CME Group Tour Championship. Two Tied at the Top.

 Peiyun Chien, from Chinese Taipei, and Sarah Jane Smith, Australia, lead the  CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

Peiyun Chien & Sarah Jane Smith / getty

Both Peiyun and Sarah Jane had bogey free first rounds of -6 under par 66 to lead the CME Group Tour Championship.

Rookie Peiyun said she need more belief in herself;

“Just need to more believe myself.”

“I change a little my backswing, so feel a little bit more solid.”

Sarah Jane had a good day with her putter;

“I holed some nice putts.”

“It was a bit rough in the beginning, but holed some nice putts for par and sort of kept it going, and then made some good birdies coming in.”

“I’ve been working on a little bit more tempo in my swing. I can get really fast out there.”

“I sort of made a conscious effort a few weeks ago to sort of do it on the golf course, and it’s made a huge difference.”

Five ladies are then tied in third place at -5 under after their opening rounds of 67, World number one Sung Hyun Park, South Korea, Lydia Ko, New Zealand, Azahara Munoz, Spain, Suzann Pettersen, Norway and Karine Icher from France.

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LPGA Marathon Classic. I.K. Kim Wins With A 63.

I.K. Kim, South Korea, wins the LPGA Marathon Classic, with a 63 in the last round  at Highland Meadows Golf Club.

I.K. Kim / getty

A weather delay could not stop I.K. from carding a final bogey free round -8 under par 63, to win the Marathon Classic, with a -21 under par total;

“I think today the pin positions were a little bit comfortable for me.”

“I’ve been hitting little draws this week, and when the pin is tucked on the left side, I was having a hard time, but I think just knowing what I’m doing kind of helped me to plan out the round.”

Leggy (6ft tall) Lexi Thompson, USA,  was in second place, she returned a last round score of -5 under 66, to finish with -17 under par;

“I put up a good score. I had a little bit of a rough stretch there, but overall I’m very happy with the way I played.”

 “I was hitting a cut around the golf course, and that’s usually not what I do. But I managed to put up some good scores, which I’m very happy about.”

“You just have to focus on doing your best and controlling your attitude and your game.”

Tied in third place at -15 under par were, Peiyun Chien, Taipei, -3 under 68 today, and Gerina Pillar, USA, who is still searching for her first LPGA Tour win, she also carded a final round -3 under 68.

Peiyun was proud to play so well;

“Very proud because a lot of Taiwanese;  a lot of Taiwan fans really care about this tournament, and I played well.”

Gerina also felt she had played really well, just not a win;

“I feel like my game, I played really well.”

“To start off  eight under, that’s huge. But I didn’t come away with the win, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t have a winning performance.” 

Defending Champion Lydia Ko, from New Zealand, had another poor tournament, finishing T20 at -9 under par, a long way from being good, 12 shots actually.

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LPGA Marathon Classic. Nelly Korda Has 54 Hole Lead.

Rookie Nelly Korda, USA, has the 54  hole Marathon Classic lead, taking a two shot advantage into the final round at Highland Meadows Golf Club.

Nelly Korda / getty

Nelly moved to the top of the Marathon Classic leaderboard with a third round -5 under par 66, giving her a tournament total of -15 under par, finishing her day with a birdie at the last hole;

“When you end on a birdie, you’re just really excited to play the next day and get it doing, so I’m definitely excited.”

“My mentality hasn’t changed. It’s the same as the first two days. I just try to take it shot by shot really.”

 I.K. Kim is second, two shots back at -13 under par, a -3 under 68 third round good enough to claim that position on her own;

“I feel really good about playing this golf course. I’ve always liked this golf course.” 

Six ladies are the tied in third place with -12 under totals, they are; Sandra Changkija, USA, -6 under 65 today, Aditi Ashok, India, -3 under 68, Lexi Thompson, USA, -2 under 69,  Peiyun Chien, Taipei -2 under 69, Sung Hyun Park, South Korea, -4 under, and 36-hole leader Gerina Piller,  -3 under 68.

Gerina, who is aiming for her first LPGA Tour win said she had played great, especially with the putter; 

“I felt like I played great.”

“You know, I missed some birdie opportunities, but I made some longer putts today.”

“Ball-striking feels great. Putting feels great. It was just a matter of staying patient and just letting the results come.”

“It’s tough to follow up an eight under. The conditions were great out there. The course is in great shape.”

“I got off to a slow start, just made some pars, but I was giving myself chances, and that’s kind of all you can ask for.”

Lexi knows she needs to go low tomorrow if she wants to win here;

“It’s going to take a low one tomorrow to beat her, and there’s a lot of great players around her.”

“It’s going to take a lot of birdies.”

Get in the Hole

 

 

 

LPGA Marathon Classic. Gerina Still Leads.

Gerina Pillar still leads the LPGA Marathon Classic after two rounds at  Highland Meadows Golf Club.

Gerina / getty

Gerina, from the USA, who is seeking her first LPGA Tour title carded -3 under 68 today to maintain her top position on the Marathon Classic leaderboard with a -11 under par total. Great day with the putter, and patience  was key today;

“I felt like I played great. I missed some birdie opportunities, but I made some longer putts today.”

“Ball striking feels great. Putting feels great. It was just a matter of staying patient and just letting the results come.”

“It’s only Friday, so I wouldn’t put the cart before the horse, but to get that first win I think would be really special, no matter where it is.”

“I’m just going to try to focus on the process, and the result will take care of itself.”

Three ladies are tied  second place at -10 under par, Lexi Thompson, USA, -6 under 65 today, In-Kyung Kim, South Korea, -4 under 67, and Peiyun Chien, from Taipei, with a second round -3 under 68.

Aditi Ashok, from India, is in fifth position on her own at -9 under par, a second round score of -3 under keeping her in touch with the leaders;

 “This week I wasn’t actually supposed to play, so when I came here I just took it kind of easy and I practiced not as much as I would have usually practiced.”

“I’m sure I’m in a good spot, but yeah, I will keep watching because I think on this course, the afternoon wave gets it a little easier than the morning sometimes, so maybe there will be better scores.”

Defending Champion Lydia Ko made the cut on the number, -1 under, making birdie on her last hole to get in. I noticed that Lydia is wearing ring on her engagement finger, not sure if that has any significance, especially with regard to her poor golfing performances recently.

Get in the Hole

LPGA Marathon Classic. Gerina Grabs Lead.

Gerina Pillar, grabs the Marathon Classic lead, shooting 63, in round one at Highland Meadows Golf Club.

Gerina Pillar / getty

Gerina, USA,  carded -8 under par 63, which included one bogey, to lead the Marathon Classic by one shot. She said it was a good day with the putter as the putts were just rolling in;

“I birdied my first three holes and any time you can start off three in a row, it’s pretty good.”

“I just kept hitting it close and had some close birdie putts here and there, and I did make a bogey, but I just told myself like I’m doing great things and just keep doing what I’m doing.” 

“I feel like any time you shoot 8-under is pretty good.”

“I got off to a good start and got the putts rolling.”

“To be honest, my ball-striking didn’t feel as great coming into this weekend, and the week after a major it’s always tough just because you’re so exhausted mentally, and I just went out there and really trusted what I had and just brought it together, and my game feels really good right now.”

Two ladies are tied in second position at -7 under par, Peiyun Chien, Taipei, and Sung Hyun Park, South Korea, they are just that one shot back.

Sung Hyun, bogey free today, spoke about her Major success;

“My feeling today was so awesome, it was a good start after the major championship winning, and first of all, I need to focus more on the Marathon Classic and want to keep my major happiness behind me from now on.”

“My fairway shots wasn’t that concrete all the time, but I think I was pretty much satisfied with my other shots.”

“In Korea, I did win a lot, but here, especially for the major, I’m very happy for that.”

“But currently I just want to focus on Marathon Classic, so it’s not a big deal for me to put that behind me.”

Peiyun is apparently always changing her swing, and today it worked well;

“I did well today because I changed my playing. I’m always thinking the swing on the golf course, so today I just played freely.”

“I tried to find some feeling and play, and it’s worked. I’m very happy.”

Happy to report that there were plenty of mini skirts out on the course today, including the leggy Lexi, who is currently at -4 under par.

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