17-year-old leads LPGA event

17-year-old leads LPGA event










Kevin Dunleavy, The Sports Xchange May 2, 2013 8:00 PMThe SportsXchange


JAMES CITY, Va. -- At age 17, Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand is too young to be a member of the LPGA. However, Thursday in the opening round of the Kingsmill Championship, Jutanugarn showed she has the game, if not the birthdate.

Firing a 7-under-par 64 at Kingsmill's River Course, Jutanugarn took a two-stroke lead over Cristie Kerr (66), the only two-time champion in the history of the event. In contention at 67 are Dewi Claire Schreefel of the Netherlands and 2011 U.S. Women's Open champion So Yeon Ryu of South Korea.

Jutanugarn, who will turn 18 on Nov. 23, is attempting to become the third underage player in as many years to win an LPGA event, following victories by 15-yer-old Lydia Ko last year and 16-year-old Lexi Thompson in 2011.

On a day of gentle breezes and temperatures in the upper 60s, it could have been a bigger lead for the long-hitting Jutanugarn. But on Kingsmill's signature 17th hole, a par 3 that plays along the James River, she made a double bogey, leaving a delicate downhill chip shot on the fringe and missing a 5-footer for bogey.

Jutanugarn regrouped with a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 18. Before her glitch, Jutanugarn had a chance to match the course record of 62, established in the first round last year by winner Jiyai Shin.

Pounding towering drives long and straight and firing short irons at pins, Jutanugarn birdied six of the first seven holes. When the round was over, she had hit 12 of 14 fairways and needed only 24 putts. Her irons were so accurate that most of her birdie putts were inside 10 feet.

"Today I'm playing very good. My putting helped me a lot," Jutanugarn said. "I made a lot of short putts. I only made like one long putt (a 15-footer)."

It was Jutanugarn's first competitive round at Kingsmill, though she has been in town for a while after coming up a stroke shy in Monday qualifying last week in the North Texas LPGA Shootout. It was a relief not having to qualify Monday at the River Course.

"I want to thank the sponsor," Jutanugarn said. "Very good experience. Thank you."


Jutanugarn's work didn't come from out of the blue. Though not a member of the tour, she has been in the lead in three LPGA events this year. Two weeks ago in Hawaii, she shot an opening-round 64 on her way to third place. In February in Thailand, Jutanugarn had a two-stroke advantage on the final hole but made a triple bogey, taking a drop and missing a three-foot putt to force a playoff, handing the title to Inbee Park.

"It was really hard because even (if I) just make bogey, I'm going to win," Jutanugarn said. "Really good experience, it makes me be stronger golfer."

Jutanugarn, who won the 2011 U.S. Girls Junior and lost to Ko in the semifinals of the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur, petitioned for a chance to play in the LPGA Qualifying tournament last fall. She was denied, leaving it to her 18-year-old sister, Moriya, to tie for medalist honors and earn a spot on the tour.

This year as the 5-foot-2 Moriya plays on the LPGA, the 5-foot-4 Ariya is splitting time between the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. Though not a member, she can play in LPGA events via sponsors' exemption or through Monday qualifying.

Playing five groups ahead of her sister on Thursday, Moriya Jutanugarn shot a 73. Her best showing this year was a tie for fourth in the Australian Open.

"Before I play like every tournament, we try to beat each other all the time," Ariya Jutanugarn said. "She helps like after the round. I tell her what I miss, what I do wrong, she (tries) to help me like every time."

On Thursday, the players had to deal with the wind on and off, according to Kerr.

"(The wind) was really strong when we first started, and then, you know, kind of toward the tail end of the front nine, it seemed to die down a little and then picked back up, so it was kind of coming and going all day," Kerr said. "What was good was the wind direction was fairly consistent. Sometimes on the fourth and fifth hole it can really swirl around and it can be hard to tell what it's doing. It stayed pretty consistent out there as far as one direction so that was at least a good thing."

Ryu began with four birdies in her first nine holes, but she parred each of her final nine holes.

"Yeah, that one is really tough one because before I started, teed off, I didn't expect a really low score, then I just focus on each hole," Ryu said. "Then I think the 4 under on the front nine that, oh, maybe I can hit the low score like 8 under, 9 under, then I expect birdie, birdie, birdie, and my body's getting tight and my mind wasn't there, so it's really hard to finish a great front nine and then turn on the back nine."

NOTES: There are 14 players log-jammed at 68, including the world's top three, No. 1-ranked Park of South Korea, No. 2 Stacy Lewis of the United States, and No. 3 Suzann Pettersen of Norway ... Also at 68 is the tournament's other player who received a sponsors' exemption, Katie Burnett, a former All-American at South Carolina ... Ariya Jutanugarn's first victory as a pro came five weeks ago in the Ladies European Tour's Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. Jutanugarn leads the LET in earnings.

Rory McIlroy Finds Ways to Turn Lemons into Trophies

Rory McIlroy Finds Ways to Turn Lemons into Trophies











Ryan Ballengee May 3, 2013 1:48 PM


COMMENTARY | Consider Rory McIlroy a contrarian. Whenever a tournament venue d
oes not seem to meet the field's expectations, that's when the Ulsterman seems to strike.





McIlroy shared the lead with six others players following the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday, May 2, opening with 5-under 67 at Quail Hollow, whose greens are the subject of a lot of scrutiny this week.



The PGA Tour and the club performed emergency surgery on two putting surfaces before the tournament, completely re-sodding the eighth and 10th greens because of their poor conditioning. The other surfaces have been said to be questionable in spots.



While many in the field were talking about the bumps and bare patches, McIlroy brushed aside using the greens as any excuse not to win a second Charlotte title.



"I guess if you start missing putts, then you've got to just accept it," the 2010 champion said ahead of the tournament. "I don't mind because I'm not a guy that relies on my putting, per se. So it will eliminate quite a lot of the field. I don't mind that at all."



Translation: I can hit it closer than anyone else, and I'm pretty sure a tap-in translates to any putting surface.



When a tournament is spun on itself, McIlroy finds a way to do handstands.



The 23-year-old (who turns 24 on Saturday) won his first major a couple of years ago at Congressional in the D.C. suburb of Bethesda, obliterating scoring records at the U.S. Open during a week when the U.S. Golf Association clearly could not control the immature putting surfaces how they wanted. A lot of rain and typical mid-Atlantic summer steaminess was the recipe for creating unprecedented scoring conditions. McIlroy embraced the challenge, winning by eight shots at 16-under-par, never flinching after realizing the game's toughest test was naked that week.



Fast forward to last summer and the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. To say the Ocean Course was a unique test that week would be an understatement. Tropical-force winds and a deluge of rain made Pete Dye's South Carolina puzzle into an even bigger Rubik's Cube -- for everyone but McIlroy. He blew the field away, again by eight shots, to claim a second major in as many years.



His first PGA Tour win in this event in 2010 was another example. Making the cut on the number, McIlroy shot a weekend 128 to capture the crown.



Quail Hollow may not be major-caliber this week, but in 2017 the Wanamaker Trophy is on the line there. In fact, all 18 putting surfaces will be redone after this week in preparation for that PGA Championship -- perhaps learning a lesson from the too-short schedule Congressional and the USGA used for the '11 Open. Next year's Wells Fargo will be the last look the PGA Tour regulars get at Quail Hollow before then.



A year ago, McIlroy lost in a three-man playoff at this tournament to Rickie Fowler, and then struggled through the months of May and June before finding his game in August to close out the year with a surge to bookend the start of his year.



McIlroy has been slow out of the gates this year, but Quail Hollow may be the spark he needs to quell talk of an equipment switch to Nike and propel him to another major triumph this summer.



Once again, just when it seems the golf world is ready to write off McIlroy, he is poised to strike.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel.

Five Reasons It's Hard Being a Fan of Phil Mickelson

Five Reasons It's Hard Being a Fan of Phil Mickelson











Ryan Ballengee May 3, 2013 2:49 PM







It's easy to like Phil Mickelson -- the smiles, thumbs up and aggressive style embody the four-time major winner. But he sure makes it difficult sometimes.



Here are five reasons why it's tough to be a Lefty fan.



1. The missed opportunities -- Phil, let me count the ways you've broken your fans' hearts, particularly in the majors. How about the '06 U.S. Open, when you took needlessly took driver on the 72nd hole? Or maybe the '04 Open Championship, one of two chances you've ever had to the Claret Jug? At least you hold the distinction of the most second-place finishes in U.S. Open history and own perhaps one of the three greatest shots in Masters history.



2. The thumbs-up parade -- When things are going well for Phil, his thumbs get a workout. Since the 2010 Masters, Phil has used the thumbs-up as his gesture of choice to acknowledge fans. It's friendly and endearing, but man, just step on some throats sometimes. Make the cutthroat sign with that thumb every once in a while.



3. The strange equipment decisions -- Mickelson has probably employed some of the most unique 14-club bags in major-championship history. From the two drivers at the '06 Masters (that worked), to that ill-fated effort to use the belly putter (probably to prove a point about anchoring), to the Phrankenwood he used at Augusta National in April, it seems Lefty is never satisfied with a standard set of clubs.



4. The shows of brilliance -- In the opening round at this year's Waste Management Phoenix Open, Mickelson was a lip-out away from the sixth 59 in PGA Tour history. He went on to win that week, locking up a 10th consecutive year with at least one Tour win. Imagine if Phil cashed in on more opportunities over the years? His win tally might be closer to 60 than the 41 he has on the PGA Tour.



5. He has been overshadowed by Tiger -- Whatever Phil does between now and the end of his career, he will finish second-best in this generation behind Tiger Woods. While Mickelson could have done much more against Tiger head-to-head with majors on the line, the undisputed best of this era somewhat marginalized the career achievements of one of the game's great magicians.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel.