Tag: volunteers of america classic

Jin Young Ko wins Volunteers of America Classic for 8th LPGA win

Six days after her 100-week run atop the Rolex rankings ended, Jin Young Ko returned to the winner’s circle on the LPGA.

Jin Young Ko took the lead at the Volunteers of America Classic after a marathon 32 holes on Saturday.

Weather delayed the action earlier in the week at the Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, and Ko hustled to beat the setting sun to take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.

She says she woke up 4:50 a.m. and didn’t walk off the course till 9 p.m. Saturday night.

“I did not want to play early [Sunday], so I wanted to finish. We did a great decision,” she said.

It sure seemed like it. Ko birdied three of her first four holes and opened a four-shot lead early in the final round. From there, she kept a lead of at least two shots for most of the day.

Late in the round, rookie Matilda Castren birdied the 17th to get to 15 under, one shot back of Ko.

On 18, Castren putted for birdie from about three feet off the back of the green to potentially tie but missed it right. Ko then made her par to seal the win.

Ko, who recently moved to nearby Frisco, is now 5-for-7 winning on the LPGA after holding the 54-hole lead. This win came just six days after her 100-week run atop the Rolex rankings came to an end.

Nelly Korda took over the top spot after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship a week ago. Losing the top spot didn’t seem to faze Ko.

“That’s fine. And I’m still alive. So doesn’t matter really,” Ko said on Saturday.

Castren finished solo second at 15 under. She shot in the 60s all four days.

Gaby Lopez was among those who made a run at Ko but came up short. Lopez finished solo third at 14 under after shooting a final-round 65.

Emma Talley had the best round Sunday with a 63. She had eight birdies including four straight on Nos. 15, 16, 17 and 18 to close out her day. She finished at 12 under. Talley matched Ko’s first-round 63 for low round of the week. Prior to Sunday, Talley had never shot better than 65.

Angela Stanford, the defending champion who won this tournament last December after it was moved when the schedule was reconfigured because of the pandemic, finished tied for 12th.

Ko is now an eight-time winner on the LPGA, tying her with Brittany Lincicome and Anna Nordqvist, among others. Ko reached the mark in her 73rd LPGA event. Nordqvist has played in 285 events, Lincicome 353.

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Jin Young Ko tops Volunteers of America leaderboard with 63

Jin Young Ko blistered Old American Golf Club for the first-round Volunteers of America Classic lead.

Jin Young Ko lost the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings to Nelly Korda after Korda claimed the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Sunday. But on Thursday at the Volunteers of America Classic, Ko sure played like a world No. 1. Her 8-under 63 at the Old American Club in the Colony, Texas, included six birdies in her first eight holes and a closing eagle on the par-5 17th.

Ko said dropping to No. 2 didn’t really provide motivation, explaining that Korda has played particularly well the past two events.

“I’m still alive,” Ko said, laughing.

Ko started the year strong with top-10 finishes in four of her first five events, but her past two starts have included ended in a T57 (Meijer LPGA Classic) and T46 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship).

Behind Ko, Jeongeun Lee6 and In Gee Chun are tied at 7 under, with Min-G Kim and Emma Talley in a tie for fourth at 6 under.

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Texan Angela Stanford claims Volunteers of America title in a U.S. Women’s Open warm up

Angela Stanford claimed her seventh career LPGA title in her home state of Texas. Next up? The U.S. Women’s Open, also in Texas.

Angela Stanford clinched her seventh career title at the Volunteers of America Classic, holding off a host of South Korean superstars near her Forth Worth, Texas, home. The 43-year-old became the first over-40 player to win on the LPGA since Cristie Kerr claimed the 2017 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

The best part: It’s the first time Stanford’s parents have been on-site for an LPGA win.

“You know after the major, it would’ve been easy to be satisfied,” said Stanford, referencing her Evian Championship win in 2018, “and I think I was for a little bit. But there’s something about bad golf ….”

That “bad golf” motivated Stanford to get better, and an improved short game allowed her to contend for the first time at the Old American Golf Club, where she held off former top-ranked players Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu, two best friends who finished runner-up alongside hotshot rookie Yealimi Noh.

Stanford’s closing 4-under 67 put her at 7-under 277 for the tournament, two clear of the field. Current No. 1 Jin Young Ko finished three back in solo fifth.

Earlier this year Pat Hurst named Stanford one of her assistant captains along with Michelle Wie. When asked if today’s strong form might put her in the running to be a playing assistant, Stanford said, “I’m not worried about it; I’m not thinking about it.”

Stanford is one of seven Texans in the field at next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Lindsey Weaver and Kristen Gillman, who also hail from the Lone Star state, tied for eighth at the VOA while Brittany Lang took a share of 11th.

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Cristie Kerr injured in golf cart accident at Volunteers of America; U.S. Women’s Open uncertain

Cristie Kerr withdrew from the Volunteers of America Classic on Friday after an early-morning golf cart accident prior to play.

Cristie Kerr withdrew from the Volunteers of America Classic on Friday after an early-morning golf cart accident prior to play.

Kerr’s husband, Erik Stevens, confirmed that the accident occurred in dark conditions at the Old American Golf Club and both Kerr and her caddie, Matt Gelczis, spent several hours in the emergency room with multiple serious injuries before being discharged late in the afternoon.

Gelczis caddied for ANA Inspiration winner Mirim Lee earlier this year in Rancho Mirage, California. The extent of their injuries remains unknown.

Kerr, 43, is a 20-time winner on the LPGA and former No. 1. She opened the Volunteers of America with a 1-over 72 in frigid conditions in The Colony, Texas. Jessica Korda, Anna Nordqvist and Yealimi Noh share the midway lead at the VOA at 4-under 138.

Kerr’s status for next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club remains uncertain. The event takes place Dec. 10-13 in Houston.

Kerr won the first of her two major championships at the 2007 USWO at Pine Needles. The mother of two hasn’t missed a Women’s Open since 1998.

Cristie Kerr celebrates with the trophy after her 2-stroke victory at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open Championship at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)

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Charley Hull takes early lead at frigid Volunteers of America Classic, where the wind-chill low was 30 degrees

The wind-chill low was 30 degrees on Thursday at the Volunteers of America Classic, where Charley Hull got hot early on.

Staying at home has its perks. Texas native Brittany Lang wouldn’t have had near the number of layers to fight wind and cold at the Old American Golf Club if she would’ve had to rely on her suitcase.

Temperatures were in the low 40s most of the morning in the The Colony, Texas, and with wind gusts up to 20 mph, the biggest challenge of the day at the Volunteers of America Classic was staying warm. The morning low was 36 degrees and the lowest wind-chill number was 30 degrees.

“I have like my fleece sweatpants,” said Lang, who opened with a 1-under 70. “I have the warmest vest under here which I never would have traveled with. I have heat packs, I have my heat socks, everything. I’m like, man, I feel good. I feel warm out here. My caddie is like what? I’ve got a lot of gear on.”

England’s Charley Hull holds the clubhouse lead at 3-under 68. She appreciated the fact that course plays much longer in December than it does in October.

Volunteers of America Classic: Leaderboard

“I struggled swinging the last two holes, I just got so cold,” said Hull, who played the eighth and ninth in 1 over. “Along that lake you just get like freezing.”

Lindsey Weaver, who is actually playing her home course this week, was humming along with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 15-17 until a triple-bogey at the last derailed her. Weaver finished at even par for the day. While she’s used a push cart for most of the season, Weaver has her fiancé, Zach Wright, on the bag this week. Wright competes on the Korn Ferry Tour.

More: These LPGA player/caddie couples make it work

“It’s like this is our home course, so it’s like I come here every day pretty much,” said Weaver, “so it’s like just a typical day really. It’s kind of weird. I’ve never played at home like with a tournament before.”

Jessica Korda, who wore a hefty parka on Thursday, sits one shot back with Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum at 2 under.

“I’m just going to go warm up my toes,” said Korda after the round, “because we lost feeling in them by like the second hole.”

Morning temperatures on Friday are again expected to be near freezing with a high of 57. Winds will be between 8 and 16 mph.

Mercifully, temperatures down in Houston next week for the U.S. Women’s Open are forecasted to be a bit warmer.

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Newlywed Ally McDonald off to strong start in first LPGA event as ‘Ally Ewing’

There’s a new name on the leaderboard at the Volunteers of America Classic. LPGA winner Ally McDonald, a newlywed, is now Ally Ewing.

There’s a new name on the leaderboard at the Volunteers of America Classic. Ally Ewing, formerly McDonald, married Charlie Ewing on May 30 in Mississippi and officially changed her name at this week’s event in Dallas.

Ewing said she surprised her in-laws and brother-in-law, who are from Dallas, Thanksgiving week with two of her old staff bags with “Ally Ewing” stitched on the panels.

“Those are going to be featured in their offices, I think,” said Ewing, who opened with a 1-under 70 at Old American Golf Club.

Ewing, who won her first LPGA title last month on her 28th birthday at the LPGA Drive On Championship-Reynolds Lake Oconee, said she was going to wait until the end of the year to change her name, but thought the tour stop in Dallas seemed an appropriate debut.

It’s been a big year for the Ewings.

Earlier this week Charlie was promoted to head coach of the Mississippi State women’s golf team, a program his wife helped put on the map. Charlie played college golf at Vanderbilt and has worked as an assistant coach for the men’s program at Mississippi State since the 2017-18 season.

Charley Hull holds the clubhouse lead at a chilly and windswept VOA after carding a 3-under 68. McDonald has gone 1-2 in her last two starts on the LPGA, finishing runner-up two weeks ago at the Pelican Women’s Championship in Florida.

“I definitely think my putter saved me a lot today,” said Ewing. “With the tougher conditions, it’s really hard to judge the wind. On top of that, these are some really difficult greens to hit and we’re hitting sometimes some longer irons into the green where we might normally hit a mid-iron in. Just kind of staying patient out there and trying to keep my hands warm.”

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So Yeon Ryu returns the LPGA just in time for a major that brings out her best

So Yeon Ryu is returning to the LPGA for the first time since February at the Volunteers of America Classic.

So Yeon Ryu came back to her home in Las Colinas, Texas, for the first time in nine months and spent two days cleaning with a broom in hand after her vacuum died. (She also wore a mask and gloves because dead bugs are not her thing.) The South Korean went to Chipotle to satisfy a chicken bowl craving and caught up with her swing coach Cameron McCormick.

The Volunteers of America Classic, situated 40 minutes from Ryu’s American home, marks the former No. 1’s first LPGA start since February, an ideal warm-up before next week’s 75th U.S. Women’s Open.

Few players on the LPGA have a USWO record that can rival Ryu’s. The 2011 Women’s Open champion has five top-5 finishes in her last seven appearances. Her worst finish, a share of 25th, came in her championship debut in 2010. Only Annika Sorenstam has notched as many top-5 finishes (six) since 2000.

No one has had a better scoring average at the USWO in the past decade: 71.35. No one has posted more rounds in the 60s: 10.

It’s no wonder Ryu came back when she did.

So Yeon Ryu on 18th green during the first round of the 2018 TOTO Japan Classic at Seta Golf Course in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. (Ken Ishii/Getty Images)

Originally, Ryu thought she might return for the ANA Inspiration, where she’s also a past champion. But she was enjoying her time back home in South Korea too much to leave. Especially her 8:30 a.m. breakfasts with mom and dad.

“I know it sounds a bit weird,” said Ryu, who turned 30 during the break, “because I didn’t really spend much time with my family for last nine years, eight years while I stayed in the U.S. Waking up at 7 and then having a breakfast with them at 8:30, that was my routine. That was one of my favorite time for last nine months.”

Another reason Ryu didn’t come back sooner: She’d realized a lifelong dream in winning her country’s national open.

“I almost like (felt) satisfied with my 2020 season after I won the tournament,” said Ryu of capturing the Korea Women’s Open.

Ryu donated her prize money from the event to charity, saying that it’s important to her that people know she cares about the bigger picture. That she cares about people.

There was pressure playing on the KLPGA, Ryu said, even though she’d competed on the tour for four years before winning the U.S. Women’s Open. She felt like a guest there this time around.

“That was so weird playing KLPGA Tour, because people literally seeing me as just going to judge like which tour is better tour,” said Ryu. “So when I play really bad, like people started to say, ‘Oh, maybe KLPGA Tour is tougher to compete in.’

