Tag: AmazingCre Portland Classic

Former Stanford star Andrea Lee lost her card last year, and then clawed her way back to win on the LPGA in Portland

Andrea Lee broke down in tears during her post-round interview as she dedicated the victory to her late grandpa.

Andrea Lee’s very fine drive on the 17th hole came to rest in a divot. There’s never a good time to find a divot, but this was an especially terrible time, given that Lee was vying for her first LPGA title on the 71st hole of the AmazingCre Portland Classic.

She tugged her 6-iron to the left and ultimately got up-and-down with a beautiful bunker shot, as if the divot never happened.

The former No. 1-ranked amateur lost her tour card last season and played on the Epson Tour earlier this year. Rock bottom came last April when she felt so lost on the golf course that she wanted to withdraw and go home. She didn’t, of course, because Lee is a fighter. And that bad luck divot wasn’t going to stop her either.

“It’s more than anything I could have imagined,” said Lee of her one-stroke victory in Portland. “I cannot believe it.”

Lee came into the final round with a share of the lead, but a pair of bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3 got her off to a sluggish start. She rebounded with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-7, and the former Stanford star joined a long list of players who had a chance late in the day at Columbia Edgewater.

Lee, a nine-time winner at Stanford, closed with a 6-under 66 to finish at 19 under and edge former Miami player Daniela Darquea by one stroke. Darquea came into the week 108th on the CME points list with only four starts on the LPGA this season, including the U.S. Women’s Open and Dow team event. She’d played most of the season on the Epson Tour, but made the most of her time in Portland, birdieing the last three holes to finish second.

Similarly, Esther Henseleit revitalized her season with a share of third. The German player came into the week 103rd on the CME list. The top 100 keep their card for the 2023 season.

Like Lee, UCLA’s Lilia Vu won a bunch in the Pac-12 and spent time as the top-ranked amateur in the world. Both are on the short list as rookie for next year’s U.S. Solheim Cup team. Vu joined Henseleit in a share of third with Narin An, Hannah Green and Ayake Furue.

“Andrea played amazing,” said Vu. “She literally hits every single shot like a foot, and I just knew like playing today, I’m playing with like the straightest hitters, and, me, I’m struggling all week to find a fairway.”

Sweden’s Maja Stark made her debut as an LPGA member this week and finished solo eighth. The Ladies European Tour star won the ISPS Handa World Invitational to earn LPGA membership. Stark was less than satisfied with her closing 66.

“My driver was kind of everywhere,” said Stark. “Pulled mostly left, but and then my irons weren’t very good and my wedges have been terrible all week.

“So I’m just happy that I managed to go under par to be honest.”

2022 AmazingCre Portland Classic
Andrea Lee poses with the trophy and her father James Lee after winning the 2022 AmazingCre Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Lee broke down in tears during her post-round interview with the Golf Channel as she dedicated the victory to her late grandfather, who died last November. He always called her a champion.

“My grandpa loved golf,” said Lee. “I’m kind of sad that I didn’t get to play more rounds of golf with him or just go to the range together, but we were close and he helped us out a lot when we were in tough times during junior golf. It’s a very expensive sport and he was a huge supporter and he was my No. 1 fan besides my mom and dad.”

She was also emotional about the loss of her dog, Toki, who died earlier this year and would’ve turned 14 yesterday.

Lee melted even more in the arms of her father, who told her he was proud.

“My dad is not a man of many words,” said Lee, “so it was just a nice moment to have with him.”

Her next big goal: win a major.

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LPGA: Three players tied for the lead, six others within two entering final round of AmazingCre Portland Classic

Lilia Vu is one of three players tied for the lead with 18 holes to play.

Lilia Vu considered giving up the game of golf in 2019 after missing all but one cut on the LPGA and earning just over $3,000. Now she’s 18 holes away from grabbing her first win.

Vu has finished inside the top 20 in three of her last four starts, including the last time she teed it up in the Dana Open two weeks ago. Her form has made the trip to Portland, Oregon, for the AmazingCre Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

The 24-year-old followed up her Friday 66 with a Saturday 68 thanks to five birdies and two bogeys.

To claim her maiden victory, she’ll have to fend off a tightly-packed leaderboard.

She’s tied with Andrea Lee and Ayaka Furue for the lead, while six players are within two shots.

Portland Classic: Leaderboard

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The round of the day belonged to Frida Kinhult, who used an eagle at the par-5 fifth to fire a 7-under 65. She’s tied for 10th and three shots back heading into the final round.

Brooke Henderson sits T-14 at 9 under and Nelly Korda is 8 under, T-19.

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Maja Stark making the most of her first start as LPGA member at AmazingCre Portland Classic

Now with full membership on the LPGA, Maja Stark is seeking her second win.

Maja Stark, who became a first-time winner on the LPGA in August, is playing her first event as a member of LPGA at the AmazingCre Portland Classic this week.

Come Sunday, she might be hoisting a trophy for a second time in her young professional career.

Stark opened 69-67 at Columbia Edgewater and was tied for fourth, a solid start for someone still finding confidence at the highest level.

“It’s very satisfying to know that I can do it and wasn’t just a fluke that I played well last time,” she said after her round which included an eagle, five birdies but also two bogeys. “I felt like I was struggling out there today, and then coming in with a minus-5, I’m over the moon that can it feel so bad but then end up working out.”

Comfortably making the cut could make for a little easier breathing over the final 36 holes.

“I’m just excited about maybe my mental state being a bit better this weekend,” the 22-year-old said.

At the top of the leaderboard is 23-year-old Esther Henseleit of Germany and 24-year-old American Lilia Vu. Both got to 10 under Friday and will sleep on a one-stroke lead.

Henseleit’s position atop the leaderboard may be a little bit of a surprise. She has 10 missed cuts in 18 starts this season. Her best finish is a tie for 12th, and that was back in March.

But Friday, Henseleit made nine birdies during a 13-hole stretch, including five in a row on her back nine, to shoot a 64, tying for low round of the week so far.

Vu backed up her opening-round 68 with a 66 on Friday. She has four top-10s this season including a solo third at the Bank of Hope Match Play.

Carlota Ciganda is solo third at 9 under. Ciganda has three top-5s this season including a tie for third in the Amundi Evian Championship.

Andrea Lee, who is tied for fourth with Stark along with four others, also shot a 64 on Friday.

Local knowledge appears to continue to pay dividends for Caroline Inglis, a member at Columbia Edgewater. On Friday, she made a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th hole.

“I like hit it kind of like, not very good, like it was like thin. I was like, okay, it’ll bounce up. That’s fine. It took a really big first bounce and just like went in,” she said. Inglis lives just down the road from the course and plays it often with her husband.

“I was so shocked like that it actually happened at my home course on a hole that I played so many times. I was like, oh, my God. Like in a tournament. Because I’ve had, this is my sixth one, but only ever had one other in a tournament but it was in college.

“It was just so surprising. It was fun.”

Inglis is tied for 10th at 7 under.

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Nelly Korda can retake No. 1 ranking with a victory in Portland, and she’s off to a strong start

The No. 2-ranked player carded an eventful first-round 67 that included a double-bogey followed by eagle.

Nelly Korda can once again move to No. 1 in the world. It will take a victory in her debut at the AmazingCre Portland Classic to do it, but No. 2-ranked Korda is off to a strong start, carding an eventful 5-under 67 that included a double-bogey on No. 6, immediately followed by eagle.

“It was a very colorful front nine,” said Korda. “Kind of up and down day, but ended on the good side. Overall, I played some solid golf. Maybe made a few stupid errors, but that’s golf.”

Ayako Uehara paces the field early at Columbia Edgewater after an opening 65. Hannah Green sits alone in second at 6 under.

Korda first rose to No. 1 in June of last year after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club. She has spent a total of 29 weeks at No. 1, trading back and forth with Jin Young Ko.

AmazingCre Portland Classic: Leaderboard

With Ko out until at least late October with a nagging wrist injury, there’s an open door for Korda to make a move. Korda posted seven birdies and an eagle in her opening round, hitting 11 fairways and 15 greens.

“I told myself it’s just the first day,” said Korda. “Can’t win it, but you can definitely lose it. So I just tried to stay pretty confident in what I was working on with my coach, Jamie Mulligan, the past week.”

2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
Caroline Inglis plays her shot from the bunker on the eighth hole during the first round of the 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan. (Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Caroline Inglis, a member at Columbia Edgewater for seven years, holds a share of third at 5 under with Hinako Shibuno and Korda. Inglis is close friends with the club’s superintendent, Jim Myers.

“He was telling me because it’s pretty like soft for normal member play, you know, you can’t get the greens like crazy fast and firm,” said Inglis.

“And, like, I would say the greens definitely firmed up a lot since like Monday, Tuesday, which is great. I love that. They’re fast and they’re rolling so pure. They’re really good.”

Inglis played collegiate golf at Oregon and joined the tour in 2017. This could be a pivotal week for the 28-year-old, who is currently 120th in CME points. The top 100 players keep their cards for the 2023 season. Inglis began the year with conditional status and didn’t get her first start until April. After four straight missed cuts, she tied for 14th last week in Cincinnati.

“I’ve been trying to take the opportunities as they come and play my best,” said Inglis. “It was nice to like have a good week last week and see some of the hard work pay off.

“So feel like my game is in a good place, and I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully ride the momentum.”

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World No. 1 Jin Young Ko won’t defend at this week’s AmazingCre Portland Classic

Ko is sitting out the next few weeks under medical advisement for an overworked wrist.

Jin Young Ko will not be in the field this week to defend her title at the AmazingCre Portland Classic, which returns to Columbia Edgewater Country Club. Golf Digest first reported that she’s out with a recurring wrist injury and will likely return to competition in late October at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea.

The LPGA confirmed that Ko is sitting out the next few weeks under medical advisement for an overworked wrist.

That means Ko will also miss the Ascendant LPGA event in Texas later this month, which she won last year as well at the Old American Golf Club.

The World No. 1 famously hit 63 consecutive greens in regulation, the longest streak in LPGA and PGA Tour history, last year at the CME Group Tour Championship on that bum left wrist. Her wrist hurt so bad, in fact, that she didn’t take a full swing beyond her 52-degree wedge while warming up before any of her rounds.

Ko, 27, has missed the cut in her last two starts. She won once this year, in her first start of 2022 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and last finished in the top 10 at the Amundi Evian Championship, where she tied for eighth.

While Ko isn’t in Portland, World No. 2 Nelly Korda returns to action for the first time since the CP Women’s Open, where she tied for second. Korda missed four months of competition earlier this season with a blood clot that required surgery.

Ko has been ranked No. 1 for the past 32 weeks, dating back to Jan. 31, 2022. She’s held the No. 1 position for a total of 138 weeks.

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