naples, Florida, at Tiburon Golf Club. The top 60 golfers in the season-long standings compete for a $7 million purse. Celine Boutier and Vu entered the tournament at 1 and 2 in the standings.

Here’s a look at some of those who walked the green carpet (all photos provided by Jonah Hinebaugh for Naples Daily News):

Alexa Pano earns first LPGA win on 19th birthday at ISPS Handa World Invitational

Both Pano and Brown were first-time winners at the joint women’s and men’s event in Northern Ireland.

Alexa Pano got her first LPGA win for her birthday.

The teenage phenom turned 19 on Sunday and picked up a hard-earned victory at the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle Golf club in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Pano took down both Esther Henseleit and Gabriella Cowley – who all finished regulation at 8 under – in a three-way, three-hole playoff. Henseleit was eliminated first with a bogey on the par-5 18th. Pano and Cowley made par to force a third playing of No. 18, where Pano won with birdie.

“Gosh, this is so surreal. I mean, I still haven’t processed it,” said Pano after the round. “I couldn’t process it on 18 green, but still, kind of sinking in right now. Just so cool.”

MORE: Prize money payouts for the ISPS Handa World Invitational.

“Yeah, definitely was not conservative at all today,” said Pano. “I struggled a little bit off the tee, but other than that I was able to be aggressive. Luckily my putter was hot today, so that was helpful.”

Pano shot a 6-under 66 in the final round and forced a playoff with a pair of birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 after a late bogey on the par-4 16th. The Florida native didn’t know the situation on the leaderboard until someone on No. 17 made a comment.

“He was like, ‘shouldn’t have made bogey there.’ Kind of rude, but it motivated me to make two birdies back-to-back,” said Pano. “And so I did know going into 17, but that’s the only reason why. Those back-to-back birdies I knew I had to do, and luckily I did.”

After she earned her card for the season via LPGA Q-Series, Pano has made just five cuts in her rookie year, with one top-20 finish in addition to her win in 12 starts. She’s the third rookie to win this season and one of eight first-time winners on the season.

“Yeah, that’s pretty cool,” Pano said of the fact that she’s the youngest winner of the season at 19. “Was almost 18 but I guess I’m just better at 19.”

Before skipping college to turn professional, Pano had a decorated junior golf career and was a three-time Drive, Chip and Putt national finalist and the youngest player in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also featured in the 2012 Netflix documentary, The Short Game.

Daniel Brown wins mens title at ISPS

The ISPS Handa World Invitational is a unique event on the schedule as it features two competitions being held at the same time with 144 women and 144 men playing for $1.5 million in prize money.

On the men’s side, Daniel Brown ran away with a five-shot victory to claim his first victory in just his 20th start. Brown had just three top-10 starts entering the week, with a best finish of T-5 in March at the South African Open.

“It feels amazing. I could never have dreamed this up in the past however many years and months,” said Brown. “(My mom was) blubbering down the phone. I’m over the moon, but it probably hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t know. I almost still feel like someone’s going to crop up and say there’s another day left or something. Crazy.”

Brown took the lead on Thursday with a 6-under 64 and cruised to victory in the final round with a 1-under 69. Alex Fitzpatrick (68) finished second at 10 under, with Eddie Pepperell (68) in third at 7 under.

Unique event not on future schedule

This event, which showcases LPGA, LET and DP World Tour players, is not on the 2024 DP World Tour schedule, which was released last week.

Organizers told BBC Sport there are plans for another big event in the region, but the mixed format – in which male and female players compete for the same size purse – will not be extended.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1375]

LPGA Drive On: Lucy Li, Alexa Pano have plenty of LPGA experience, but it’s a week of firsts for most of tour’s rookies

There are more than 20 rookies in the filed at Superstition Mountain in Arizona.

Lucy Li and Alexa Pano have competed in a combined 22 LPGA events before teeing it up this week for the first time as LPGA members at the 2023 Drive On Championship. Sandwiched in between them at a pre-tournament presser sat Ellinor Sudow, a Swedish player who didn’t even seriously consider the LPGA until she got to college. This week marks her first LPGA start.

