With only a few events remaining before the end of the LPGA Tour season, the ladies headed to Belleair, Florida for the Pelican Women’s Championship. The event was a 72-hole format on a par 70 layout for $1,500,00 and 500 points to the race to the CME Globe. In many ways, this week was a tune up for the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open and CME Group Tour Championship.
Round One
Sophia Popov jumped out to an early lead on a day when scores were excellent throughout the field. She ran off five consecutive birdies to close out the front side and finished with a six-under par 64. Popov held a two-shot lead over Ashleigh Buhal, who got off to a shaky one-over start after two, but had five birdies the rest of the way. Sei Young Kim and Ally McDonald were three back after rounds of 67. A group of eight, including Brooke Henderson and Minjee Lee, were tied at two-under. Nine more players, including Jessica Korda, were at one-under par. Notables included Lexi Thompson at even, Austin Ernst and Nasa Hataoka at one-over, Celine Boutier at two-over, Mel Reid at three-over, and Stacy Lewis at six-over.
Round Two
Sei Young Kim posted a four-under par score on the front nine in round two and bolted to the lead at minus-eight after a round of 65. Ally McDonald was a shot better than her opening round and was one off the pace. Sophia Popov recorded a pedestrian round of 70 and was two shots back along with Stephanie Meadow, who shot a 65. Elizabeth Sokol moved into striking distance at minus-five after a round of 66. Minjee Lee and Lydia Ko remained in the mix at minus-three and 15 others, including Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson were a shot or two further back. Jeongeun Lee6, along with Nasa Hataoka and Jessica Korda were at two-over and out of the running at the halfway point.
Round Three
The round of the day went to Sei Young Kim, who birdied four of the last five holes to post a stellar 64 to open a commanding five shot lead. Ally McDonald was in sole possession of second place, and Stephanie Meadow was in third at minus-eight. Lydia Ko had a rollercoaster round, posting six birdies but also two double bogeys and was in fourth in minus-seven. Mel Reid rebounded from a lackluster first two rounds with a 65 and moved to minus-two. Some notables struggled in this round, including Sophia Popov with a 75, Xiyu Lin had a 74 after a 67 in round two, and Jeongeun Lee6 ballooned to a 77 which included eight over on the back nine.
Final Round
Several players posted excellent scores in the final round despite the toughest pin placements of the week. Jessica Korda’s 64 was the round of the day, putting her in a tie for fifth. Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Angela Sanford, and Jennifer Song each posted rounds of 65, while Jeongeun Lee6 rebounded with a 66 to finish tied for 42nd. Austin Ernst, Stephanie Meadow, and Ally McDonald were in the running, but nobody could catch Sei Young Kim, who cruised to an even par round of 70 and three shot victory. For Kim, it was her second consecutive victory and 12th of her LPGA career. She is currently second in the Rolex Rankings and third in the CME Ranking.
Looking Ahead
After a week off, the LPGA heads to The Colony, Texas for the Volunteers of America Classic December 3-6. The 72-hole event is played in a par 71 measuring 6475 yards. Cheyenne Knight shot 66 in the final round last year to win by two strokes for her first LPGA win. The purse for this year’s event is $1.7 million with 500 points towards the CME Race to the Globe.
