Tag: Pelican Women’s Championship

Bubble breakdown: A look at who kept their LPGA card and qualified for CME Group Tour Championship — and who didn’t

Here’s a look at some of the highs and lows from a dramatic day on the LPGA.

BELLEAIR, Fla. — While the top of the leaderboard at the LPGA’s Pelican Women’s Championship featured a thrilling shootout between America’s best – Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson – the battle going on down the board had just as much at stake, maybe more.

Rookie Morgane Metraux came into the penultimate event of the season in the 101st place on the Race to CME Globe points list, one position outside of keeping her card. When asked whether she feels more pressure playing to win or keep her card, Metraux, who has won on both the LET and Epson Tour, didn’t hesitate.

“Playing to keep your job 100 percent,” said Metraux, who vaulted up the standings with a T-4 finish at Pelican. “The thing is for me, playing to win you already feel like you’re obviously playing really well if you’re in a position to win the tournament, so you can build confidence on that.

“If you’re playing to keep your job it means you haven’t done quite as good. So I think it’s more pressure. It’s like playing to make the cut on the last hole versus playing to win the tournament. They’re both pressure, but I think the pressure of making the cut is actually harder.”

Meanwhile, Gerina Mendoza was projected to finish 100th on the CME when she got to the difficult par-4 18th,  but found the water and made double-bogey, dropping to No. 102.

LPGA cards weren’t the only thing on the line. Players were also vying to finish inside the top 63 of the points list to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Only 60 qualify for the event, but three players – Jessica Korda, Linn Grant and Inbee Park – will not compete next week. The winner of the CME will earn a record $2 million.

Here’s a look at some of the highs and lows from a dramatic day in Belleaire, Florida (with final CME ranking):

Nelly Korda edges Lexi Thompson in another Pelican LPGA thriller to return to World No. 1

Korda is back on top of the women’s game after surgery earlier this year to remove a blood clot.

BELLEAIR, Fla. — The emotion on Nelly Korda’s face said it all. To win again on the LPGA and once again rise to No. 1 in the world hit differently this time. So much has transpired since the the last time she edged Lexi Thompson to hoist a trophy at the Pelican LPGA Championship.

“We’re just very fortunate she’s alive,” said her father Petr.

The blood clot that required surgery earlier this year and took her out of the game for months was a scary time for the entire Korda family.

“For me, the uncertainty of that was the scariest,” said Nelly. “As a golfer I feel like my life is planned out. I know where I’m going next, I know what to do next, or you would hope to know, but just getting hit with something like this and just not knowing what to do or what my next step was.”

Korda became the first person on the LPGA this season to successfully defend a title, closing with a 64 to finish 14 under in the weather-shortened 54-hole event. The 24-year-old now has eight career LPGA titles and $7,455,977 in her career. She also won an LET event in Spain earlier this season.

Korda began the day two strokes back of rookie Allisen Corpuz. Three players held a two-stroke lead throughout the course of the final round, including Carlota Ciganda, Thompson and Korda.

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As Thompson spoke with the media after the round, several steps away, Megan Khang and Ally Ewing soaked Korda in a champagne shower. Last year, a slew of short missed putts cost Thompson the victory here, but this year’s close call felt decidedly different. Thompson rebounded from back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 11-12 with a pair of birdies and closed with a 66. She was still smiling when it was over, even though she came up one stroke short.

“I think in previous years if that would’ve happened, I would’ve let it get to me,” said Thompson, “or even after hitting it in the water (on No. 12), I could have let that get to me.

“I was like, all right, snap out of it. Yeah, you’re not happy right now, but getting even more upset isn’t going to do me any good.”

Thompson will once again have older brother Nicholas on the bag at next week’s CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon, a place she loves and is a past champion. Later in the year, Thompson and Korda will team up at Tiburon as the first all-female team at the QBE Shootout.

The LPGA’s penultimate event is hardly just about who wins, of course, with tour cards and CME qualifying on the line. Only 60 players can qualify for the season-ending event, where the winner earns a record $2 million paycheck. After a week of play in Belleair, the field didn’t change.

Day 1 leader Maria Fassi certainly gave it a run after opening with a career-best 62. Bogeys on the last two holes, however, dropped her into a share of seventh. All she needed was a par on the last hole to make the CME field.

Lydia Ko heads to the CME, where she won in 2014, with a one-point lead in the Rolex Player of the Year standings over Minjee Lee and a sizable lead in the Vare Trophy race for low scoring.

Ko tied for 26th at the Pelican.

“I don’t think any part of my game was like very sharp this week,” she said, “so I just don’t think I ever got off to like a good momentum.”

Morgane Metraux came into Pelican ranked 101st on the CME points list. The top 100 players retain full status for 2023. The former Florida State player rose to the occasion in a mighty way, closing with a 64 to finish a career-best T-4 to keep her card and avoid Q-Series.

“I was obviously super excited to get my card last year,” said Metraux, an Epson Tour graduate, “and I probably started the year — well, I had a good first event because I had no expectations.

“After that I was just thinking about it a little bit and thinking, ‘Oh, my God this is the best tour in the world; do I really belong here?’ ”

After Sunday, there is no doubt.

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Pelican LPGA delivers another star-studded board as Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda and Maria Fassi chase rookie Allisen Corpuz

In a season that has delivered a record-tying 11 first-time champions, Corpuz could make it a dozen.

BELLEAIR, Fla. — Last year’s Pelican Women’s Championship delivered a showstopping leaderboard, and this year, thankfully, it’s more of the same. Marquee names like defending champion Nelly Korda (8 under) and Lexi Thompson (9 under) are hot on the heels of rookie Allisen Corpuz (10 under), who hasn’t won yet on tour but has played well enough to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship.

In a season that has delivered a record-tying 11 first-time champions, Corpuz could make it a dozen, as could overnight leader Maria Fassi, who now trails by one.

Maja Stark, the young Swede who won the ISPS Hands World Invitational in Northern Ireland over the summer to earn her LPGA card, is also one back after a sizzling 63.

Corpuz decided about a month ago to withdraw from last week’s event in Japan in order to rest up for these last two events. The USC grad said longtime friend Megan Khang has been a huge help to her this year.

“Definitely before coming on tour I was expecting like to maybe really be working for my card,” said Corpuz, “and I’m really lucky that I’m not having to worry about that at this point.

“I think I know that I’m a really solid player, and it’s just really nice to have seen like the results this early.”

Stark has learned the importance of balance the hard way, getting sick several times after events. She had three weeks off coming into this week and barely touched a club due to inflammation in her shoulder. She then took a week off to help coach the Swedish national team in Spain.

“I’ve always seen a lot of the Swedes when they have come back and given back,” said Stark. “We had Anna Nordqvist at a couple camps, Pernilla Lindberg, Henrik Stenson.

“So after seeing them, and then a lot of times they go out and play really well the next time they’re out playing after meeting up with the girls’ team and stuff, so I think it was just good inspiration for me too, to see what they do and get some perspective and just have fun on a golf course and not feel the stress that I feel now.”

Lexi Thompson lines up a putt during the second round of the Pelican Women’s Championship at Pelican Golf Club on November 12, 2022, in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Thompson, who recently won a LET event in New York but hasn’t won on the LPGA since 2019, posted a 67, hitting 12 fairways and 16 greens.

“There was a few pins out there that were tucked a little bit more than yesterday’s that I wasn’t as comfortable with,” said Thompson, “but I just kind of hit away from them and had about 20-, 25-footers.

“But gave myself looks, and that’s all I can do.”

Korda’s matching 66s have her in a share of fifth, two back. The former No. 1 won four times on the LPGA last season, including this event. She also won the LET in Spain but has yet to win on the LPGA this year after a blood clot that required surgery sidelined her for months.  Both Thompson and Korda grew up in Florida and feel at home in Belleair.

“It’s been a tough year for sure,” said Korda. “I worked my butt off as well. I definitely put in a lot of hours, so it would just be hard work paying off, which everyone out here works really hard, so everything just has to click for someone to win that week.”

As for Fassi, she came to the LPGA carrying great expectations after a sterling amateur career but has yet to break through on the LPGA. Currently No. 130 in the world, a strong finish this week could vault Fassi into the CME. She’s currently 72nd on the points list. The top 60 qualify for the season-ending event that boasts a purse of $7 million and a winner’s check of $2 million.

Fassi followed her career-best 62 on Day 1 with a 1-under 69.

“I think it’s a lot about just kind of managing expectations and understanding that while a round like that (62) is very attainable,” said Fassi, “it also takes a lot of work, a lot of good shots, a lot of good putts made.

“So it’s not like everything was easy yesterday and it just magically happened. It was a lot of work. Maybe in a different way than today, but I think just really going back to my process on hitting good shots and trying to stay as present as possible. It’s of course easier said than done, but that was kind of my approach into today’s round.”

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Maria Fassi opens Pelican Women’s Championship with a bogey-free 8-under 62

Maria Fassi is looking for her first win on the LPGA.

Maria Fassi is still looking for her first win on the LPGA. She’s in position to get No. 1 thanks to an opening-round bogey-free 8-under 62 at the weather-delayed Pelican Women’s Championship at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

The 24-year-old used seven birdies (including a stretch of three straight on Nos. 5-7) and an eagle at the par-5 14th to earn a two-shot lead over five players, one of which is Lexi Thompson.

Fassi’s best finishes this season are two solo thirds, one at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in July and the other at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September. Her last start came last week at the Toto Japan Classic where she ended the week in solo 70th.

Thompson’s round wasn’t blemish-free, as she bogeyed the par-4 second, but like Fassi, the 27-year-old had an eagle on the card at the par-5 seventh.

Lizette Salas is part of a pack at 5 under, while Jennifer Kupcho opened the Pelican with a 1-under 69.

The event has been shortened to 54 holes due to the impact of Hurricane Nicole.

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Nelly Korda returns to Pelican, site of her last LPGA victory; officials shorten event to 54 holes as Tropical Storm Nicole looms

“I played some solid golf since coming back, but I’ve also overdone it and also played some poor golf.”

Nelly Korda calls this year a roller coaster, a description that also happens to mirror how she won last year’s Pelican LPGA Championship. After a disastrous triple bogey from the fairway on the penultimate hole Sunday, Korda battled back to win in a playoff over Sei Young Kim, Lydia Ko, and Lexi Thompson.

The Pelican was Korda’s fourth LPGA title of the season, making her the most decorated American player since Stacy Lewis in 2012. Her 2022 season came to a sudden halt, however, after a blood clot was found in her left arm. She underwent surgery in the spring and missed four months of competition.

“I played some solid golf since coming back,” said Korda, “but I’ve also overdone it and also played some poor golf.”

The roller coaster continues this week as Tropical Storm Nicole has forced officials to shorten the Pelican Women’s Championship to 54 holes. Forecasts call for one-three inches of rain and strong winds with gusts up to 50 mph. Local authorities have closed schools and may need to close bridges.

Friday morning’s forecast includes the chance of a lingering thunderstorm.

“It’s the same for everyone,” said Korda of potential schedule upheaval.

Korda’s only victory of the year came in August at the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series event at Sotogrande in Spain. She tied for second at the Meijer LPGA Classic as well as the CP Women’s Open but missed the cut in her last two starts on tour.

While Korda hasn’t competed in an LPGA event since late September, she did finish solo fourth at the Aramco Team Series in New York last month.

“I think I missed so much of the year that I kind of wanted to make it all up in a sense,” said Korda, who said she probably shouldn’t have teed it up in Arkansas and Texas.

“As I said, I’m learning constantly, learning about my body, and that’s a great thing about golf, is that it humbles you and once you think you kind of got the hang of it, it kind of makes you come back down to reality.”

Currently No. 4 in the world, Korda said much of her time away from the tour has been making a decision for the new home she’s building close to where she grew up in Bradenton, Florida.

“Oh, my gosh it’s so stressful,” said Korda of the decision-making. “I hate it. I literally hate it. I have an interior designer and she helps me a lot. I’m like, this is all you. Like I can’t look through this many pieces of furniture. Like I just can’t do that.”

There are 120 players in the field this week at the Pelican, where much is the on the line as players make their final push to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship (top 60) and maintain full status on tour (top 100).

Lydia Ko leads Minjee Lee by a single point in the Rolex Player of the Year race. She also paces the Vare Trophy race for lowest scoring average. Neither Lee nor top-ranked Atthaya Thitikul are in the field this week. Hye-Jin Choi needed to win this week to have a chance at besting Thitikul in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year race. Choi withdrew from the field earlier this week. A reason was not given.

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Gemma Dryburgh reflects on her breakthrough victory in Japan, where she dined on octopus and won a toilet

“So they asked me, where do you want the toilet sent?”

In addition to getting into the CME Group Tour Championship, the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the majors and that $300,000 winner’s check, Gemma Dryburgh won a Toto toilet thanks to her breakthrough victory in Japan.

“So they asked me,” said Dryburgh, “where do you want the toilet sent?”

Given that the Tulane grad is renting a place in New Orleans, Dryburgh asked if they could hold off on shipping the toilet.

Though winning is something that players dream about all their lives, reality can look much different. Like the fact that, according to Dryburgh’s Whoop, the final round of the Toto Japan Classic was one of the calmest, least strenuous rounds she’s ever had. Her caddie’s dad jokes surely played a role.

She dined on champagne and octopus after the victory and made plans for her soon-to-be prized toilet.

Dryburgh, one of a record-tying 11 first-time winners on the LPGA this season, left Japan on a 7 a.m. flight and was on the ground in Florida for the Pelican Women’s Championship by Monday afternoon.

“To be honest, I was still a little drunk, hungover on the flight,” said Dryburgh, “so I’m not sure how long it took. Maybe I shouldn’t be telling the media that, but I had some champagne, you know.”

Dryburgh, who became only the fourth Scot to win on tour, is still buzzing from excitement. She vaulted 107 spots in the Rolex Rankings to No. 92.

She plans to send a message of thanks to Justin Rose and his wife Kate for the confidence gained from competing in the Rose Ladies Series during the COVID-19 pandemic, when professional golf tours were shut down. Dryburgh won three of the events.

“In that period during COVID, and that next year, it was just invaluable to have those playing opportunities,” she said. “And they were pretty decent fields considering they were small events. So Georgia (Hall) and Charley (Hull) were playing them and a lot of LET players. Those wins meant a lot to me.”

Dryburgh is a first-time player at the Pelican, and she played nine holes on Tuesday and another nine in the pro-am. A number of players asked Dryburgh if she might withdraw from this event to rest for next week, but her parents were already coming to watch her play in Belleair, and she’s enjoying catching up with players and caddies to revel in the win.

“Still can’t believe I’ve done it,” she said.

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As another storm approaches Florida, there’s much on the line for players at Pelican looking to shore up LPGA status for 2023

“For me, I’m on the outside looking in, so it’s kind of like a free week to go out and try to play the best I can.”

Caroline Inglis tries not to look at the Race to CME Globe points list too often. She mostly leaves that to her husband. But earlier this year, when Inglis was No. 148 on the list, she panicked after realizing that she’d missed the deadline to sign up for Stage II of LPGA Q-School.

“I was freaking out,” said Inglis, who feared she wouldn’t have any status for 2023. “It’s just funny to look back on that.”

Now 99th on the CME points list, Inglis doesn’t need to worry about Stage 2, which was postponed due to Hurricane Ian and takes place next week in Venice, Florida. But she would like to stay inside the top 100, which essentially shores up full status for 2023.

While much of the attention will be paid to those trying to qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour championship and the season-ending awards – and for good reason – those battling to finish in the top 100 have much to play for at this week’s Pelican Women’s Championship as well.

As if that’s not enough pressure, consider that Tropical Storm Nicole could wreak havoc on the week with heavy rain and strong wind. Tournament officials are prepared to move into Monday if necessary given that daylight is short for the 120-player field.

“It’s a very good test this week,” said Inglis, noting that she’s been learning how to focus on her process rather than what she can’t control – like the weather.

“I do have quite a bit on anxiety in general,” said Inglis. “I’m a very anxious person about certain things.”

She’s found ways to lower her anxiety levels, however, since she began working over the summer with Paul Dewland, a new sports psychologist Emma Talley recommended.

Inglis has posted three top-15 finishes in her last five starts since working with Dewland.

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Dana Finkelstein ranks 120th on the points list. Two weeks ago, she launched a new side business making digital swing silhouettes. While admittedly not an artsy person, the idea came when she and boyfriend Henry Fall bought a new house in Mesa, Arizona. They started looking around Etsy for decoration ideas and didn’t like what they saw.

The new business helps keep Finkelstein’s mind busy on something other than golf, though she’s taking whatever happens this week in stride.

“For me, I’m on the outside looking in, so it’s kind of like a free week to go out and try to play the best I can,” said Finkelstein. “If I don’t, fine, I go to Q-School. If I do, I get a longer offseason.”

Those players who fall between Nos. 101 to 125 don’t lose LPGA status but are in Category 15 on the LPGA Priority List. They can go to Q-Series later this year to improve their status. The top 45 finishers from Q-Series fall in Category 14 and are listed in the order they finish.

The first player listed in Category 15 at the start of the 2022 season was Celine Herbin at No. 182. Consider that full-field events have 144 players or less, depending on daylight.

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Back injury sidelines Jessica Korda for last two LPGA events in Florida

I haven’t had the most luck when it comes to injuries in my career, nonetheless I’m going to keep on keeping on.”

Jessica Korda will not be competing in the final two events of the LPGA season. Korda announced on Instagram that a back injury put an end to her 2022.

“I’m beyond bummed,” Korda wrote. “I haven’t had the most luck when it comes to injuries in my career, nonetheless I’m going to keep on keeping on. Excited to be back next year for my 13th season on tour healthier and stronger.”

Korda will miss this week’s Pelican LPGA Championship in Belleair, Florida, where her sister Nelly is the defending champion. She’ll also miss the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, which boasts a $2 million winner’s check, the largest in tour history.

Korda finished runner-up at the Chevron Championship, her best finish at a major, and is 32nd on the CME points list. She missed several months in the spring as well due to injury.

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Korda is one of three players inside the top 60 on the Race to the CME Globe who have not yet entered the season-ending event. She’s joined by Inbee Park and Linn Grant.

The deadline to enter is Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. Park, who is 50th on the CME points list, hasn’t competed on the LPGA since last August at the AIG Women’s Open. Grant, who finished solo third last week at the Toto Japan Classic and T-8 prior to that at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea, hasn’t competed on the LPGA in the United States this season.

The leading player on the Ladies European Tour, Grant has full status on the LPGA and has competed in six events this season. She’s No. 51 on the CME points list.

No reason was given from either player’s agent.

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5 things Brittany Lincicome brings to every LPGA tournament

5 things Brittany Lincicome brings to every LPGA tournament.

LPGA star Brittany Lincicome is playing in the Pelican Women’s Championship next week, her first event back on tour after having her second child.

Every player has certain items or foods that they need at every tournament to make their time on the road easier and sustainable. Golfweek asked Lincicome what her must-haves are for every tournament and you can be sure that these items will make their way to Pelican Hill.

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Who gets an LPGA card for 2023? Here’s how to read the CME points list and what’s at stake

In 2021, the LPGA switched from using the money list to CME points to determine player status.

With only three events left on the LPGA schedule, the stakes are high heading into the final stretch. Some players are fighting to get into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship for a chance to earn mega-money. Some are fighting for the chance to keep their cards.

In 2021, the LPGA switched from using the money list to CME points to determine player status. The idea was to level out the finishes given that some purses are astronomically higher than others.

The cutoff to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship will be the Pelican Women’s Championship, Nov. 10-13. That’s also when players will make their final push toward securing an LPGA card for 2023 without having to go to Q-Series.

Here’s a closer look at how the CME points list breaks down for 2023 status: