Tag: Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

LPGA: Here are 10 teams to watch this week, featuring stars Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Lexi Thompson, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Leona Maguire

Here are 10 teams to watch this week at the LPGA’s 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

The 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will feature a wonderful blend of past and present. While sisters Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson are two the biggest names on the current tour, Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb are two of the biggest names of all time. They’ll all be in action in the same field this Wednesday-Saturday at the LPGA’s only team event.

This year, 72 two-person teams will vie for a purse of $2.5 million at Midland Country Club in Michigan. The victory will be considered an official LPGA title.

Here are 10 teams to keep an eye on this week, with Rolex Ranking in parenthesis:

LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes team event announces extension through 2029

72 two-person teams will compete this week for a $2.5 million purse.

Team golf will be around for a while on the LPGA, with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational announcing an extension through 2029. The announcement comes as 72 two-person teams will compete this week for a $2.5 million purse.

The event debuted at Midland Country Club in 2019 and since then, the Dow GLBI has donated more than $1 million to local charities and organizations. And while partnering annually with 250 local companies, the event is estimated to have brought more than $25 million in economic impact to the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn won last year’s edition.

“As we celebrate our 125th Anniversary, I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off this year’s event and look ahead to the future than by sharing the news of Dow’s continued commitment to the Great Lakes Bay Region and to the LPGA Tour,” said Jim Fitterling, Dow Chairman and CEO. “Our partnership with the LPGA Tour continues to be a perfect platform for us to positively impact our region while showcasing our efforts in sustainability and inclusion as well as our customer-centric approach to doing business.

LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb will both compete in this year’s contest, with Sorenstam partnering with fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom and Webb with Marina Alex.

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LPGA legends Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb set to compete in back-to-back weeks in July, including a senior major

LPGA fans will get a rare treat this July when Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb tee it up in the same tournaments.

LPGA fans will get a rare treat this July when Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb tee it up in the same tournaments in back-to-back weeks.

First up for the LPGA Hall of Famers is the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, a team event at Midland Country Club from July 13-16 in Michigan. Sorenstam will partner with fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom, while Webb will team up with Marina Alex, who won her second LPGA title in early May.

It will mark the first time the two legends have teed it up in the same event since the ADT Championship in 2008.

From there, Webb and Sorenstam will head to Kansas for the LPGA Senior Championship July 22-24 at Salina Country Club. Both will make their debut in the championship, which is open to players 45 and older.

Other notable players in the Senior field include Juli Inkster, Laura Davies, Hollis Stacy, Jan Stephenson, Pat Hurst, Rosie Jones, Liselotte Neumann, Catrin Nilsmark, Laura Baugh, Michelle McGann and two-time winner Trish Johnson.

Sorenstam, 51, won the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open last summer, which is limited to players 50 and over. Webb, 47, has teed it up on the LPGA twice this season, most recently the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

2006 Florida's Natural Charity Classic
Karrie Webb watches her tee shot on the 11th hole during the third round of the 2006 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at Eagle’s Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Georgia. (Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Sorenstam and Webb have combined for 113 LPGA titles, including 17 majors. Together the LPGA icons have won a total of 150 titles worldwide. Sorenstam retired from the LPGA in 2008 and Webb began playing a limited schedule in 2018.

“I’m probably not as intense as I once was,” said Webb with a smile, when asked about summer tournament prep.

For Sorenstam, it will mark three consecutive weeks of competition as she will first participate in the American Century Championship July 8-10 near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Earlier this summer, Sorenstam competed in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, where she missed the cut.

Bosque Real Golf Club
Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb at the Bosque Real Golf Club in Huixquilucan, Mexico in 2005. (Photo: Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)

This will be Sorenstam’s first LPGA regular season competitive start since the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA, where she made the cut on her home course in her first tour start in more than a dozen years.

“I’m super excited to tee it up alongside my friend, Madelene for the Dow GLBI,” Sorenstam said. “She’s got a positive attitude and I’ve enjoyed practicing and spending time with her. I’ve heard great things about this tournament from my friends on the LPGA Tour. Team events are always fun and I’m looking forward to the experience.”

Madelene Sagstrom and Annika Sorenstam (courtesy photo)

Sagstrom won the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio and represented Europe for a second time at the 2021 Solheim Cup at Inverness.

“Annika is one of the greatest Solheim Cup players in history and teaming up with her for the Dow GLBI will be a thrill of a lifetime,” said Sagstrom. “We have begun practicing at home in Orlando, and we can’t wait to tee it up in Midland in July.”

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Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn fire another 59 to clinch Dow Great Lakes Bay team event

The Jutanugarn sisters had experienced just about everything together in golf – except winning.

Ariya and Moryia Jutanguarn fired a second 59 in the best-ball format en route to victory at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. The Jutanugarn sisters had experienced just about everything together in golf – except winning.

With her sister in the water on the final hole, Ariya drained a 35-foot birdie putt from off the green to put a stamp on a three-stroke victory over defending champions Jasmine Suwannapura and Cydney Clanton. The players known as Mo and May finished at 24 under for the tournament.

“Of course we won this for Grace,” said Ariya, whose regular caddie Pete Godfrey was back in Dallas with 10-month-old daughter Grace, who was hospitalized with seizures and brain swelling during the Volunteers of America Classic. Godfrey is married to LPGA player Jane Park.

“He always put a smile on his face to make us happy,” said Ariya, “and he’s always like give us the best support, and he keep telling us, ‘You got this, go win for Gracie.’ And we did.”

The Jutanugarns birdied five consecutive holes from Nos. 9-13. Ariya birdied the last two holes to seal the tournament. This is Ariya’s 12th career LPGA title and second of the season. Her victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand on May 9 snapped a drought that dated back to July 2018 (1,015 days).

This is Moriya’s second LPGA title and her first since April 2018.

Ariya said the win with her sister tops every other of her career.

“I just really enjoy every moment this week,” said Moriya.

After struggling in the third round of alternate shot, Ariya told Moriya the strategy in the final round was to birdie every hole.

At the start of the season, Ariya said, the sisters arrange their schedule around the Dow to make sure they get to play together. While the support is evident, there’s also a bit of inner-competition to see who can make the most birdies each round.

“Still me,” said Ariya, jabbing her older sister.

“No matter what, like she probably hit a few trees out there,” said Moriya, “but she still make a lot of birdies for me, so I forgive her. We very enjoy it.”

The winning team this week received the standard two-year winner’s exemption on the LPGA Priority List. CME points and prize money are official for the purposes of the current-year LPGA Official Money List and Race to the CME Globe Standings. Rolex Player of the Year points and Rolex Rankings points were not allocated.

When Clanton teamed up with Suwannapura two years ago, she was bouncing back and forth between the LPGA and Symetra Tours. A victory at the Dow changed the course of her career. The pair closed with a 64 on Saturday to finish solo second.

“Jasmine and I just talked on the 18th green, man, we felt like we won this on,” said Clanton. “It was tough conditions today, it was windy, we didn’t think anybody would go super low, but Ariya and Moriya played great today, so they deserved it.”

Rookies A Lim Kim and Yealimi Noh tied for third with Pajaree Anannarukarn and Aditi Asok. The Korda sisters, who led after the opening round, tied for 17th.

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Team format gives much-needed spark to LPGA moms at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

The moms in the field at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational have had revelations about both golf and life this week.

Afternoon tee times used to be a luxury for the Mom Squad. Now when a 2 p.m. tee times comes around, Jackie Stoelting and Katherine Perry-Hamski feel like they’ve already put in a full day caring for their two sons.

Stoelting, 35, and Perry-Hamski, 29, have teamed up for this week’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, and the format might prove to be just what the pair needed to kickstart the next chapter of their careers.

The revelation: “We’ve both been playing conservatively,” said Stoelting, a former Division II player at Florida Southern, “in that we’re trying to make the cut. We both have a lot on the line with having kids and trying to pay the bills at home.”

The Mom Squad traveled together before they were moms as both husbands caddied. There was an ongoing husbands vs. wives card competition on the road. Stoelting’s husband, Travis, has since gone back to work as a head golf professional. The guaranteed income freed them up financially to try and get pregnant. The COVID-19 pandemic extended Stoelting’s maternity leave to 14 months without a tournament after welcoming son Baren into the world.

Katherine’s husband, Kevin, worked as a general manager at several golf clubs before leaving to caddie for his wife. After Perry-Hamski had her best season to date in 2019, the couple felt it was time to start a family.

Both players made their first cut of the season at the VOA earlier this month, with Stoelting finishing T-14 and Perry-Hamski, a North Carolina grad, in a tie for 67th.

Jackie Stoelting and Katherine Perry-Hamski pose with sons Baren and John. (courtesy photo)

Heading into the final round at the Dow, the pair were in a tie for 23rd. Another mom duo, major champs Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang, were tied for seventh, five strokes back.

“It’s been a long year for me,” said Lang, “and I needed this so bad. To play with Brittany, I’ve learned a lot. I feel like I need to kind of switch my mentality more aggressively …  just to have fun on the golf course again because I have not had fun in a long time.”

Former No. 1 Stacy Lewis, who won for the first time as a mom last year at the Scottish Open, also held a share of seventh heading into the final round with fellow Arkansas star Maria Fassi. Other moms in the field include Sarah Jane Smith and Sydnee Michaels, who played with separate partners and did not make the cut.

During Friday’s round, a fire alarm went off and an ambulance drove up to the clubhouse at Midland Country Club. The two moms immediately began to worry about their kids. It wasn’t until Stoelting’s mom gave the thumbs-up that their kids were safe that Perry-Hamski burst into tears on the 10th tee.

Perry-Hamski’s son John is two days older than Jane Park’s daughter Grace. They’ve talked every day for the past 10 months, sharing milestones and advice. The emotion that came out on the 10th tee, she said, was a build-up over all the heartache felt for Park and her family after Grace was hospitalized with seizures and brain swelling during the tour stop in Dallas.

“They had a perfectly healthy child two weeks ago,” said Perry-Hamski. “It’s heartbreaking, and I wish there was more we could do for them.”

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Defending champs Cydney Clanton, Jasmine Suwannapura take co-lead into final round of Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Suwannapura and Clanton posted their third straight 65 a jumping into a tie for the lead with Pajaree Anannarukarn and Aditi Ashok

Experience and consistency are keys to success on the LPGA. For Jasmine Suwannapura and Cydney Clanton, the experience part — at least in terms of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational — is something they’ve got firmly in their back pocket, as the duo still holds the title of reigning champs at the team event in Midland, Michigan.

And through three rounds, the pair certainly has shown consistency. On Friday, Suwannapura and Clanton posted their third straight 65 and while other teams ebbed and flowed, Team All In stayed the course in jumping to a tie for the lead with Pajaree Anannarukarn and Aditi Ashok. Carlota Ciganda and Mel Reid are a stroke behind heading into the final day of play at Midland Country Club.

“I think we stayed pretty patient. I don’t think just because we win two years ago it doesn’t mean that the golf course was easy. Doesn’t mean that we’re going to be able to play some good golf,” Suwannapura said. “It’s just golf. Like we just stay patient and find opportunities for ourselves to make birdies and have fun with each other.”

There’s plenty at stake on Saturday as eight different teams are within five shots of the lead at 10 under, including the sister duo of Jessica and Nelly Korda. A string of four straight birdies on the front helped the Kordas finish with a 66. Among the teams also at 10 under are Minjee Lee/Yuka Saso, Maria Fassi/Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lang/Brittany Lincicome.

Lincicome said she’s eager to get the final round started and feels like her team can make a run.

“Absolutely. Two balls in play, two looks at birdie on every hole, and I think you’re less afraid to mess up then when it’s not alternate-shot. So we’ll be a little bit more free tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll just start rolling them in,” she said. “Having all these fans, too. It’s so great to hear them cheering for us and rooting us on. We haven’t had that in so long, so we can’t thank them enough for coming out and supporting.”

For Suwannapura and Clanton the Dow defense has been an impressive one. While the pair ran away with the title in 2019 — the event wasn’t held last year due to the pandemic — this year’s tournament has been more taxing, yet they’re still in position to win.

“I think it would be really special. There’s so many good memories, especially for me in this situation in 2018. But to come back and play good again, and I feel like we’ve grinded all week, I feel that 2019 felt a little bit easier than this week. I feel like we’ve grinded really hard,” Clanton said. “So that’s what the goal is. The goal is to grind. All of us want to win, and so it would be really cool to do it two times in a row.

“I think we’d probably be speechless tomorrow to be honest with you. I’m sure all the emotions will come, but can’t really worry about tomorrow until tomorrow.”

Can a team event with Stacy Lewis be the catalyst that turns around Maria Fassi’s year?

Could four rounds with Stacy Lewis be the catalyst that turns around Maria Fassi’s year? Judging by her words, it sure seems that way.

Could four rounds with Stacy Lewis be the catalyst that turns around Maria Fassi’s year? Judging by her words and demeanor after Day 2, it sure seems that way.

Fassi said the education started on Monday during a practice round at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

“I’ve been able to learn so much of just how the game should be played,” said Fassi. “For me, it’s just been a lot of fun. I think I’ve been able to smile really more than I have all year.”