Of the 31 LPGA rookies this season, 23 are in the field this week for the first full-field domestic tournament. Li, who earned her card by finishing in the top 10 on the Epson Tour last season, hasn’t teed it up in an LPGA event since last October. Both Sudow and Pano qualified through Q-Series.

In between practice, Li, 20, got cranking on her schoolwork at the University of Pennsylvania. She will soon declare a double major in data analytics and psychology. Both 18-year-old Pano and Li turned professional out of high school.

“I’m taking one course now and pretty much just started my junior year in college,” said Li, “so I got a lot of good work done.”

Pano, who gained fame when she appeared in the Netflix documentary “The Short Game,” tied for 32nd at the LET’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International in February and then recently played two events on the Epson Tour. Pano made her first start on the LPGA in 2018 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. She’s made the cut once in eight starts.

“It kind of feels like I’ve been working towards this for a really long time,” said Pano, “so been a very long time coming.”

While Pano and Li made headlines as pre-teens, Sudow took up golf rather late in life and never qualified for the Swedish National Team. After playing collegiately at UNC Charlotte and later Arizona for graduate work, Sudow signed up for qualifying school hoping to get Epson Tour status and wound up with an LPGA card.

“I was super stoked to be here yesterday,” said Sudow, “just coming down the range for the first time, see all the players and having Nelly (Korda) behind me and all that cool stuff.”

When asked about goals for the season, Pano talked about having an open mind and learning. Li echoed similar thoughts and talked about focusing on her process.

Sudow, however, didn’t hold back.

“I think we’re stupid if we don’t say we want to be Rookie of the Year and win a tournament,” said Sudow. “That’s why we’re here. We’re here to compete. That would be really cool to me. I usually set really lofty goals.

“I don’t know if they’re realistic, but that’s the dream and what we’re aiming for.”

Here are several LPGA rookies making their tour debut this week:

Alexa Pano, Muni He, Gabriela Ruffels among the 10 players who received sponsor invites to Saudi Ladies International

Meet all 10 players here.

Next week’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International features a stellar field and a $5 million purse, now the highest prize fund in women’s golf outside of the majors and the LPGA’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Up from $1 million last season, the women’s purse now matches that of the men’s Saudi International, won last week by Abraham Ancer.

Many of the best players in the women’s game will make their 2023 season debut next week, including World No. 1 Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Atthaya Thitikul and In Gee Chun. In all, 13 major winners have entered.

The 120-player field will feature 60 Ladies European Tour players, 50 from the top 300 in the Rolex Rankings and 10 sponsor invites. The event, which is presented by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, takes place Feb. 16-19 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. The winner will receive $750,000.

Other notable players who have committed include Danielle Kang, Nasa Hataoka, Yuka Saso, Maria Fassi, Hyo-Joo Kim, Hannah Green and Andrea Lee.

The LET’s Saudi-backed events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.

The 13 major winners in the Saudi Ladies International field boast 18 major titles between them.

While the purse is significant for every player in the field, it’s especially impactful for those with only LET status as well as those who have limited starts before the LPGA’s first full-field event of the season in late March.

The LPGA is in the midst of a month-long break before staging back-to-back limited-field events in Thailand and Singapore.

Here’s a closer look at the 10 players who received sponsor invitations and are entered into the field, which includes a wide mix of veterans and up-and-comers:

A dozen LPGA rookies to watch in 2023, including a couple of former American prodigies, a Division II college star and a 10-time winner from Japan

Keep an eye on these 12 rookies in 2023.

It’s not often that an LPGA rookie rises to No. 1 in the world, but Atthaya Thitikul proved to be a special player last season. Will anyone be able to make such a strong showing in 2023?

This year’s rookie class is once again highly global. In fact, an American hasn’t won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award since Paula Creamer in 2005.

There are, however, a couple of American hotshots who made headlines before they graduated from elementary school in the 2023 rookie class. Could Lucy Li or Alexa Pano break that drought?

Here are a dozen LPGA rookies to keep an eye on in 2023:

Meet each of the 46 players who earned LPGA cards at Q-Series for 2023, including rookies who span in age from 18 to 31

Meet the players who played their way onto the LPGA for 2023.

After a fortnight of pressure-packed golf, 46 players representing 21 different countries earned LPGA status for 2023 through Q-Series. A total of 23 of the 46 players will be LPGA rookies.

Hae Ran Ryu earned medalist honors, finishing at 29 under. The KLPGA player came into the event ranked 50th in the world. Ryu broke 70 in six of the eight rounds.

“I didn’t think that I could earn the LPGA tour card so soon,” said Ryu. “It’s still unreal to me that I could play on the LPGA tour.”

Three teenagers earned LPGA status for the first time, including former Netflix star Alexa Pano. Two players who are 30 and over are LPGA members for the first time.

Former Wake Forest player Ines Laklalech made history by becoming the first LPGA member from Morocco as well as North Africa and the Arab region.

Six players turned professional at the start of Q-Series. Two of those players earned LPGA status: Valery Plata and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.

Plata, a fifth-year senior at Michigan State, prepped for final exams all throughout the tournament.

“I think it was good for me to just go home, stop thinking about what happened on the golf course and just think about school,” said Plata, who was 4 over in her first nine holes on Day 1 and finished the tournament 25 under.

Players who finished in positions 1-20 earned category 14 LPGA status, while those in positions 21-45 will be in category 15. Players in category 14 will be ranked higher on the priority status list that fills tournament fields. Players are listed in the order of their finish at Q-Series.

Check out the complete list of players who earned LPGA status below:

LPGA Q-Series: Former Netflix star, an NAIA history maker and freshly-minted pros set for 144-hole grind

Meet 12 of the players set for the 144-hole grind.

One hundred players will tee it up this week at LPGA Q-Series, an eight-round grind that begins on Dec. 1 and ends Dec. 11. The first week will be contested at the RTJ Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, at the Crossings and Falls courses.

The field will be cut to top 70 and ties after the first week of competition. The second week of competition will take place at Highland Oaks Golf Course in Dothan, Alabama.

A total of 45 players will receive LPGA status in 2023. This is the first year that players were required to turn professional before entering Q-Series. A total of six players turned pro for this week: Nataliya Guseva, Minji Kang, Ashley Lau, Heather Lin, Valery Plata and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.

Players in the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings automatically advanced to the final stage. Those players include: Yuna Nishimura (44), Hae Ran Ryu (51) and Minami Katsu (56).

Players who finish in the top 20 of Q-Series will fall under Category 14 of the LPGA Priority List. Those who finish 21-45 and ties earn Category 15 and Epson Tour status Category C.

Those who complete all four rounds before the cut earn Epson Tour status.

This year’s field features an eclectic group of players, including former college hotshots, up-and-comers and a former Netflix star.

“No one really wants to be here,” said Dewi Weber, who finished 101st on the CME points list this year, one position shy of a full card.

“The vibes are always really, really weird at Q-school. But I was a rookie on the LPGA, but I feel like I’m kind of a vet when it comes to Q-school because I’ve done this now four times, even though I don’t want to but I have.”

Former USGA champ Gabriella Then breaks through on Epson Tour as new pro Alexa Pano places second

Gabriella Then is the third straight first-time winner of the 2022 Epson Tour season.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Gabriella Then, a former USGA champion, quit golf and took a job in marketing and sales at Le Mieux skin care. That decision came after she missed out on advanging to Stage II of LPGA Qualifying School by a single stroke in 2019.

But Then couldn’t stay away, and in 2021 she won three times in four months on the Cactus and Women’s All Pro Tours and then won Ladies European Tour Q-School.

On Sunday, the 26-year-old Then added another first when she broke through on the Epson Tour, winning the Garden City Charity Classic in Garden City, Kansas, with a 5-under 67 in the final round. A 27-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole ultimately wrapped up the two-stroke victory for Then over 17-year-old Alexa Pano.

