Tag: Sierra Brooks

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard leads LPGA Q-Series while Haley Moore, Sierra Brooks among those who missed the cut

The top 45 players and ties earn LPGA status for 2022. The rest of the field earns Symetra status.

The final stage of LPGA qualifying has a familiar feel to it. Frenchwoman Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, winner of Stage II, is once again atop the board at the midway point of the Q-Series marathon.

Roussin-Bouchard fired a 7-under 65 on the Crossings Course Sunday to take a two-shot lead at 19 under into Week 2 on the Robert Trent Jones Trail. There are six players ranked in the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings in the Q-Series field, and four of those players are in the top 10: Hye-Jin Choi (-17), Na Rin An (-14), Atthaya Thitikul (-13) and Ayaka Furue (-11). Major winner Hinako Shibuno and two-time European Solheim Cup player Emily Kristine Pedersen are tied for 24th.

Roussin-Bouchard credits her early success to the peaceful atmosphere her team has helped her to create, calling it “pressure-less.”

“I do a lot of martial arts, boxing,” said Roussin-Bouchard, “and I went boxing before leaving because I needed to let some pressure go. It really helped because it puts me in the mood where I really want to destroy everything on my way.”

Atthaya Thitikul (Photo credit Ben Harpring/LPGA)

Aussie Stephanie Kyriacou carded the low round of the week on Sunday, a 9-under 63, on the Crossings Course with seven birdies and an eagle. Kyriacou first won on the LET as a 19-year-old amateur at the 2020 Australian Ladies Classic Bonville.

“Over the last couple days some things were working and some things weren’t,” she said, “and then today they just both were in sync.”

Currently ranked 77th in the world, Kyriacou won the 2021 Big Green Egg Open on the LET and notched a dozen top-10 finishes.

While Roussin-Bouchard and Kyriacou look ahead to the 72-hole event at Highland Oaks Golf Club in Dothan, Alabama, not everyone in the field will make the trip.

There was a cut on Sunday to the top 70 and ties and 74 players advanced. Among those not making the cut: Haley Moore, Sierra Brooks, Beth Wu, Sarah Burnham, Virginia Elena Carta and amateurs Polly Mack and Hyo Joon Jang.

LPGA veteran Mariah Stackhouse carded a fourth-round 69 to bolt up the board into the next week. England’s Meghan MacLaren’s back-to-back 68s moved her back in contention for a tour card at T-39.

The top 45 players and ties earn LPGA status for 2022. The rest of the field earns Symetra status.

Six amateurs made the cut including Arizona’s Hou sisters, who are currently tied for 29th. Yu-Sang shot 66 on Sunday to join her sister Yu-Chiang at 5 under.

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Player Diary: New pro Sierra Brooks on COVID-19 test anxiety, Chipotle bowls and finding an edge

In her latest player diary, new pro Sierra Brooks opens up on her COVID-19 test anxiety, Chipotle bowls and finding an edge.

Editor’s note: This is the third of a four-part series with 22-year-old Symetra Tour rookie Sierra Brooks, who will chronicle her 2020 season on Golfweek.com. The former Florida standout finished second at last year’s NCAA Championship to Maria Fassi and was a finalist at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won three times in college and represented the U.S. at the Curtis Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and Junior Solheim Cup. Part I | Part II

I have severe test anxiety. Not the written kind. Spit tests, actually. COVID-19 tests on the Symetra Tour require us to fill a tube with saliva, and I get cotton mouth every time.

Test monitors have tried everything to help me. I’ll rub my throat, grab food – like coffee beans – to sniff, hoping that will trigger something. I’ve even looked at food on Instagram, hoping to literally drool over pictures of cheeseburgers, fries and cookie skillets.

I’ve been on Zoom calls for 45 minutes waiting to fill a tube. On the road, we go to a host hotel for testing where tables are spread 6 feet apart. My anxiety really starts to rise when the player next to me finishes up, and I’m not even halfway done.

The good news is that all my tests have been negative. I’ve competed in six tournament so far as a rookie on the Symetra Tour, and we’re in the middle of my backyard swing. Last week’s tournament in Longwood, Florida, was about five minutes from my parents’ house in Heathrow. I’ll drive back and forth to this week’s event in Daytona Beach, Florida, too.

We have four events left on the schedule in 2020. I’ll also compete on an LPGA sponsor exemption in November at the new Pelican Women’s Championship in Belleair, Florida. I made my first cut at an LPGA event earlier this summer at the Marathon Classic.

