The LPGA Tour headed to the Fort Myers, Florida for the LPGA Drive on Championship. This inaugural event was a 54-hole tournament at the Crown Colony Golf & Country Club, which is a par 72 layout of 6526 yards. The purse was $1.5 million with 500 points towards the Race to the CME Globe for the winner.
First Round
Marina Alex birdied five consecutive holes in posing a round of 65. She was tied at the top with Nasa Hataoka, who recorded eight birdies and a bogey. Patty Tavatanakit, Linnea Johansson, and Leona Maguire were lurking at just three off the pace. A group of six players that included Bronte Law, Charley Hull, Madelene Sagstrom, and Jeongeun Lee6 were at five-under par. A logjam of ten players at four-under par included notables such as Stacy Lewis, Megan Khang, and Ryan O’Toole. On a day when scoring was great, another dozen players led by Lexi Thomspon and Anna Nordqvist, sat four shots off the pace. Other notables included Inbee Park (two-under), Brooke Henderson and AtthayaThitikul (one-under), Moriya Jutanugarn, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Nelly Korda (even). Jessica Korda withdrew after the 6th hole following back-to-back double bogeys with sprained ribs.
Second Round
Leona Maguire bolted to the lead after a round of seven birdies and no bogeys. Marina Alex matched Maguire’s total at 13-under after a round that consisted of seven birdies and a bogey on the 18th. Brittany Altomare, Stacy Lewis, and Linnea Johansson stayed withing striking distance at nine-under par. A five-under par round put Lexi Thompson in the mix at eight-under, along with Patty Tavatanakit and Jeongeun Lee6. The round of the day went to Lauren Stephenson, whose 63 vaulted her into a tie for 9th along with AtthayaThitikul and four others. Brooke Henderson led a group of six at six-under after a solid round of 67. Inbee Park was the biggest name among seven players lurking at five-under par. First-round co-leader Nasa Hataoka shot herself out of it after a round of 75 put her into a tie for 28th. Other notables that made the cut included Amy Olson (three-under), Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, and Nelly Korda (all at two-under).
Final Round
The players were tearing up the course in the final round. Xiyu Lin tied Aditi Ashok for the round of the day with a 63. She finished tied for 4th overall with Patty Tavatanakit, Birttany Altomare, and Stacy Lewis. Ahsok’s stellar day got her into double-digits under par for the tournament. Nelly Korda and Sarah Schmelzel both recorded rounds of 64 and finished tied for 15th and 3rd, respectively. Lexi Thompson eagled the par 4 10th on her way to a second-place finish at 15-under par. They day belonged to Leona Maguire, who posted an 18-under par total to cruise to her third professional victory and first on the LPGA Tour. Notables included Jeongeun Lee6 (12-under), Brooke Henderson and AtthayaThitikul (11-under), Celine Boutier (nine-under), Inbee Park (seven-under), Anna Nordqvist and Nasa Hataoka (five-under), Moriya Jutanugarn (three-under), and Ariya Jutanugarn (two-under).
Coming Up
The LPGA Tour heads to the Tanjong Course at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore for the HSBC Women’s World Champions, March 3-6. Last season, 11 of the top-12 players heading into the final round already had wins on the LPGA Tour. Hyo Joo Kim came from five shots back to claim victory. The 72-hole event is played on a layout of 6718 yards. The purse is $1.7 million with 500 points towards the Race to the CME Globe awarded to the winner.