“I can’t believe it happened. After doing this since 2017, I’ve been through so much and never imagined I would win an Epson Tour event one day,” said Then. “The feeling is amazing.”

Then finished at 12-under for the tournament, becoming the third straight first-time winner of the 2022 Epson Tour season.

Birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 16 from Pano cut Then’s lead to one. That is, until Then drained that eagle bomb.

“I’m pretty satisfied with how I played. Wish I could have got it done, but it’s OK,” said Pano. “I felt comfortable with the course and had a really good feeling waking up this morning. This is good momentum. If I have a lot more events like this, it’ll be a good season.”

Pano made her pro debut last week on the Epson Tour and shot 79-73-73. She finished tied for 10th earlier this year on the tour as an amateur.

The top 10 players on the money list at season’s end earn LPGA cards for 2022. With her victory, Then moved up to No. 7 on the list. Pano sits at 15th.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Fifteen-time USGA champion Alexa Pano turns professional, will make pro debut on Epson Tour

In 2019, she was the youngest golfer to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open.

Alexa Pano had one final goal to reach before turning professional: Play a competitive round at Augusta National.

To do that, she had to qualify for the final round of the recent Augusta National Women’s Amateur, doubling the pressure on the 17-year-old.

“It was definitely a massive deal to get it done this year,” Pano said Tuesday. “Everything revolved around that being my last event. I was so happy I could get it done this year. It was everything I dreamed of.”

Few knew when Pano walked off the hallowed course on April 2 after shooting a 74 and tying for 12th, that it would be her final round as an amateur. On Tuesday, Pano announced on social media she is turning professional, saying the decision “has been a long time coming.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcRFmcbOHHQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“This is her life decision,” said Rick Pano, Alexa’s dad and caddie. “I’m extremely happy she is doing this.”

Rick said it didn’t hit him until the practice round at Augusta National, the day before the ANWA final.

“She’s walking down the fairway … it just popped into my head and I said, ‘Tomorrow’s it.’ ”

Pano’s amateur career has been legendary. Her list of accomplishments stacks up with the best: Three appearances in the AWNA and that top 12 finish this year, a member of the winning United States Junior Ryder Cup team in 2016, 15 USGA championships, tied for the most U.S. Kids Golf World Championships with five and 19 LPGA/Epson tournaments.

2022 Augusta National Women's Amateur
Alexa Pano of the United States plays her stroke from the No. 1 tee during a practice round for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 1, 2022. (Photo: Augusta National Women’s Amateur)

In 2019, she was the youngest golfer to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open and to play in the inaugural ANWA. At 11, she was the youngest golfer to play an LPGA of Japan Tour event.

Pano said one of her coaches texted her Tuesday and asked if she felt any different.

“I kind of feel exactly the same,” she told him.

Pano’s maturity and ability to not be overwhelmed by the moment have defined her career. That will come in handy next week when she plays her first tournament on the Epson Tour as a professional, the Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah.

“I don’t think there will be any nerves,” said Pano, who is being homeschooled and will receive her high school diploma this year. “It’s kind of just like another golf tournament for me. I’ve always gone into every event I was playing in to try and win it, even when I’ve had good weeks and bad weeks. I don’t think anything changes as far as golf mindset.”

Pano has full status on the Epson Tour – the qualifying tour of the LPGA – after finishing in the top 10 of Stage II of the LPGA Q-School in October. She is planning to play in 16 Epson events. She has been invited to play in an LPGA Tour event in Japan in the fall and may play in two or three others.

Pano also will attempt to qualify for the June 2-5 U.S. Women’s Open next month.

“It’s my belief that she did it for two reasons, both competitive,” Rick said. “Since she was 8, she always wanted to play against the best players in the world, the highest level she could. And she’s driven by seeing how good she can get.

“It’s a different mentality, it’s a different emotion, and it’s different maturity level. I think we’re prepared for it, but you never know until you get there.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]