Lewis put the Arkansas women’s golf program on the map, and then Fassi helped carry the torch, matching her with an NCAA individual title in 2019.

Together, they’re 6 under for the tournament and in a share of 16th after carding a 5-under 65 in the fourball format. They’re four strokes behind clubhouse leaders Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda.

Fassi, who has dealt with health issues this year and missed the cut at the last major after being assessed a two-stroke slow play penalty, has cashed only one paycheck all season on the LPGA. It was Fassi who asked Lewis to be her partner for the team event.

Lewis, a two-time major champion and former No. 1, said she feels that Fassi has grown “a lot” since that Monday practice round.

“The greatest thing about her is that she can already hit the shots,” said Lewis. “That’s why I’m hounding on her; it’s just the right shot at the right time. I look back on my career and playing golf shots and hitting well, you’re playing the right shot at the right time.

“I don’t speak Spanish with her and her caddie, but I can kind of hear some numbers being thrown out and when I hear the right number I walk away because I know they’re on the right track, but if they’re kind of taking longer than I think they should I’ll step in and say something.”

Fassi moved back to Arkansas from Orlando earlier this year and described it as the best decision she’s made in a while. Fayetteville feels like home, and her old college coach, Shauna Taylor, is there to help with short game, too.

While there was plenty of hype at the start of Fassi’s professional career, she said the biggest weight came from her own expectations. As the missed cuts mounted, the self-doubt did, too.

Thankfully, this week already feels different from any other she’s experienced as a professional.

“I was talking about it with my mom actually last night,” said Fassi, “and I was telling her like I think regardless of what happens this week, it’s going to be definitely one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It’s just been so much fun. It’s been a privilege to be able to learn from Stacy, to play with her, to get hyped together.”

Long-hitting, longtime friends Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda lead at Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda hold the clubhouse lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with their self-described “C” games.

Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda hold the clubhouse lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with their self-described “C” games.

While some partnerships were thrown together at the last minute, Reid and Ciganda have known each other more than half their lives. Reid was 14 and Ciganda was 12 when they first met playing golf around Europe. They were first Junior Solheim Cup teammates and then partners in the grown-up Solheim, too. The two friends often share Airbnbs on tour.

“We were always kind of close growing up because she was like European No. 1 and I was basically trying to catch up with her,” said Reid. “… we used to have fun the last nights of tournaments. I used to get her in trouble, which I’m sure people are very shocked by that.”

The aggressive Reid and Ciganda shot 6-under 64 in Thursday’s fourball format, putting them at 10 under for the tournament and one shot ahead of Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang.

“I think the key is we feel ourselves,” said Ciganda. “I can be Carlota, she can be Mel, and we just play and we have no issues, no pressure. We just hit it, find it, hit it again, and at the end of the day we have a score.”

Reid went so far as to say that she actually enjoys it when Ciganda, known as “Chiggy,” hits a bad shot because it makes her feel human.

“If she hits it in the trees, I quite like seeing that shot,” said Reid. “I think that’s what makes us a pretty good team and a strong chemistry.”

Ciganda said it was her roommate in college, Guilia Molinaro, who gave her the name “Chiggy” or “Chig.” The Italian pronounced her last name “Chiganda.”

Ko and Kang, two other longtime friends known as “Sisters from Another Mister” this week, had a lot of laughs and a lot of celebratory shimmies in their second-round 63.

“The last hole putt was my highlight because I never wanted to make a putt more for Lydia in my life than that last hole because I kept missing,” said Kang. “I was like, I have to make this: ‘Lydia, it’s good!’ She had my back today. I asked her if her back hurts from carrying me all day.”

When asked about the origin of the shimmies, Ko said all the cool ideas come from Kang.

“We tried to come up with a handshake,” said Kang, “but it seems really natural. When she makes a birdie, I just want her to be happy and excited.”

Four teams are in the clubhouse at 8 under including Lexi Thompson/Nasa Hataoka, Eun-Hee Ji/Hyo Koo Kim, Alison Lee/Lindsey Weaver and Brittany Lincicome/Brittany Lang.

“I think golf needs more events like this,” said Thompson.

Sisters Nelly Korda and Jessica Korda team up, take share of early lead at Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Nelly Korda played with big sister Jessica as her partner in her first event as the No. 1 player in the world.

Nelly Korda played with big sister Jessica as her partner in her first event as the No. 1 player in the world. The round started on the first tee with new LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan handing out the No. 1 caddie bib to Nelly’s longtime looper, Jason McDede.

The round ended with the Kordas in a share of the lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational after an opening 5-under 65 in the alternate-shot format. The pair are joined by defending champions Cydney Clanton/Jasmine Suwannapura, Aditi Ashok/Pajaree Anannarukarn and Lauren Stephenson/Jillian Hollis.

Asked what she did to celebrate becoming No. 1, Nelly said: “Absolutely nothing.”

Jessica added: “Watched our brother play tennis.”

“Yeah, I was stressed and watched Seb play tennis the first week honestly,” Nelly continued, “and then I took a few days off and then I got back to grinding again. We have a lot of events, important events coming up. You don’t even have the time to kind of let it sink in in a sense to kind of enjoy it, but I just took a couple days for myself and just started practicing again.”

Playing in the inaugural Dow helped the sister act develop a plan for teaming up together. It helps, too, that together they’ve won four events this season.

“Obviously playing Solheim Cup after this event last year, our last time we were here was super helpful, as well,” said Jessica.

“We have had a pretty good game plan, and our caddies actually went to dinner last night with their books. They’re super nerdy about it. I think they were honestly more excited about this whole experience.”

The Kordas posted one bogey in the opening round on the par-5 11th.

Another set of sisters – Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn – are two shots back in a share of seventh.

“We had not a lot of fight,” said Moriya, “and if I get mad, try to walk away and not talking for her for like maybe one hole or two.”

Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang recorded seven birdies in their opening round and finished at 2 under.

“Having known her for so long I think it puts a little bit less pressure and I’m not like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so sorry after a bad shot,’ ” said Ko.

“I think almost when you’re playing in this kind of format, I’m taking a little longer because I want to do better for her and just for the team.”

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Olympics-bound Anne van Dam finds confidence on the greens by putting with her eyes closed

Anne van Dam’s putting had become such a point of frustration that she closed her eyes and hoped for the best. Seriously.

Anne van Dam’s putting had become such a point of frustration that she actually thought about taking a break from the LPGA. Something drastic needed to be done, so she closed her eyes and hoped for the best. Seriously.

“I just started hitting some putts with my eyes closed,” said van Dam, “and just felt way more comfortable.”

The 25-year-old Dutch player ran into Suzann Pettersen this week at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, and they talked about the unusual practice. Pettersen told van Dam about the time she closed her eyes and won six tournaments.

“At one point it just gets really mental,” said van Dam. “If you can’t see what you’re doing, you just trust your inner instincts.

This week van Dam has teamed up with longtime best friend Sophia Popov for the Dow team event. She had a handful of important putts in Wednesday’s opening alternate shot format and made them all dead center – eyes closed.

Known for having one of the most enviable swings in golf, van Dam ranked first on the LPGA in driving distance at 292 yards but 156th in putting average and 137th in putts per greens in regulation.

“I had multiple rounds in a row where I hardly missed a fairway or hardly missed a green and was three-putting from 10 to 15 feet,” said van Dam. “At one point you just kind of feel hopeless. You don’t really know where to go.”

She missed them in all sorts of ways – long, short, left, right. It wasn’t the yips, she said. More like a negative spiral of thoughts that began with venues earlier in the year that featured poa annua greens.

What started out as a drill blended into competition, and the fix came just in time for a run of big events. Van Dam will become the first Dutch golfer to compete in the Olympics next month. She actually qualified for the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil but was unable to compete because she wasn’t ranked inside the top 100 in the world at the time, which is an additional requirement from the Netherlands National Olympics Committee.

Van Dam, a five-time winner on the LPGA, thought the same might happen again this year after she dipped to No. 145 in the world. She was actually inside the top 100 for the original cutoff before the Tokyo Olympics was postponed to 2021.

The Netherlands made an exception for van Dam this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They’re only sending athletes that have a good chance of finishing in the top six,” she said.

That’s easier to determine in other sports, of course. Popov won the AIG Women’s British Open last year when she was ranked outside to the top 300 in the world.

“Obviously for golf,” said van Dam, “it’s a hard decision to say when do you have a good chance.”

A positive-sounding van Dam views this recent dip in her career as part of the process. If everything always came easy, she said, it could get a little boring. She looks at the downtimes of a Jordan Spieth or a Rickie Fowler missing out on majors and knows that struggles come to everyone.

“My game is way too good to play like that,” she said.

At last, things are looking up.

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