American Gold Sports Alliance

Golf

Lexi Thompson to play in PGA Tour’s Shriners Children’s Open

by

By: Michael Collins, ESPN Senior Writer

Lexi Thompson is set to become the seventh woman ever to tee it up against the men on the PGA Tour.

Thompson, 28, accepted a sponsor invitation to play in the Shriners Children’s Open, which begins Oct. 12 in Las Vegas.

“I’m hopeful that my ability to play with the men next week at the Shriners Children’s Open sends a great message to the young women that you can chase your dream regardless of how hard it is,” Thompson said in a statement Wednesday announcing her entry. “I’m grateful to Shriners Children’s for this opportunity to spend the week alongside these inspirational kids.”

Thompson is no stranger to making history. At age 12 in 2007, she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. She also became the youngest winner of an LPGA tournament when she took the Navistar LPGA Classic at age 16 in 2011.

Since joining the LPGA in 2012, Thompson has 11 victories.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lexi to the 2023 tournament,” said Patrick Lindsey, executive director of the Shriners Children’s Open. “We are eager to have Lexi on the course and continue to break through barriers.”

Brittany Lincicome was the last woman to play a PGA Tour event, teeing it up at the 2018 Barbasol Championship. Ten years before that, Michelle Wie West played in the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Wie West played in eight PGA Tour events throughout her career. The other women who have played on the tour: Suzy Whaley, Annika Sorenstam, Shirley Spork and Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Qualifier Chanettee Wannasaen, 19, wins Portland Classic

by

  • ESPN News Services

PORTLAND, Ore. — Teenager Chanettee Wannasaen played a five-hole stretch in 6 under early in the final round Sunday and closed with a near-flawless 9-under 63 for a four-stroke victory at the Portland Classic to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the LPGA Tour since 2015.

Wannasaen arrived at Portland ranked 367th and having missed nine straight cuts in her rookie season. The 19-year-old from Thailand credited her caddie for keeping her calm and put together four stellar rounds in the 60s at Columbia Edgewater. She shattered the tournament scoring record by five strokes with a 26-under 262 total for her first LPGA Tour victory.

“I don’t give up. Yeah, I don’t give up,” Wannasaen said.

Wannasaen is just the third qualifier to win on tour. Canada’s Brooke Henderson was the last Monday qualifier to win, taking the same Portland event in 2015. The other qualifier to finish first was American Laurel Kean, who claimed the State Farm Classic in 2000.

Third-round leader Megan Khang failed in her bid to win consecutive events. The 25-year-old American, a winner a week ago the CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy in Vancouver, British Columbia — her first on tour — closed with a 1-under 71 and finished alone in sixth place at 19 under.

Khang was satisfied with her performance over the last two tiring weeks.

“You know, game is pretty solid,” she said after a round that included three birdies and two bogeys on the back nine. “I mean, I can’t really say too much about today. A couple putts didn’t drop, but overall, I mean, Chanettee played amazing. … You’re out there and there is nothing you can do about that. Gave myself a bunch of chances … again, putts didn’t drop.”

Wannasaen, who had previously won on the Access Series of the Ladies European Tour and Thai LPGA, lost a playoff to Yue Ren last week in Idaho in the Epson Tour’s Circling Raven Championship. She admitted the extended run of missed cuts weighed on her, but she credited the Epson Tour with boosting her confidence.

Xiyu Lin of China closed with a 64 for a 22-under 266 total and was second. China’s Ruoning Yin (64), American Gina Kim (66) and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (67) tied for third another stroke back..

Tied for second place entering the round, Wannasaen charged into the lead with birdies at Nos. 3 and 5, an eagle at the par-5 fifth, and two more birdies at the sixth and seventh holes — a stretch of 6 under that catapulted her into the lead at 23 under.

She carded a 30 on the front nine and was never really pressured on the inward nine, methodically playing the back and adding three more birdies to her total. She increased her advantage with consecutive birdies at Nos. 13 and 14, and she added another at the 17th to increase her lead to five stokes with four to play.

“I really like this course because I can make a lot of birdies, and I think the course is really beautiful,” Wannasaen said.

One of few hiccups in her final round came at the 72nd hole when Wannasaen, who hit 13 of 14 fairways, powered her approach long and over the green — one of three missed greens in regulation in the final round. She chipped short but punctuated her bogey-free round and victory with a 10-foot par putt.

Lin, who changed her putting grip this week, feverishly tried to rally from an opening 71 that included two bogeys and a double-bogey. But she just wasn’t able to complete her comeback.