“I almost feel like … well, nobody told me that … but I just kind of feel like I should play well to represent the LPGA Tour well as well. So that was one of the biggest challenges for me when I played the KLPGA event.”

So Yeon Ryu celebrates winning the 2020 KIA Motors Korea Women’s Open at the Bears Best CheongNa in Incheon, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Practice facilities aren’t as easy to come by in South Korea, ones that aren’t multi-story driving ranges off of mats anyway. Ryu was pleased to find a coach back home who could work virtually on her swing with McCormick, swapping emails.

She took the opportunity to see new courses, playing 15 new tracks during her time at home.

Once back in the U.S., Ryu was nervous about speaking in English with old friends and reporters, but the rust didn’t show. Even though she competed in six events on the KLPGA this year, Ryu said it felt like she hadn’t played at all when she got back to Texas.

“I thought it was going to be totally new feeling,” she said, “but as soon as I start to practice on Monday, everything was just same as what I used to do.”

That bodes well for next week at Champions Golf Club, even though Ryu will be headed into the two-course event without having seen either track. Her veteran caddie, however, did get out to Houston for a scouting report, and Ryu feels confident that he’ll be able to show her the way.

Stacy Lewis points to Ryu’s solid ball-striking and even temperament as keys to her past Women’s Open success. Boring golf bodes well at these affairs.

“She’s okay hitting it to the middle of the green,” said Lewis. “She’s not going to force things unless she doesn’t have to.”

Besides, she’s already won an Open this year. The rest of 2020 still feels like a bonus.

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Brittany Lincicome WDs from Dallas LPGA stop after positive COVID test, still hopes to play U.S. Women’s Open

Brittany Lincicome planned to be in Dallas this week, playing the LPGA’s Volunteers of America Classic. A positive COVID test changed that.

Brittany Lincicome and her husband were decorating their Christmas tree on Monday morning when she picked up the phone. As daughter Emery was already taste-testing the ornaments, she noted that decorations might need to stay on the top half of the tree this year.

Lincicome, 35, planned to be in Dallas this week, teeing it up in the Volunteers of America Classic and staying at the home of good friend Brittany Lang. Their young daughters were supposed to have a week-long playdate.

But, 2020 had other plans.

Lincicome took the LPGA’s pre-tournament test last Monday and the results, which she received on Wednesday, came back negative. But when her husband, Dewald Gouws began to lose his sense of taste and smell, the couple decided to get tested again on Thanksgiving morning. Lincicome’s second test came back positive, while Gouws’ test was negative.

They quarantined at the house for the rest of Thanksgiving and took another test on Friday. Once again, Lincicome’s results were positive; Gouws was still negative.

It wasn’t until Lincicome went to change Emery’s diaper that she realized that her sense of smell had vanished. She tried smelling vinegar, too.

Nothing.

“It kind of feels like allergies,” said Lincicome of her mild symptoms.

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The two-time major winner is grateful that her 88-year-old grandmother told them not to come for their annual Thanksgiving trip to West Virginia. And while it’s tough to miss out on any LPGA event, the tour’s doctor said she should be cleared to fly to Texas for the final major of the year on Sunday.

As the family continues to quarantine at home, Lincicome wears a mask and avoids cuddles.

She plans to fly solo to Houston for next week’s U.S. Women’s Open, where she’ll learn the two courses at Champions Golf Club in three days. Lincicome has only once gone early to a USWO venue – the 2010 championship at Oakmont – and decided that the extra prep work only added more pressure. It’s the caddies, she said, who will have the real challenge.

“I’d probably rather see (a course) completely blind,” she said, “than see it too many times.”

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Seven players and caddies tested positive ahead of the LPGA’s last event near Clearwater, Florida, the Pelican Women’s Championship, including Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn. Both are listed in this week’s field in Texas.

Since the LPGA and Symetra Tour started testing players in July, tour officials say that approximately 6,200 tests had been administered through the Pelican tournament, with 27 of those coming back positive. Of those 27 positive tests, 18 came during pre-tournament testing (before players left for the tournament).

In addition to pre-testing, players and caddies are also being tested on-site at the Volunteers of American Classic.

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