Sierra Brooks walks across the bridge to the 3rd hole during the final round of the Marathon LPGA Classic at Highlands Meadows Golf Club
Sierra Brooks walks across the bridge to the 3rd hole during the final round of the Marathon LPGA Classic at Highlands Meadows Golf Club. (Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)

Being around LPGA pros again reminded me of the importance of leaving my cluttered swing thoughts on the range. I needed to be freer on the golf course, so I broke down my practice routine to add more structure. Now when I warm up, I put a stick down about 10 yards in front of my start line and work on hitting a cut, draw and straight shot on demand. That gives me all the confidence I need heading to the first tee.

I made the mistake of playing 18-hole practice rounds in the lead-up to Q-Series and lost too much energy. Figuring out what works to sustain that energy on the road has been a challenge, as has figuring out how to sign up for practice rounds. I kept getting stuck with the worst times.

I stay at Airbnbs as much as I can because I like to cook boring food like chicken, rice and veggies. I spice it up with stir fry, tacos and homemade pizzas when I’m at home. I should own stock in Chipotle given how many chicken bowls I’ve consumed – mild salsa, corn, fajitas and, of course, a side of guac.

With no gyms open, I use bands, jump rope and water jugs to keep in shape. It’s strange not being able to room with other players or travel with them. Sometimes I drive around town just to sightsee by car. I stayed in Palm Springs for our Beaumont stop and enjoyed driving through the mountains.

I’ve tried to incorporate more balance in my daily routine since the pandemic started. I’ve become more aware of my poor sleeping habits after wearing the Whoop band. I’ve always been an early riser, waking up around 5 a.m. most days. Whoop has made it clear that my five to seven hours of sleep weren’t cutting it. I make sure I’m hydrated and meditate before bed to get more quality sleep.

I also bought a pair of Felix and Gray blue light glasses. I put them on around 7 p.m. when I’m ready to chill. My parents think I’m ridiculous, but they don’t have a Whoop band that shows about a 6 percent difference in recovery after wearing them.

Every athlete is looking for an edge.

I’m optimistic about this last stretch of tournaments. This first year on tour has forced me to dig deep and learn a lot about who I am as a golfer and person. There’s an endurance factor to this lifestyle, and I’m learning something new every week.

My goal remains the same: finish in the top 5 of the money list to earn an LPGA card. Two wins and I’ll be right back in it.

When Sophia Popov won the AIG Women’s British Open one week after she played alongside us in Arizona, I remember Casey Danielson getting emotional watching the broadcast and FaceTiming with her afterwards. It was such an inspiring moment for us all to see.

I know my game stacks up to players at the next level. Breakthrough could be just around the corner.

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Nurse Sarah Hoffman returns to pro golf for Symetra Tour restart

Sarah Hoffman, a Symetra Tour player, returned to her job on the course after working as a nurse during the coronavirus pandemic.

Sarah Hoffman has traded her scrubs for clubs as the Symetra Tour restarts its season this week in her native Michigan. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and golf stopped, Hoffman returned to her career as a nurse at Michigan Medicine.

Now, the 30-year-old Grand Valley State grad is one of 144 players teeing it up this week at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Michigan.

“Sometimes it felt like higher praise than what I necessarily deserved,” said Hoffman of the attention she received for going back to work in the medical field, “but I felt like I was just doing what I could do.”

The Symetra Tour hosted one event in March before the season was shut down due to the spread of coronavirus. There are eight events remaining on the schedule. The top five money leaders at the end of the season, down from 10 due to COVID-19, will earn an LPGA card for 2021. This week’s 54-hole event has a purse of $175,000 and a winner’s check of $26,250.

There are 30 Symetra Tour rookies in the field including former Florida standout Sierra Brooks. Several LPGA players are gearing up for next week’s event in Toledo by playing in Michigan.

Hoffman tees off at the Symetra Tour’s season-opening event in Winter Haven, Florida (courtesy Symetra)

Former Michigan State player Sarah Burnham has won four times during the COVID-19 break, with her first coming in late March on the Cactus Tour in Arizona, where tour owner Mike Brown presented her with a roll of toilet tissue in addition to her trophy and check. Burnham won again on that tour in April and then picked up another title on the Eggland’s Best Tour in Florida with a career-low round of 63.

Burnham, 24, then matched that 63 at the Michigan PGA Women’s Open in early July, ultimately lapping the field by 10 shots.

“It was great to boost my confidence a little bit,” said Burnham, who is still looking for her first win on the Symetra and LPGA.

Other notables in the field include former Alabama player Janie Jackson, who won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic by eight strokes in March. Alexa Pano, a 15-year-old amateur, played in last year’s Firekeepers event on a sponsor exemption and qualified for this week via a runner-up finish on the Women’s All Pro Tour.

Alexa Pano watches her tee shot at the 11th hole during the third round of the 44th Girls Junior PGA Championship at Keney Park Golf Course in Hartford, Connecticut. (Darren Carroll/PGA of America)

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Player diary: Sierra Brooks waiting for a fresh start on her Symetra Tour journey

Sierra Brooks’ rookie season on the Symetra Tour came to an abrupt start thanks to the coronavirus. She’s hoping for a fresh start soon.

Editor’s note: This is the second of a four-part series with 21-year-old Symetra Tour rookie Sierra Brooks, who will chronicle her 2020 season on Golfweek.com. The former Florida standout finished second at last year’s NCAA Championship to Maria Fassi and was a finalist at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won three times in college and represented the U.S. at the Curtis Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and Junior Solheim Cup.

In some ways, my professional debut on the Symetra Tour in March feels like a lifetime ago. In other ways, that feeling of wanting to push my golf bag into the water on the 10th and just sink right along with it is as fresh as if it happened yesterday.

My debut didn’t go as I’d dreamed, and by now, I thought I’d have dozens of tournament rounds in the memory bank to push it down. But the fact remains that after opening with a 71 at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, I blew up with a 10 on the par-5 ninth hole of my second round at the Country Club of Winter Haven. I tried to go for the green in two and hit it in a bunker. Then I skulled the next shot into another bunker over the green. The next thing I know, I’m walking off the hole with a 10. I don’t even remember the number of putts I took.

My dad, Brent, who was watching from outside the ropes, disappeared after that (probably to go grab a drink somewhere). Can’t say that I blame him, he’s usually living each shot right along with me.

Especially after I hit it in the water on the 10th tee, dropped one and hit it in the water again. That’s when I wanted to disappear.

I posted an 84 that day and missed the cut. Gosh did it ever sting.

I could never have imagined that a global pandemic would put that embarrassing 10 squarely in perspective.

Back in March at the pro-am party in Winter Haven, Florida, some of us wondered if the coronavirus would impact our California swing. We never dreamed it would push our entire season into an unprecedented level of uncertainty. We recently received word that our restart has been pushed back again to late July, canceling two more events on our schedule.

I’d already booked flights for those two. Maybe I’ll drive everywhere now.

Sierra Brooks chats with media at Heathrow Country Club. (Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)

I was ready to sprint into this next chapter of my life, having given up my last semester at Florida to move closer to my dream of an LPGA card. I miss competition. It’s frustrating to watch so many events fall off our calendar but I’m trying to make the most of this time.

But, in a way, this time at home in Lake Mary, Florida, has been refreshing. I’ve been fortunate to have my course, Heathrow Country Club, stay open throughout the spring. It’s actually been hard to get on the course sometimes because it’s so packed with members.

Never in my life have I had so long of a stretch to really work on my golf game. My dad and I would get a small window here and there, and then I’d be off to another tournament. I’ve always struggled to make something we’ve been working on become my own. That’s what this great pause has given me. The gift of time.

I did take two weeks off completely. I was sad to finish the most recent season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” She’s my favorite. My workouts have moved to the garage gym, where we have dumb bells, a squat rack and bench. My brother, Brayden, is finishing up his senior year of high school at Lake Mary Prep. My mom, Lora, teaches AP government there so she’s always keeping us updated with the current events. They’re on their computers eight hours a day.

At first, I was glued to all the COVID-19 news. Now I’m mostly sick of it.

I miss watching real-time sports. I can’t wait to watch Rory, DJ, Rickie and Matt Wolff at Seminole. I played in so many of the same junior events as Matt, and at this time last year we were both gearing up for the NCAA Championship in Arkansas. It’s so cool that he’s playing with these guys in a celebrity skins match. His early success is inspiring.

I have no idea when our tour will really start up again. I had planned on using host housing, but it sounds like that’s not going to be an option. After my memorable start in Winter Haven, we decided that I should take a caddie on the road for the rest of the season. Initially, my plan had been to go it alone with a push cart.

I’m trying to mentally prepare for whatever comes next. Whether that means we have a whole slew of events this summer and fall, a wrap-around season or another go at Q-School. I’ve considered all the scenarios. Whatever it is, I’ll be ready for it.

