Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions
In this first event of the LPGA Tour’s 70th season, 26 winners from the past past two seasons competed in this 72 hole event with no cut. The professionals were joined by entertainment and sports celebrities who played in a modified stableford format on the 6645 yard, par 71 course at the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club in Orlando, Florida. Such celebrities included Blair O’Neal, Roger Clemens, John Smoltz, Larry Fitzgerald, among many others. It was baseball Hall of Famer Smoltz who came away with the win, defending his title from last season.
As for the ladies, they teed off Thursday for round one and scoring was excellent. Danielle Kang set the pace with an eight-under-par round of 63, which included five birdies on the front and four birdies with a bogey on the back. Just two shots back were the trio of Gaby Lopez, Inbee Park, and Angela Stanford. Lexi Thompson was in good position after a four-under back nine to finish at minus five. Canada’s Brooke Henderson was also in the mix, just four shots back. Notables Jessica and Nelly Korda were at one-under and two-over, while the Ariya Jutanugarn never got on track, posting a double and triple bogey to finish at four over.
First round leader Kang struggled in Friday’s second round, posting a four-over on the back nine and was at minus-six through 36 holes. Inbee Park took over the top at minus-nine along with Brooke Henderson, who got it to ten-under before a bogey on 18. Celine Boutier, Nasa Hataoka, and Sei Young Kim were just two behind at minus-seven. Lexi Thompson failed to make a move after an even-par round and was four shots behind. Still lurking just five behind the leaders were Eun Hee Ji and Nelly Korda. Ariya Jutanugarn continued to struggle with her game, and was at plus-nine.
Park, a 19-time winner on the LPGA Tour and Hall of Famer put herself into good position after Saturday’s third round after a 67 left her at minus-13. Sei Young Kim was two shots back after four straight back nine birdies before a bogey at the last. Nasa Hataoka, Celine Boutier, Brooke Henderson, and Lexi Thompson were all in reach. Danielle Kang fell seven shots off the pace after a 71. Ariya Jutanugarn was last at +11 and Eun Hee Ji fell out of the picture after a five-over 76.
Scoring was excellent in Sunday’s final round, as MJ Hur blistered the course for nine-under 63 to finish at -12. Tied with Hur was Brooke Henderson, who recorded six birdies in her round of 67. Annie Park finished a stellar week with a 64 and -11 finish. Sei Young Kim and Lexi Thompson made the first page of the leaderboard at -10. The biggest turnaround was Amy Yang, who came off a 76 on Saturday to post a 66 and finished at minus-five.
The tournament came down to the trio of Inbee Park, Nasa Hataoka, and Gaby Lopez. Park had a mediocre round of 71, while Lopez was five-under and Hataoka three-under. This resulted in a three-way play with play at the par three 18th. After all three players recorded pars on the hole twice, Park was eliminated, denying her 20th win. After a long playoff that was concluded Monday morning, Lopez won the event with a birdie on the seventh playoff hole for her second professional victory.
The LPGA Tour heads to Boca Raton, Florida for the inaugural Gainbridge LPGA January 23-26 with a $2 million purse at stake.
Fore Ladies Golf Player of the Week: Gaby Lopez
Gaby Lopez just won the first event of the 2020 LPGA season in an exciting seven-hole playoff for her second career professional victory. Perhaps only the most dedicated golf fans know much about this talented 26-year old.
Born Maria Gabriela Lopez Butron in Mexico on November 9, 1993, the 5’ 6” was a force to be reckoned with since winning the 2010 Callaway Junior World Mayakoba Junior Classic. She continued her stellar play in amateur events, winning the 2011 Campeonato National, the 2012 Copa Yucatan Ladies, the 2013 Westbrook Invitational and the 2014 Mexican Amateur.
Lopez was successful at the college level while at the University of Arkansas capturing the LSU Tiger Classic among her three victories. In addition, she posted a runner-up finish at the 2015 NCAA Division I Championships.
After going through the marathon process at qualifying school, Lopez finished tied for 10th, earning her LPGA Tour card for the 2016 season. She played well enough to earn a spot on the Mexico team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, finishing 31st.
Near the end of her third season on the LPGA Tour, Lopez broke through with a win at the Blue Bay LPGA, defeating Ariya Jutanugarn by a single shot. She finished the 2019 solid with finishes of tied for 19th, tied for 6th and tied for 47th at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts, TOTO Japan Classic and CME Group Tour Championship. This carried over to this week as Lopez won a three-hole playoff at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
Lopez has had minimal success in major tournaments, missing the cut 10 times in 22 events, her best finish a tie for 18th at The Evian Championship. Currently ranked 56th in the world, Lopez has 10 top ten finishes in her career. She is off to a tremendous start, current first for CME Race to the Globe.