UTC Women’s Golf Led by Healey in Arizona

by

Chattanooga Mocs freshman golfer Kera Healey continued her solid run following the turn of the calendar to 2023. The South African turned in her best 54-hole total with a 2-under 214 leading her squad at the Clover Cup on Longbow Gold Club.

Healey’s even-par 72 led the Sunday effort by two ahead of Dorota Zalewska at 74. Carolina Hortian was next with 80 as Nieves Martin’s 82 closed the team scoring. Megan Docherty posted the drop score of 83.

Healey just missed her second top 10 while recording her third straight top 20. Her 214 was good for a tie for 11th. Zalewska joined her in the top 15 tying for 13th with a 1-under 215. Hortian was third at 242 just clear of Docherty’s 244. Martin ended up at 260.

Texas A&M claimed a 15-stroke victory shooting 841. New Mexico was a distant second at 856 with Georgia in third with 860. Tennessee’s Angela Arora won medalist honors with 205.

The Mocs are off until early April hosting the Chattanooga Classic. It’s a 3-day, 54-hole event at Council Fire Golf Club with 18 holes per day beginning on Sunday, April 2, and ending Tuesday, April 4. Admission is free.

Lineup
13th of 14: 304-305-305=914
T11) Kera Healey: 69-73-72=214 (-2)
T13) Dorota Zalewska: 71-73-71=215 (-1)
T69) Carolina Hortian: 87-75-80=242
71) Megan Docherty: 77-84-83=244
75) Nieves Martin: 89-89-82=260

Hortian, Healey Lead Women’s Golf in Finish at Chattanooga Classic

by

CHATTANOOGA—The Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team completed its own Chattanooga Classic with 307 Tuesday at Council Fire Golf Club. That gives the squad a total of 919.
 
The Mocs finished in 16th, one behind Old Dominion in 15th. Indiana was 14 behind the hometown lasses with Jacksonville another eight behind the Hoosiers. Carolina Hortian and Kera Healey carded 73s to lead the way. Dorota Zalewska added 77, while Megan Docherty chipped in 84.
 
Zalewska claimed yet another top 20 tying for 18th overall with 219. Healey was next at 226 with Hortian close behind with 228. Docherty and Isabela Yu Lee, who played as an individual, added 246s to the ledge with Nieves Martin rounding out the six totals with 264.
 
SMU set records in pulling away with the team titles. Today’s 11-under 277 is two better than UTSA’s 279 record set last season adding on to yesterday’s new 36-hole mark of 573 (-3). That means the Mustangs shattered the 54-hole record by 19 shots with 14-under 850. It also meant a 20-stroke win over Xavier in second, although they didn’t leave empty-handed.
 
The Muskateers’ Emma McMyler held off a late charge for medalist honors tying 2022 champion Anne Chen’s (Duke) scoring mark of 207 (-9). That charge came in the form of SMU’s Michelle Zhang’s 8-under 64, yet another new tourney standard.
 
The Mocs return to action in two weeks at the Southern Conference Championships. This year’s event returns to an old haunt, Moss Creek Golf Course in Hilton Head, S.C. The 3-day, 54-hole event is April 6-18. Full results, live scoring and pairings, when available, can be found on GoMocs.com’s women’s golf schedule page.
 
Chattanooga Classic
April 2-4 (Sun-Tue) | 54 holes (18 per day)
 
Lineup
Team – 16th of 18: 308-304-307=919
T18) Dorota Zalewska: 73-69-77=219 (+3)
T42) Kera Healey: 79-74-73=226
T50) Carolina Hortian: 77-78-73=228
T89) Megan Docherty: 79-83-84=246
T89) Isabella Yu Lee (Ind.): 79-85-82=246
94) Nieves Martin: 87-87-90=264
 
Course
Council Fire G.C. | Par 72 | 6,209 yards
 
Field
Chattanooga, Augusta, Campbell, Central Arkansas, Colorado State, ETSU, Grand Canyon, Indiana, Jacksonville, Middle Tennessee, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Old Dominion, USF, SMU, UTSA, Xavier, Yale
 
History
2009 Lady Mocs Intercollegiate (April 6) | Lookout Mountain GC
Champion: Kentucky: 325 (+37)
Runner-Up: Chattanooga: 326 (+38)
Medalist: Mallory Blackwelder, Kentucky: 77 (+5)
 
2015 Chattanooga Classic (April 6-7) | Council Fire GC
Champion: Chattanooga: 298-296-293=887 (+23)
Runner-Up: Central Arkansas: 300-301-301=902 (+38)
Medalist: Morgan Ransom, Vanderbilt: 71-72-71=214 (-2)
 
2021 Chattanooga Classic (March 29-30) | Black Creek GC
Champion: ETSU: 294-296-297=887 (+23)
Runners-Up: Chattanooga & Iowa: 894 (+30)
Medalist: Tereza Melecka, ETSU, 68-72-72=212 (-4)
 
2022 Chattanooga Classic (March 27-29) | Council Fire GC
Champion: UTSA: 297-279-293=869
Runner-Up: North Florida: 294-284-292=870
Medalist: Anne Chen, Duke, 72-69-66=207 (-9)
 
Live Scoring
Golfstat
 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.

UTC’s Zalewska, Healey Named To All-SoCon Golf Team

by

Chattanoogan

-Senior Dorota Zalewska and freshman Kera Healey were among the honorees announced today by the Southern Conference in its annual postseason awards. Zalewska repeated on the All-SoCon team, while Healey netted All-Freshman consideration.

“I’m really pleased for Dori and Kera,” Coach Colette Murray shared. “Both have worked really hard this year, and I’m glad to see it recognized.”

It’s Zalewska’s second All-SoCon honor also earning it in 2022. “Dori” led the Mocs with a 72.93 though the Southern Conference Championships. She posted one top 5 and four top 10s for the year and is ranked No. 92 in the latest Golfstat rankings. 

Zalewska set numerous season and team records along the way. She owns the marks for season rounds in the 60s (8) as well as career in the 60s (13) and total par or better cards (38). She has two wins, two runners-up, seven top 5s, 13 top 10s and 19 top 20 finishes over her last 24 events. She’s the 29th all-conference pick for the program and ninth to do it multiple times.

Healey is the 15th All-Freshman honoree under Murray. She’s the fourth in a row to get it in an odd-numbered year – Holly Morgan (2017), Rheagan Hall (2019) & Beatriz Barrios (2021). 

The native South African averaged 75.83 strokes per 18 growing as the year progressed. She averaged 76.47 in five fall events before shaving more than 1.25 strokes in the spring (75.20). The numbers certainly showed in the results with a top 10 and three top 20s.

The Chattanooga Mocs look eagerly toward Wednesday’s NCAA Selection Show. This year’s NCAA Tournament field is announced at 1 p.m., on the Golf Channel. Zalewska is expected to repeat on her appearance from a year ago.

2023 SoCon Women’s All Conference Teams

All-Conference Team
Dorota Zalewska, Sr., Chattanooga
Hollie Muse, Sr., ETSU
Sophie Bert, So., ETSU
Anna Morgan, Sr., Furman
Chloe Johnson, Fr., Furman
Kate Song, So., Mercer
Grace Holcomb, So., UNCG
Brielle Mapanao, Fr., Western Carolina
Elizabeth Lohbauer, So., Western Carolina
Madison Isaacson, 5th, Western Carolina

All-Freshman Team
Kera Healey, Chattanooga
Chloe Johnson, Furman
Faith Johnson, Furman
Julia Baeumken, UNCG
Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina
 
Player of the Year – Anna Morgan, Sr., Furman

Freshman of the Year – Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina

Coach of the Year – Courtney Gunter, Western Carolina

Rose Zhang’s star continues to rise with top-10 finish in pro major debut

by

Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Rose Zhang’s star continues to rise in the LPGA, as she followed up her winning professional debut with a top-10 finish at her first pro major at the Women’s PGA Championship.

The 20-year-old American finished tied for eighth place behind a final-round charge at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. She shot a 67 on Sunday to finish at five under par, three shots back of the lead.

“I would say I’m content with the result. I’m not content with how I played,” Zhang said. “From the beginning of the week, I feel like there’s always room to work on things, and I’m really satisfied with my overall performance, but there’s little mistakes that I made that you just can’t really afford to make.

“I felt really confident with my putter the whole day, and the last couple days I feel like that really saved me this entire week. But the last couple holes, putts fell a little short, they lipped out a little bit.”

Ruoning Yin won the title at eight under par, becoming just the second woman from China to win a major championship. She beat Japan’s Yuka Saso by one stroke, birdying the final hole to join Shanshan Feng in Chinese golf history. Feng won 10 times on the LPGA Tour, though her only major win came at the PGA Championship in 2012.

“I would say she’s definitely the goal that I’m chasing,” Yin said of Feng. “But I think she is the person who inspired me the most.”

For Zhang, who just made the jump from college (where she won back-to-back national titles), the difficulty of the court stood out as the main difference from her past competitions.

“I feel like it’s still golf, so I still felt the same energy as any other event except this is major week, and the golf course is a lot harder,” she said. “It’s playing a lot more difficult. You have to be on your toes at all times. Losing a little bit of focus causes you to have errors, and that’s just something you can’t afford at a major championship.

“But I think that was the different part, was just making sure that you’re still in the moment and you’re still hitting it shot by shot, regardless of what the result is.”

Zhang climbed to within one shot of the lead Sunday before a few mistakes on the back nine sunk her shot at victory. But she still recorded her best-ever finish at a major (she played in several as an amateur), which she called “pretty special.”

“It’s definitely a different dynamic when you’re a professional versus an amateur,” she said. “And when you’re playing your game, you really have to be precise with your numbers, really understand what your swing is doing, and there is no room for error. Therefore, I’m excited to keep working on my game.”

CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022

by

As 2021 comes to an end, it’s time to look forward to the year ahead in sports.

With the Winter Olympics in February, March Madness on the calendar and a landmark NWSL season to come, women’s sports fans are in store for an exciting year.

Here are the 20 athletes to know or get reacquainted with in 2022: 

[Read more…] about CATARINA MACARIO, CHLOE KIM AND MORE: 20 FEMALE ATHLETES TO KNOW IN 2022

HOW CISCO IS HELPING POWER NELLY KORDA AND THE LPGA

by

BY: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Not even Nelly Korda predicted the year she would have on the golf course.

After COVID-19 forced the suspension of part of the 2020 season, Korda has doubled her wins on the LPGA Tour in 2021, claimed her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old enters the Solheim Cup this weekend ranked No. 1 in the world after the most dominant season on tour of any women’s golfer.

Cisco has been following Korda’s career ascent with pride.

The technology company partners with Korda and eight other golfers across the PGA, LPGA and APGA Tours, creating one of the most diverse rosters of athlete brand ambassadors in golf. When Cisco signed Korda along with older sister Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang in January 2020, she was coming off of a few titles and her first top-10 ranking, but the company couldn’t have known how quickly she would rise.

The reputation Korda has built since then is what makes her an ideal representative of Cisco’s mission in golf. Through their involvement in the sport, Cisco is committed to creating more visibility for women’s golf and ultimately inspiring the next generation of female golfers.

“The last 18 months have truly been a whirlwind,” Korda said. “Obviously when I partnered with Cisco at the beginning of last year, no one could have imagined what would come with the Tour being suspended and the world really coming to a halt.

“But to come out of such an uncertain time playing the best golf of my career, and to win my first major championship, become World No. 1 and win an Olympic gold medal all in the last few months is more than I ever could have dreamed.”

[Read more…] about HOW CISCO IS HELPING POWER NELLY KORDA AND THE LPGA

Papp Pulls Out First Professional Victory

by

Beaumont, TX) – The final round of the Babe Zaharias Open has concluded and it was a shootout. Several players were able to take advantage of the favorable conditions round four had to offer and two Texas Longhorns and a Texas Tech Red Raider battled it out for 18 holes.

Kaitlyn Papp (Austin, TX) held a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Babe Zaharias Open. Papp found herself in familiar territory as last week, as she was once again in the final group in the final round. This time however, Papp came into the final round with the lead and she was determined to keep that lead. Starting her day with a birdie, Papp wanted to send a message early that last week would not be a normal final round. The other two players in her group were Greta Voelker (Germany) and Sofia Garcia (Paraguay) who both put on the pressure all day, but Papp answered the call. Even when Garcia tied the heading into 18, Papp never seemed phased. Garcia would hit it right off the tee and into the trees, while Papp would put it right down the middle. Garcia shortsided herself in the greenside bunker and could not get up and down. Papp found the middle of the green on 18 and was able to two-putt to become the 2021 Babe Zaharias Open Champion!

The top-5 for the Race to Stage II also concluded in Beaumont. The top-5 to end the season were Jessica Porvasnik, Sofia del Rosario, Gabby Then, Ginger Howard, and Sofia Garcia. Congratulations ladies and good luck in Florida at Stage II!

The Women’s All Pro Tour would like to thank Beaumont Country Club and the city of Beaumont for their hospitality and help all week. A very special thank you to Head Professional Jeff Cooper, Tournament Director Roni Stephenson, Volunteer Chair Cindy Lindsay, Housing Coordinator Jodi Meaux, and Course Superintendent Brandon Johnson.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy