Using a new left-hand low putting grip, Brooke Henderson earned her 11th LPGA victory.
Brooke Henderson took the clubhouse lead at 12 under Sunday after making a birdie on the 18th hole. A few minutes later, Lindsey Weaver-Wright joined her at 12 under after also making a birdie at the last, and that forced a playoff at the LPGA ShopRite Classic.
Golf fans watching on TV had to then scramble to a livestream after CBS cut out of its live TV coverage to pick up the final round of the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open.
On the first playoff hole, Henderson, showing she’s more comfortable with a new left-hand low putting grip, drained a six-footer to close out her 11th LPGA win with an eagle on the 18th hole.
Henderson made the grip change in the days leading up to the U.S. Women’s Open, where she finished tied for 15th at Pine Needles.
Seven days later, she capped off her week with a bogey-free, final-round 64 at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey. Henderson had five birdies and an eagle in regulation. Weaver-Wright, seeking her first LPGA win, had four birdies in her last six holes to force the extra golf session.
It’s Henderson’s 11th LPGA win and first since the 2021 Hugel-Air Premia LA Open. She now has at least one win in seven of her eight seasons on the LPGA.
The $262,500 first-place check pushes her career LPGA earnings over $9 million.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff eagled the 18th hole to get to 11 under and claim solo second. Lydia Ko and Albane Valenzuela tied for fourth at 10 under.
Brittany Lincicome, who is about six months pregnant, was in contention for most of the week but bogeys on Nos. 14 and 17 on Sunday damaged her chances. She finished tied for sixth at 9 under along with Alex Marina and Nasa Hataoka.
The defending champion of the ShopRite, Celine Boutier, finished tied for ninth at 8 under.
Next week, it’s the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan, which will serve as the final tune-up for the third major on the LPGA’s 2022 schedule, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
Madelene Sagstrom opened with four straight birdies at the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup.
Madelene Sagstrom opened with four straight birdies Thursday to kickstart her week at the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup.
She made five more over the course of her day, including three in a row on Nos. 12-14 at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey, to zoom up the leaderboard in the afternoon wave and take a 1-shot lead over Megan Khang.
Sagstrom, 29, shot a 63 on the strength of those nine birdies while also avoiding any bogeys. The two-time Solheim Cupper from Sweden is seeking her first win since the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.
Khang also went bogey-free after she posted eight birdies. Nasa Hataoka shot a 7-under 65 and was the early leader in the clubhouse before Sagstrom went to work. Hataoka also had a bogey-free card to go with five birdies and an eagle on the second hole.
Bianca Pagdanganan, Guilia Molinaro and Amy Yang are all tied for fourth at 6 under.
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko is tied for 22nd after a 3-under 69. Anna Davis, who won the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, opened with a 70. She had an eagle, a birdie, a bogey and 15 pars in her round.
Hataoka’s sixth LPGA win puts her in elite company.
Nasa Hataoka’s sixth career victory at the DIO Implant LA Open on Sunday puts her in elite company with Jessica Korda. Together they’re the winningest players on the LPGA without a major title.
Who are the best players without a major? Some on this list, like Hataoka and Korda, have won quite a bit already. Others, like rookie Atthaya Thitikul, make the list based on talent and potential.
Minjee Lee and Jennifer Kupcho are two players who played their way off of last year’s list. Lee won the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, and Kupcho broke through with her first LPGA title at the Chevron Championship earlier this month.
Here’s a list of 10 players (with their Rolex Ranking) who are either primed to win a major or past due:
Hataoka began the final round with a four-shot lead and birdied four of the her first seven holes.
Nasa Hataoka began the final round of the DIO Implant LA Open with a four-shot lead and never wavered. Right from the start, the Japanese star poured in putts like someone on a mission, birdieing four of the first seven holes. Even her curling bogey putt on the sixth was impressive.
“My putting good all week,” she said, “that’s it.”
She held a five-shot lead over Hannah Green at the turn and won by the same margin. This marks Hataoka’s sixth LPGA victory and her first since the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Prior to this week, her best finish of the season was a share of 11th at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Even Hataoka, 23, was surprised by what happened this week, noting that something “clicked” during Friday’s round.
Hataoka’s aggressive play continued throughout the final round, regardless of the size of her lead. Her bogey-free back nine was punctuated by impressive par saves and a long eagle putt on the 15th that shattered any hope Green might have had.
Inbee Park, Madelene Sagstrom and former LA Open champion Minjee Lee tied for third. Sagstrom closed with a bogey-free 66 to post her best finish of the season.
“I mean, I haven’t missed a cut since last May,” said Sagstrom, “so it’s really built a lot of confidence. Because before I was kind of, oh, I just want to make cuts. Now I’m making cuts, so now I want to start climbing up the leaderboard.”
A six-time winner on the JLPGA, Hataoka came into the week No. 12 in the Rolex Rankings. It looked like Sunday might be a showdown between the Japanese star and World No. 1 Jin Young Ko until a late-round disaster on Saturday knocked Ko down the leaderboard.
Ko and Hataoka were tied through 15 holes on Saturday. After a bogey on the 16th, Ko failed twice to get the ball out of a deep barranca on the 17th, making her first ever quadruple-bogey on the LPGA. Ko rebounded with a birdie on the 18th but the damage was done.
Nasa Hataoka and Su Oh have each yet to make a bogey at the LPGA Honda Thailand.
Getting through 18 holes in professional golf without making a bogey is impressive.
The co-leaders at the Honda LPGA Thailand have yet to draw a square of their scorecards, and they’ve played 36 at Siam Country Club.
Nasa Hataoka and Su Oh led after the opening round and refused to give up the top spot on Friday. Both have tied the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record, originally set in 2018 by Jessica Korda and matched by Patty Tavatanakit in 2021. Hataoka and Oh have each posted scores of 63-65 and are at 16 under through two rounds.
“My ball-striking wasn’t like, the impact wasn’t very good today. I was just kind of scrambling really well out there,” said Oh. “I was like, come on, you want to hit some good shots before going into tomorrow. Such a long day, so I don’t think I would want to hit balls after.”
Oh’s ball-striking looked decent on 18, where she pulled off this incredible second into the par-5 last, nearly making an albatross.
Just one back at 15 under sits Celine Boutier, who has fired a 65 and a 64 in the first two rounds in Thailand. Nanna Koertz Madsen joins her at 15 under. In solo fifth is Xiyu Lin at 14 under. Four shots back of the lead are Jennifer Kupcho and Canadian star Brooke Henderson.
A five-time winner on the LPGA, Hataoka most recently claimed the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Historically speaking, Thailand has not been good to Nasa Hataoka. In three previous appearances at the Honda LPGA Thailand, her best finish is a tie for 31st in 2021.
A wiser Hataoka, however, put together one of three 63s in a scorching-hot opening round to take a share of the lead with Australia’s Su Oh and Esther Henseleit of Germany.
The ninth-ranked Hataoka hit all 14 fairways and 18 greens in her flawless lap around the Old Course.
“(This is the) first time we know the golf course, so I know the bad position and good position,” said Hataoka, whose previous best round on the Old Course was a second-round 67 in 2021. “I missed the bad position, so that’s why I play really good today.”
A five-time winner on the LPGA, Hataoka most recently claimed the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Oh chipped in for birdie on the sixth hole and rolled in a 4-footer to save par on the 18th hole to card a career-best 9 under. The 63rd-ranked Aussie hasn’t had much luck in Thailand previously either. In four past appearances, her best finish is a tie for 54th in 2017.
Meanwhile Henseleit is making her debut this week in Thailand. The two-time LET winner called it stress-free golf.
“I just didn’t make any big mistakes, I think,” she said. “My irons were good.”
Celine Boutier’s parents, Christopher and Jacqueline, moved to France from Thailand, and she has extended family out watching her this week.
The former Duke star sits two shots back along with Jennifer Kupcho, Brooke Henderson, Alison Lee, Lindsey Weaver-Wright and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
Last year’s Honda Thailand champion, former No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, struggled to an opening 74.
Three of the top 10 players in the world aren’t in the top 50 on the leaderboard in Fort Myers.
The wind seemed to kick up early in the afternoon at the LPGA Drive On Championship.
And kicked some of the best LPGA players down the leaderboard.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda, Yuka Saso, and Brooke Henderson — three of the top 10 players in the world — aren’t in the top 50 in the field after the first round of the tournament at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida.
Nasa Hataoka and Marina Alex both shot 7-under 65s in the return Thursday of the LPGA to Fort Myers for the first time in 47 years.
The majority near the top of the leaderboard played in the morning wave in the 120-player field before winds seemed to both strengthen and change directions.
Nelly’s older sister Jessica withdrew after six holes, saying on social media she suffered a sprained rib and had tried to play through it.
“I am getting the treatment I need and hope to be back for the California stretch,” she said in the post.
Hataoka, one of five in of the top 10 in the world playing this week, birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to close her first nine, then shot a 4-under 32 on the back. She had just one bogey.
“I was able to bring the front nine momentum to the back nine,” she said. “Especially on this condition I was chatting Greg, my caddie, and we were able to manage really well.”
Alex birdied Nos. 9-13 and closed with another on No. 18 in a bogey-free round.
“The final stretch of holes are kind of tough. 14, 15, 16 — 17 was definitely a birdie putt out there, but 14, 15, 16 were tough holes,” she said. “Luckily 18 playing downwind made it pretty reachable to get to like the approach there.”
Linnea Johansson of Sweden and Ireland’s Leona Maguire both had 6-under 66s and are tied for third, along with 2021 Rookie of the Year Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and South Korea’s Yaeeun Hong who had the best rounds of the afternoon wave.
Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand hits from the 9th tee during the first round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club on February 03, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
“It was playing tough, windy, firm, and fast,” said Tavatanakit, who birdied three of her first six holes. “Where you are on the green or positioning yourself was really important in the afternoon. I felt like I was solid enough to get myself good looks.”
Madelene Sagstrom, who won the last women’s professional event played in Fort Myers, the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial on the now-Epson Tour at Cypress Lake Country Club in 2016, had a 65 in the afternoon, and so did England’s Charley Hull and Bronte Law. They are tied for fifth with Caroline Masson and Jeongeun Lee6.
“I think it firmed up a little bit,” Sagstrom said of the afternoon. “The greens are phenomenal, so I think they probably — I mean, it’s tricky. Like the end stretch here on back nine is really tricky.
“I know the wind has been keeping up all day, so I think maybe just a bit of firmness. Other than that, I think it’s been quite similar for everyone today.”
Most of the players were in Boca Raton last week, when wind and chilly temperatures dominated the weekend. Alex shot 77-72 in her last two rounds and dropped into a tie for 34th.
“I was thankful for those rounds,” Alex said. “I mean, when you asked me in the moment I was probably really pissed and furious because I was having a good start and then I kind of just fizzled out there, but it definitely helped coming into today just being a little bit more prepared, so that was good.”
Thursday, Nelly Korda birdied No. 17 to finish at even par. Henderson birdied No. 18 to get to 1 under after starting her round with a double-bogey. Saso had a stretch on the back nine of back-to-back bogeys followed by a quadruple-bogey on No. 16 and shot a 5-over 77.
Stephanie Meadow had the first hole-in-one of the season, on No. 14. A total of $20,000 will be donated by CME Group to St. Jude.
“I had perfect number, little 6-iron,” said Meadow, who happens to be sponsored by CME Group. “It was a little bit windy, and, I don’t know, stripped it right at it. Wind never touched it and just rolled right up there into the hole.
“It’s been a while since the I had a hole-in-one and first one in LPGA career, in a tournament, so, yeah, it’s very nice.”
Golf evened the score two holes later.
“You know, you get good luck, you make a hole-in-one, and then two holes later I pull a 7-iron, hits a sprinkler two yards left of the green and ricochets 30 yards left into a hazard,” she said. “So I got some awesome luck and then some really crappy luck. So, yeah, wasn’t super happy after that.”
With just two rounds remaining instead of three, the players near the top were happy to have that type of a first round.
“Fifty-four-hole events are always kind of important to have a good start because you have that one less day to possibly make up ground if you’re a little bit behind,” Alex said. “So I’ve had some good success in 54-hole events in the past. I’m excited for the next two days, and just see what happens. I mean, I played a really great round of golf today, so I have to anticipate there might be a little bit of some up and downs along the way.
“But that doesn’t mean can’t have a great week out here.”
With $1.5 million on the line, here are 18 players to watch this week in Naples.
It’s all come down to this. The last tournament of the LPGA tour season is this week at Tiburon Golf Course. The CME Group Tour Championship is loaded with star power, including last week’s winner of the Pelican Women’s Championship and World No. 1, Nelly Korda.
Lexi Thompson, who fell short down the stretch at the Pelican and is surely looking to bounce back, is also in the field.
The winner of the CME Group Tour Championship will be walking away with $1.5 million, the largest prize in the history of women’s golf.
Tiburon will play as a par 72 throughout the week, measuring in at 6,556 yards.
Here are 18 players in the field to keep your eye on.
Jin Young Ko
Jin Young Ko of South Korea tees off on the fifth hole during the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship at LPGA International Busan on October 21, 2021 in Busan, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Age: 26 Home country: South Korea Resides: Seoul, South Korea LPGA Career Victories: 11 Race to CME Globe: 1
Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda poses with the trophy after winning the Pelican Women’s Championship in a playoff at Pelican Golf Club on November 14, 2021 in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Age: 23 Home country: U.S. Resides: Bradenton LPGA Career Victories: 7 Race to CME Globe: 2
Lydia Ko
Age: 24 Home country: New Zealand Resides: Orlando LPGA Career Victories: 16 Race to CME Globe: 3
Patty Tavatanakit
Patty Tavatanakit waves after putting out on the 10th green during the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at The Olympic Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 22 Home country: Thailand Resides: U.S. LPGA Career Victories: 1 Race to CME Globe: 4
Inbee Park
Inbee Park plays her shot from the second tee during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 33 Home country: South Korea Resides: Las Vegas LPGA Career Victories: 21 Race to CME Globe: 5
Ariya Jutanugarn
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand plays her shot from the first tee during day four of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 25, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Age: 25 Home country: Thailand Resides: Bangkok, Thailand LPGA Career Victories: 12 Race to CME Globe: 6
Lexi Thompson
Lexi Thompson and her caddie on the first tee during the first round of the AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie Golf Links on August 19, 2021 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Age: 26 Home country: U.S. Resides: Coral Springs LPGA Career Victories: 11 Race to CME Globe: 7
Brooke Henderson
Brooke Henderson of Canada tees off on the 9th hole during the pro-am prior to the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie Golf Links on August 18, 2021 in Carnoustie, Scotland. Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Age: 24 Home country: Canada Resides: Smiths Falls, Ontario/Miromar Lakes LPGA Career Victories: 10 Race to CME Globe: 8
Minjee Lee
Minjee Lee of Australia waves at the 18th hole during Day Three of the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie Golf Links on August 21, 2021 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Age: 25 Home country: Australia Resides: Perth, Australia LPGA Career Victories: 6 Race to CME Globe: 9
Nasa Hataoka
Nasa Hataoka hits her tee shot on the second hole during the second round of the Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio on July 09, 2021 in Sylvania, Ohio. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Age: 22 Home country: Japan Resides: Japan LPGA Career Victories: 5 Race to CME Globe: 10
Sei Young Kim
Sei Young Kim tees off at one during the third round of the CME Group Tour Championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at the Tiburon Golf Club in North Naples, Florida.
Age: 28 Home country: South Korea Resides: South Korea LPGA Career Victories: 12 Race to CME Globe: 11
Danielle Kang
Danielle Kang of Team USA reacts during competition rounds of the Solheim Cup golf tournament at Inverness Club. (Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)
Age: 29 Home country: U.S. Resides: Las Vegas LPGA Career Victories: 5 Race to CME Globe: 12
Jessica Korda
Jessica Korda (USA) tees of on the ninth hole during the first round of the women’s individual stroke play of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 28 Home country: U.S. Resides: Bradenton LPGA Career Victories: 6 Race to CME Globe: 13
Moriya Jutanugarn
Moriya Jutanugarn tees off at the tenth hole during the first round of the LPGA’s 2021 Hugel-Air Premia LA Open tournament at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. (Photo: Ashley Landis/Associated Press)
Age: 27 Home country: Thailand Resides: Thailand LPGA Career Victories: 2 Race to CME Globe: 14
Jeongeun Lee6
Jeongeun Lee6 of Korea lines up a shot during day three of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 24, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Age: 25 Home country: South Korea Resides: South Korea LPGA Career Victories: 1 Race to CME Globe: 15
Yuka Saso
Yuka Saso hoists the US Open trophy after winning in a sudden death playoff following the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. Photo by Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 20 Home country: Philippines Resides: Philippines LPGA Career Victories: 1 Race to CME Globe: 16
Leona Maguire
Leona Maguire reads a putt on the third green during round two of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at Blythefield Country Club on June 17, 2021 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Age: 26 Home country: Ireland Resides: Ireland LPGA Career Victories: 0 Race to CME Globe: 17
Celine Boutier
Celine Boutier (FRA) tees off on the ninth hole during the first round of the women’s individual stroke play of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Age: 28 Home country: France Resides: France/Dallas LPGA Career Victories: 2 Race to CME Globe: 18
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
Nasa Hataoka became just the fifth player in LPGA Tour history to make two aces in one tournament.
After a pair of aces in two days, Nasa Hataoka couldn’t have made it look easier to start the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
It didn’t end that way though, as a shaky three-putt par on the last gave Hataoka the one-stroke cushion needed to collect her fifth career title. The powerfully petite Japanese player finished at 16-under 197 for the week at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.
“It was really, really stressful, especially after the bogey,” said Hataoka of the dropped shot on the 13th that could’ve been much worse had her racing putt not hit the hole and popped up.
Minjee Lee put a solid stroke on a final birdie attempt that slid by the hole to finish tied with Eun-Hee Ji at 15 under. Ji got up and down from a greenside bunker behind the green using only her putter.
Danielle Kang and Yuka Saso both shot 65 to finish in a share of fourth. Saso carded two eagles on Sunday including a sensational approach shot into the 18th with a 5-wood that stopped 4 feet from the hole. After a month off from the tour, she was pleased with the week.
Kang, who debuted as a pro at Pinnacle, said she’s focused on finishing the season strong.
“I’m actually very proud of the work that I’ve done this week,” she said. “I left a lot out there, but I was mentally in a really great place.”
Arkansas stars Stacy Lewis and Maria Fassi played together on Sunday. Lewis’s 66 moved her into a share of sixth at 12 under. Fassi, who launched her foundation this week, struggled to a 73 in the final round and dropped to T-51.
“I played really solid,” said Lewis. “Just never really got the putter going any day. I mean, today I made five birdies and three of them were within about a foot and a half and one was a chip-in.”
India’s Aditi Ashok, who came within one shot of a medal at the Olympics, took a share of eighth.
“I feel like I did good,” Ashok said of the boost she received from Tokyo, “and that was a huge takeaway. I feel like I can actually play well out here, and not just struggle to make putts. I can finish well, like I did in my rookie year. I had a top 10; the second year I had a couple top 10s. After that it’s been a bit of a dry spell.”
Hataoka has now passed Hiromi Kobayashi for third-most victories by a Japanese player, trailing Ayako Okamoto (17) and Ai Miyazato (9).
Nasa Hataoka poses after making a hole-in-one on the 11th hole during the first round of the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. Photo by Kyodo via AP Images
Hataoka’s ace on Friday came on No. 11 when she struck a 9-iron from 135 yards. Saturday’s hole-in-one came on the sixth hole from 175 yards with a 5-iron.
She became just the fifth player in LPGA Tour history to make two aces in one tournament – the first since Ayako Uehara at the 2016 CP Women’s Open – and is the fourth to do it in back-to-back rounds. Hataoka is also the fourth player to have at least two aces in two different seasons, joining Betsy King (2, 1979 and 2, 1990), Meg Mallon (2, 1999 and 2, 2001) and Charlotta Sorenstam (2, 2001 and 3, 2002).
For the aces, CME Group will donate $20,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“I’m also happy that I got the hole-in-ones,” said Hataoka, “but on the other hand, I’m really, really happy to be able to help the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. That’s what makes my really happy.”
Now that Nelly Korda is forever off the best-without-a-major list, who’s next to break through? Well, in the eyes of many, it stays in the family. Jessica Korda, a six-time winner on the LPGA, heads to this week’s Amundi Evian Championship still in …
Now that Nelly Korda is forever off the best-without-a-major list, who’s next to break through? Well, in the eyes of many, it stays in the family. Jessica Korda, a six-time winner on the LPGA, heads to this week’s Amundi Evian Championship still in search of her first major title.
The last eight majors were won by players winning their first major title: Nelly Korda, Yuka Saso, Patty Tavatanakit, A Lim Kim, Sei Young Kim, Mirim Lee, Sophia Popov and Hinako Shibuno.
Here’s a list of 10 players who might continue that trend based on recent form and close calls at big events.