I’ve taken up bike riding during quarantine life. There’s a trail next to my house and I go there when I need an outlet, a space to clear my head and dream of what will be – someday.

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Excel, agency that represents Tiger Woods launches women’s division with addition of six up-and-comers

The agency adds a stable of six new women’s golfers to join longtime client Cheyenne Woods.

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Excel Sports Management – the agency that represents Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, among others – has launched a women’s division. Excel has long represented Cheyenne Woods, Tiger’s niece, but is expanding its stable with some of women’s golf’s most promising young pros.

The expansion brings six more women’s golfers on board, including Bronte Law, Kristen Gillman, Jillian Hollis, Andrea Lee, Albane Valenzuela and Sierra Brooks.

More than half of that group will be rookies this year. Symetra Tour graduate Hollis plus former Stanford players Valenzuela and Lee will all compete on the LPGA. Brooks, a former Florida player,  will start out on the Symetra Tour.

Valenzuela competed in the 2016 Olympics for Switzerland.

Related: Sierra Brooks player diary

Law won her first LPGA title at the 2019 Pure Silk Championship and was a member of the victorious European Solheim Cup team later in the year. Gillman made 22 cuts in 26 events as a rookie last season, finishing second in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings.

“Launching this women’s golf division is a very proud moment for Excel Sports Management,” said Mark Steinberg, Partner and President of Golf, Excel Sports Management. “We’re looking to build something here that will benefit women golfers around the world, providing opportunities they deserve on and off the course.”

Kevin Hopkins will lead the women’s division for Excel. Hopkins joined the agency in 2018 and has 15 years of experience in the golf representation and event management space, serving as the Executive Director for multiple Major Championships on the LPGA calendar including the ANA Inspiration (2012-2019) and the U.S. Women’s Open (2017).

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Player diary: Sierra Brooks launches Symetra Tour career

This is the first of a four-part series with 21-year-old Symetra Tour rookie Sierra Brooks, who will chronicle her 2020 rookie season.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series with 21-year-old Symetra Tour rookie Sierra Brooks, who will chronicle her 2020 season on Golfweek.com. The former Florida standout finished second at last year’s NCAA Championship to Maria Fassi and was a finalist at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won three times in college and represented the U.S. at the Curtis Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and Junior Solheim Cup.

I’ve dreamed big for as long as I can remember. LPGA Hall of Fame. Chasing Annika’s 59. I want to change women’s golf the way Tiger did for the PGA Tour. I want to help inspire the next generation. Use golf as a platform to do something that’s bigger than myself.

But before any of that can happen, I’ve got to get to work on the Symetra Tour, which kicks off this week at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in Winter Haven, Florida. The season will take me everywhere from Beaumont, California, to Cincinnati, to Rochester, New York, to Worley, Idaho. For most of it, a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta will be my road warrior. My Jetta already has 70,000 miles on it, so it’s nice starting off 2020 roughly 60 miles from home in central Florida.

My dad, Brent, introduced me to the game when I was 6 years old. The golf course was my babysitter as he practiced, but I loved it from the start. We’d play games for $1. As I got older, maybe a pair of sunglasses if I broke 45. At age 8, we discovered U.S. Kids Golf, and my dad still gets choked up thinking about those early trophies and the journey that followed.

He played college golf at North Florida and spent a few years on the Hooters and Golden Bear tours. I’ve worked with Kevin Smeltz on and off throughout my career, but my dad has been my primary coach since the beginning. He’s my best friend. My comfort.

Sierra Brooks and her dad, Brent. (Reinhold Matay)

We used to bicker sometimes, especially when he was dad, coach and caddie, but I’m 21 years old now and know that he’s only here to help me. There’s no time for it.

I was a gymnast until age 12 and ran track through high school at Lake Mary Prep. The 400 was my main event. But golf is what I’ve always lived and breathed.

I was shy as a kid. I remember going out to the LPGA’s Ginn Open event at Reunion when I was like 8 years old. I wanted Natalie Gulbis’ autograph, but I was too scared to go over and ask for it. Natalie called me over and said, “If you want an autograph, you need to come over and say it.”

I needed to hear that! If you want something, go get it.

At the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland, I was asked to represent the Junior Ryder Cup team and give a speech in front of 40,000 people that was broadcast live around the world. Last year, I had the honor or representing the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur on a New York City media tour alongside Nancy Lopez and Maria Fassi. I’ve had so many incredible opportunities throughout my amateur career.

After LPGA Q-Series ended last November, I made a list of the pros and cons of going back to Florida for my final semester versus turning pro early for the Symetra Tour. At that point it looked like I might miss the first 11 events on the schedule (nearly half) if I waited until after the spring season. It was a tough decision, but I knew deep down that playing professional golf is what I wanted to do and really just wanted to get straight to it.

That was the first of many big decisions.

Sierra Brooks will be a rookie on the Symetra Tour in 2020. (Reinhold Matay)

For starters, I decided to take a break from my studies this semester. I still intend to get my degree in telecommunications, I just didn’t want to be pulled in different directions as I’m settling into this new life.

Choosing an agent felt like the college recruiting process all over again. I met with several, even flew to California. I ultimately chose Excel Sports. I’ve known my agent, Kevin Hopkins, since I played in the ANA Inspiration as a 16-year-old. Kevin was the tournament director back then. I appreciated his experience in the business, particularly the ins and outs of the LPGA schedule. And once Mark Steinburg (Tiger’s agent) called, it was a done deal.

I signed with TaylorMade and Nike and feel fortunate that I can start the 2020 season with strong backing. My parents have invested in my game for such a long time, and I really didn’t want to put that load back on them after I turned pro.

Every club in my bag is new since Q-Series. I’ll be pushing my own bag this season. I know that’s not uncommon on the Symetra Tour. Host families will also help cut down on expenses. My dad works in medical sales and will come out when he can.

To help keep sharp, I signed up for a couple of local events on Eggland’s Golf Tour. Even on a smaller stage, I could feel more hunger from the girls I was competing against. At the end of the day, this is your job and you’re trying to pay the bills. Or at least pay off the entry fee. I won both tournaments, collecting a $2,000 winner’s check. It felt good.

The first time I played in an LPGA major, I played practice rounds with Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster. I felt like I was living in a dream. I couldn’t even tee up the ball on that first tee, my hands were shaking so much.

That was four years ago. I’m ready to make so many of childhood dreams become reality.

The road to the LPGA starts now.

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With Sierra Brooks gone, Florida adds top junior Annabell Fuller for spring season

Annabell Fuller is No. 4 in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings, and was the top-ranked player in the class of 2020.

It isn’t easy replacing a senior All-American, but Florida will do its best this spring by bringing in Annabell Fuller, a top-30 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, to Gainesville, Florida, a semester early. Fuller started class at Florida this week and will compete with the Gators in the spring.

Fuller’s timing couldn’t be better with Sierra Brooks having departed a semester early for the Symetra Tour. Brooks, who tied for medalist honors in the second stage of LPGA Q-School, fell short of earning full LPGA status at the LPGA Q-Series. She will play a full schedule on the developmental tour this year in hopes of setting herself up on the big tour in 2021.

Fuller is No. 4 in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings, and was the top-ranked player in the class of 2020. After growing up in London, she had been attending IMG Academy since the fall of 2018.

When Brooks announced that she would depart for the Symetra Tour at the start of 2020, Fuller was going over school credits and class schedule with an advisor at IMG. She was facing a light final semester, or a jump to the next level.

“The idea came about and I thought it was so exciting because I couldn’t wait to come here in the fall,” she said from Gainesville. “So then we came on a visit and I absolutely loved being here. I mean, I loved IMG but I felt like I was ready to move on and because the opportunity was there.”

The 2019 season was a memorable one for Annabell as she played her way to the third round of match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and finished fifth at the European Ladies Amateur. The 2017 English Girls Open Amateur champion represented Great Britain and Ireland at the Curtis Cup a year and a half ago and was a member of the European Junior Solheim Cup team this fall.

A step into the yet-unknown of college golf is a much-needed step forward for Fuller, ranked No. 28 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The 17-year-old had transitioned up from junior to amateur golf at home in Europe, but while at IMG, competed in several junior events.

“It was almost like it was a great experience because I got to play different tournaments, but then I had played them all and I kind of talked to my dad, I think I’m ready to play again in the amateur and the better junior competition, with more players in them,” she said.

Florida finished the fall portion of the season ranked No. 7 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings. The Gators were in the top 5 in all four fall starts, winning the Glass City Invitational in Toledo.

On the men’s side, Florida men’s coach J.C. Deacon is also bringing in a first-semester this month. Christophe Stutts, a Maitland, Florida, native who won two Moonlight Mini Tour events in 2019 has also started spring classes and will compete with the Gators.

Florida’s women open the spring season in Palos Verdes, California, for the Northrop Grumman Challenge Feb. 9-11 while the men play the Sea Best Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida, Feb. 3-4.

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