The ladies of the LPGA Tour headed to Florida this past weekend for the Gainbridge LPGA. The par 72 course of 6701 yards hosted the event with a purse of $2,000,000.
In Thursday’s first round, Jessia Korda got off to a blistering start with eight birdies and a round of 66, six-under par. She held a two-shot lead of the trio of Sei Young Kim, Yui Kawamoto, and Patty Tavatanakit. Just three off the pace were Carlota Ciganda and two others, while Angela Stanford and Jillian Hollis (who played on the Symetra Tour last season), were among a large group at minus-two.
Scoring was excellent in general and 11 other players went sub-par, including Celine Boutier, Ariya Jutanugarn, Nelly Korda, and Stacy Lewis. Brooke Henderson, Nasa Hataoka, and Danielle Kang were among those are level par. Lexi Thompson had an up and down round to +2 and last week’s winner Gaby Lopez shot her way out of it on day one with a +6.
On Friday, Madelene Sagstrom bolted into the lead with a course record of 62. Her 10-under par round included seven birdies on the front nine, including five in a row. Carlota Ciganda was just a shot back after a 66. Cydney Clanton, Jennifer Song, and Hataoka are fired 64’s and were two back. First-round leader Jessica Korda posted a one-over 73 and was five off the pace.
Lexi Thompson got back into the mix at minus-three after a 68, while Gerina Piller, In Gee Chung, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Morgan Pressel were among notables that just made the cut at even par. Failing to stick around for the weekend included MJ Hur, Mirim Lee, Gaby Lopez, and Inbee Park.
With 5 birdies and 13 pars in the third round, Sagstrom held the 56-hold lead at -15. On her heels after a round of 67 was Nasa Hataoka, while Sei Young Kim was at -12 and Cydney Clanton and Celine Boutier were still in the hunt at -11. Moriya Jutanugarn made a Saturday charge as well, posting a stellar round of 65 that was jump-started with a five-under front nine. Five were tied at -8 including Jessica Korda and Brooke Henderson. Ariya Jutanugarn’s troubles resurfaced, posting a 77 that inexplicably had a stretch of +9 over eight holes.
On Sunday, the battle was between Danielle Kang, Hataoka and Sagstrom. Kang came in with a 69 for a total of -13. Hataoka was in position to finish tied with Sagstrom but a bogey on 18 left her at -17, while Sagstrom rebounded from a slow +2 start after five to reel off four birdies and an -17 total for her first career LPGA Tour win.
Other notables included Celine Boutier, who finished at -13, Sei Young Kim at -11 and veteran Cristie Kerr with a 68 to finish at -8. Morgan Pressel had her best performance in some time, with a 66, which proved to be the round of the day. Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson each finished with a respectable score of -7.
The LPGA Tour heads to Victoria Australia for the ISPS Handa Vic Open, February 6-9. Celine Boutier is the defending champion in this event with a $1,100,000 purse.
Fore Ladies Golf Featured Player: Madalene Sagstrom
Madelene Sagstrom is a 27-year old statuesque 5’ 9” golfer on the LPGA tour from Sweden. She attended Louisiana State University and played college golf for the Lady Tigers. Sagstrom began her professional career in 2016 playing on the Symetra Tour. She made her mark quickly, finishing in the top-five in each of her first five starts.
Posting those top-five finishes was just the beginning for Sagstrom during her rookie season. She earned her first win at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial on April 17, 2016 by a single shot over Sophia Popov. Less than a month leader she found herself in the winner’s circle again, this time cruising to a six-shot win at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Classic. Sagstrom capped off the outstanding season with her third win, this time at the Murphy US El Dorado Shootout in October.
Sagstrom’s performance for the season earned her Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. She finished on top for the Volvik Race for the Card money list with a single season record $167,064. In December of 2016, Sagstrom won the Ladies European Tour’s Q-School, which not only gave her a European Tour card but also eligible for the 2017 Solheim Cup, which she in fact made, posting a 1-2-1 record in four matches.
Playing without a win in 2018, Sagstrom competed well enough to earn a spot on Team Sweden for the UL International Crown, but struggled to a 1-3 record in four matches. The 2019 season was not stellar for Sagstrom, missing the cut in nine of 20 events, although she posted a tie for second at the Pure Silk Championship.
Entering this week, Sagstrom had played in 68 LPGA Tour events with only six top-ten finishes. However it was a week of firsts for Sagstrom at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, Florida. She never held a lead heading into the final round and also set a course record with a 62 during the tournament. She went on to win by a single shot over Nasa Hataoka for her first LPGA Tour win. In doing so she moved into a tie with Gaby Lopez for first place in the Race to the CME Globe. In addition, Sagstrom surpassed the $1 million in career earnings with the $300,000 first prize.
