Taylor Kim sits T3; August Kim shares stage I lead at LPGA Qualifying Tournament
Taylor Kim (Josh Schaefer/ Golf Canada)
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – August Kim of Saint Augustine, Fla., took lessons at LPGA International, home of Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament, when she was a teenager and now she is hoping to advance that far and one day play on the LPGA Tour. She took a step in the right direction on Thursday at Stage I of LPGA Qualifying Tournament with a 6-under, 66 on the Arnold Palmer Course at Mission Hills to share the first-round lead with Kristina Merkle, who also posted a 66 on the Arnold Palmer Course.
Kim, who won the Big Ten Championship this year at Purdue, made six birdies on the day, but didn’t really heat up until the back nine.
“I hit the ball really well, it was a steady day,” said 21-year-old Kim, who is one of 93 amateurs in the field. “It was the kind of first day that you want at a tournament like this.”
The rising senior at Purdue holed out for eagle on the 13th hole from 140 years with a 9-iron.
“That really gave me a jolt of energy,” said Kim. “After that, I made two birdies and then also closed with a birdie.”
Kim says that she plans to play all three stages of LPGA Qualifying Tournament with the hope of earning some status to pursue her professional career once she graduates in May of 2017.
“My intention is to finish my eligibility and I’m adament about that,” said Kim. “Purdue has given so much to me and I want to give everything I have back to the school. That is the plan right now and the biggest goal at Q-School is to get some status.”
Kim is a biochemistry major at Purdue and although she doesn’t plan on going to medical school, her career choice if golf wasn’t in the equation would be to practice medicine.
Kim learned the game of golf from her father, Christopher, who is on the bag this week in Rancho Mirage.
“He was a big golfer and he taught me the game so it is great to have him caddy for me this week,” said Kim. “I have a comfort level with him on the bag and I hope to keep things rolling during the weekend.”
Kim took lessons at LPGA International with Craig Shankland from the time she was 13 through 16.
In mid-July Kim took medalist honors at Pinehurst No. 2 in the stroke play portion of the North & South Women’s Amateur.
Kristina Merkle (Honolulu, Hawaii) has struggled in her first full season on the Symetra Tour. She has made eight starts and has missed the cut in each. Merkle erased some of the demons a tough year brings by firing a 66 in round one of LPGA Qualifying Tournament.
“It went really well today,” said Merkle, who played the Palmer Course. “I haven’t had a round like this in a long time so it is nice to get this under my belt.”
Merkle’s swing has undergone some changes over the last month under the watch of her dad, Lou, who is her longtime coach and a new instructor Mike Doctor out of New York.
“The changes are still new, but everything is kind of clicking right now,” said Merkle. “I’m definitely starting to get my confidence back.”
Merkle graduated from Tulsa in May of 2014 and played in a pair of Symetra Tour events in 2015. It is her dad’s message that really has her believing,
“He always tells me that there are girls that go three or four years without winning tournaments and then all of a sudden, something clicks,” said Merkle. “Golf is a funny sport. It throws you lots of curve balls and sometimes you swing and miss. My dad has really helped me continue to believe.”
Merkle was the Conference USA Golfer of the Year in 2012.
She hopes to one day play on the LPGA and then open a school in Hawaii to help young kids with academics and athletics.
“Ever since 8th grade, my parents and I have talked about a foundation,” said Merkle. “I never looked at academics as a priority until college and I want to have a school where kids can go for help in both academics and athletics. The game of golf has allowed me to travel the world and I really want to give back one day.”
Former Team Canada member Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C., put together a six-birdie day to move into a share of third at 5-under. Toronto’s Anna Kim shot 70 on the day to sit T20, while Maya Parsons of Whitby, Ont., and Surrey resident Aram Choi follow one stroke behind in a tie for 36th. Team Canada National Team member Josée Doyon of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que., carded a first-round 75.
Henderson makes late push with 67, shares seventh at Rio Olympics
Brooke Henderson (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brooke Henderson signed a few autographs and posed for some pictures after her final round Saturday, the frequent cheers from the grandstands behind her a reminder that others were still playing for the Olympic hardware she coveted.
She knew her 67 wouldn’t be enough to crack the top three at the Rio Games, a respectable 8-under-par 276 eventually leaving her in a tie for seventh place.
The final group came in about an hour after Henderson emerged from the scorer’s tent, a look of disappointment seared on her face.
South Korea’s Inbee Park would run away with the gold medal, a 5-under 66 giving her a 268 and a five-shot win. Lydia Ko of New Zealand birdied the last hole for the silver and China’s Shanshan Feng took the bronze.
Henderson fought hard all day, an aggressive push on the back nine of the Olympic Golf Course nearly paying off.
She birdied the 14th hole, added another birdie on the 16th and just missed a birdie putt on the 17th.
Knowing an eagle on the par-5 18th hole would be needed to have any kind of chance, Henderson crushed both her drive and approach shot. However, a 53-foot putt rolled just past the hole to snuff her faint medal hopes.
“Credit to her, she was 4-under at the start of the day and she pushed for a medal,” said Canadian coach Tristan Mullally. “You can’t ask for any more than that.”
Feng was third at 10-under-par 274 after a 69, leaving American Stacy Lewis (66), Japan’s Harukyo Nomura (65) and Hee Young Yang of South Korea one shot back.
Alena Sharp of Hamilton (69) finished in 30th place at 1-over-par 285.
Henderson did well to contend after a disappointing 75 on Friday. She declined to speak to reporters in the interview area after that round, no doubt still reeling from a rare four-putt on the 16th green.
She started play Saturday in a tie for eighth place, just five shots off the pace for a medal. Henderson recovered after a bogey on the opening hole, scoring birdies on three of her last five holes entering the turn.
Henderson saved pars on the 11th and 12th holes before taking a bogey on No. 13 after missing a nine-foot putt. That forced her to really go for it down the stretch.
“Unfortunately I just missed out but that (bogey) gave me momentum to get my rear in gear and I made birdie on 14 right after,” she said. “After that I was trying to make birdies, I was trying to make an eagle out there on the last (hole) to move my name up a little bit more.
“But at the end of the day I tried my best.”
With two tournament victories — including a major — already under her belt this season, it’s easy to forget that Henderson is only 18 and still in her first full year on the LPGA Tour.
She showed flashes of brilliance this week and also endured some hiccups along the way. It was a learning experience, she said, both on and off the course.
“A lot of them are personal things, but just handling situations,” she said, when asked to expand on what she had learned. “I kind of had some rough weeks so coming here and trying to improve was a big goal for me and I think I did that.”
Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., defended her title in Portland in June but finished well behind at her next three tournaments ahead of Rio.
Cracking the top three in the world rankings and earning over US$1.3 million would be dream accomplishments for many players on the Tour, but the young Canadian is always aiming higher.
“She’s a fighter,” Mullally said. “She grinds hard and gets the most out of her game. I think that’s probably what separates her from a lot of players. Some players have to play well to have a good score. Brooke normally tries to get the best score out of however she’s played.
“That’s unique in terms of her and that’s why she has so many top-10s and why she’s done so well so early (in her career).”
The final leaderboard showed Henderson at 276 with Australia’s Minjee Lee (67) and Britain’s Charley Hull (68).
Finishing in the top 10 — although outside the top three — would normally be a satisfying result.
At the Summer Olympics, it may be a position more painful than any other.
Henderson struggles in third-round of Olympic golf in Rio
Brooke Henderson ((Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 4-over-par 75 and is tied for eighth at 4-under heading into the fourth and final round of the women’s Olympic golf competition Saturday.
Henderson had four bogeys Friday, plus a four-putt double-bogey on the 16th hole. She began the day in a tie for 3rd at 8-under. The 18-year-old is seven-shots behind leader Inbee Park of South Korea
Park sits two-shots ahead of New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Gerina Piller of the United States, who both are at 9-under.
The wind was a factor for many golfers as the gusty conditions on the Olympic Golf Course in Brazil, but not for Ko. On the par-3 eighth hole, the 19-year-old drained carded her first-ever hole-in-one. Earlier on the same hole, China’s Xi Yu Lin, 20, carded an ace of her own.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson shot a 7-under-par 64 and is tied for third following the second round of the women’s Olympic golf tournament.
Henderson birdied five of the final six holes Thursday to finish 2-shots back of leader Inbee Park of Korea.
“Yeah, it was a much better day today,” said Henderson, who was 1-under 70 following the opening round. “I felt better right off the bat. I was 2-under through my first nine holes, which was good, and I was hoping to get a few more birdies on the back nine, and I definitely was able to do that, especially my last six holes. I kind of got momentum and putts drained for me and I was able to hit some really good shots. I’m really happy with today and hopefully I’ll do something similar tomorrow.”
Round 2 interview with Brooke Henderson – LISTEN I READ
Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., came into the day five shots off the pace set by first-round leader Ariya Jutanugarn. The native of Thailand carded an even-par 70 Thursday and moved into a tie for 8th.
The 18-year-old Canadian is 8-under for the tournament and trails 36-hole leader Inbee Park (10-under) who recorded a 5-under 66 for the second consecutive day.
Stacey Lewis is 9-under and in second place. The American was the lone golfer to better Henderson’s 64, shooting an 8-under 63.
Great Britain’s Charley Hull is tied for third with Henderson at 8-under.
Henderson will tee-off at 10:58 a.m. BRT with Nicole Larsen of Denmark and Marianne Skarpnor of Norway.
Canada’s Alena Sharp is tied for 32nd place at 1-under. The Hamilton native tallied a 2-under 69 Thursday.
Sharp will tee off at 9:14 a.m. with Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden.
Canadians Hamilton & Rank fall in Round of 32 at U.S. Amateur
Garrett Rank (Chris Keane/ USGA)
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – It wasn’t meant to be for Canada’s two remaining competitors at the 116th playing of the Men’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club.
Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., came up just short in a comeback bid against Denver, Colo., product Kyler Dunkle, losing by a hole. The 28-year-old journeyman was down 3 holes heading to the 15th, and managed to cut the deficit to 1 hole with two to play. Rank failed to capitalize on a bogey from Dunkle on the par-4 18th, matching his score to remain 1 hole back for the loss.
Rank will look to rebound next week as he tries for three consecutive wins at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Golf-Château-Bromont from Aug. 22-26 in Bromont, Que.
Fellow Canadian and Team Canada Amateur Squad member Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont., came up just short in a back-and-forth affair with Brad Dalke of Norman, Okla. The pair duelled with nine lead changes in the match, with the nod eventually going to Dalke following back-to-back wins on the final two holes for a 2-up victory.
Hamilton won’t leave with any hardware, but he did manage an eagle on the par-5 2nd hole today to add to his hole-in-one in yesterday’s Round of 64 match.
Team Canada’s Hannah Lee records victory at B.C. Juvenile Girls
Hannah Lee (British Columbia Golf)
CHILLIWACK, B.C. – Development Squad member Hannah Lee went the distance on Thursday to record the victory at the B.C. Juvenile Girls’ Championship at the Chilliwack Golf Club.
The Surrey, B.C., product entered the final round of 54-hole tournament tied with 13-year-old Akari Hayashi of Victoria at 3-under par. Lee held a one-stroke advantage through nine holes before eventually pulling away from Hayashi on the par-4 13th with a four-stroke swing. Lee went on to finish at 5-under for the tournament for a five stroke victory.
It was an extra sweet win for the 16-year-old, who relinquished a 4-shot final-round lead in last year’s event to finish runner-up.
“Last year I was leading going into the final round, so yes, it feels really good to finish this one off and win it,” said Lee.
In the boys’ division, Langley’s Khan Lee came out on top with a score of 5-under par (75-70-66) for a two-stroke victory over runner up Jeevan Sihota of Victoria.
The 2017 British Columbia Golf Juvenile Boys’ & Girls’ Championships will be held at Granite Pointe GC in Nelson.
Canada’s Hamilton & Rank advance to Round of 32 at U.S. Amateur
Blair Hamilton (Jeff Haynes/ USGA)
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A pair of Canadians have advanced through to the Round of 32 on Wednesday at the 116th playing of the Men’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club.
Garrett Rank, the reigning Canadian Mid-Amateur champion, continues to perform at a high level despite balancing his time as a full-time NHL referee. The 47th seeded Elmira, Ont., native defeated American Benjamin Griffin 1up to advance to Thursday’s action. He’ll ride his momentum into play tomorrow against Kyler Dunkle at 9:10 am EDT.
Joining Rank is National Amateur Squad member Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont. Hamilton wowed fans with an ace on the par-3 9th for a sure win of the hole against opponent John Oda of Honolulu, Hawaii. The 22-year-old Team Canada vet went on to record a 4&2 victory. The University of Houston senior is geared to square off with Norman, Olka. product Brad Dalke at 10:00 am EDT.
Both remaining Canadians will look to accomplish what current Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners did in 2014 when he finished runner-up—eventually going on to earn Top Amateur honours at The Masters.
Fellow countrymen Austin James (Bath, Ont.) and Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.) failed to advance past the opening round of match play.
The 2016 U.S. Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play, followed by six rounds of match play, concluding with Sunday’s 36-hole championship.
Henderson salvages a 70 after challenging 1st round in Rio
Brooke Henderson (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brooke Henderson battled inconsistency in her first round at the Olympic Golf Course. Teammate Alena Sharp couldn’t seem to get a putt to drop.
Despite those challenges, the two Canadians managed to hang around the middle of the pack Wednesday on a hot, sunny and windy day at the Rio Games.
Henderson did well to finish at 1-under 70 after a rough start while Sharp bookended her round with birdies for a 72. They showed they have the potential to score well on a wide, hilly course that suits their games.
“The way both of them played, there’s a 65 or a 64 in both of them,” said Canadian coach Tristan Mullally. “That’s what you need to potentially get yourself back into contention.”
Canadian Rd. 1 Rio 2016 Interviews: Brooke Henderson – LISTEN I Alena Sharp – LISTEN
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn opened with a 6-under-par 65 for a one-shot lead on Inbee Park and Seiyoung Kim of South Korea. Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark was in a group of three players at 67 and American Lexi Thompson was in a four-way tie at 68.
“I wasn’t far off today,” Henderson said. “Just a couple mishit shots, a (bad) bunker lie, but that’s going to happen. You just have to move on, learn from it and make a better shot the next time.”
Henderson bogeyed the second hole and found the sand on No. 4 before settling for double bogey. She rebounded with an eagle on the 493-yard, par-5 fifth and added birdies on two of the next three holes.
“Many a player at three-over par through four holes would not recover from there,” Mullally said. “If anything she uses it as motivation to come back even stronger.
“She had a couple double bogeys today and still shot under par.”
The other double came on the 12th when she was well wide of the fairway and needed to hit a provisional ball. Henderson hit a 10-foot putt to avoid a rare triple bogey.
“I don’t see double bogeys on my card very often, which is a good thing,” she said. “But unfortunately I had two today.”
The third-ranked Henderson has enjoyed a strong season on the LPGA Tour with a pair of tournament victories, including her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Her approach shots were a little off Wednesday as she hit only 12 of 18 greens in regulation.
“My putting was probably the best part of my game today,” she said. “I made a couple long ones for birdie, and then inside 10 feet, I was pretty clutch to save pars a couple times when I needed to, save bogey, save double-bogey a couple times.”
It was the opposite for Sharp, the world No. 81, who couldn’t seem to get her putter going.
She double-bogeyed the fifth hole and added a couple bogeys on the back nine before closing with a birdie.
“You saw some of the guys shoot seven under last week,” Sharp said. “I think it’s doable if you hit the right ridges. The way I’m hitting it right now, I can’t sit here and tell you that it’s out of the question for me.
“If I just get my putter hot, I’ll be good.”
Mullally, who split the day walking the 6,245-yard course with both Canadians, agreed with her.
“It’s hard to watch that kind of round, you feel bad for her because she’s played as well if not better than players shooting four or five under par but just doesn’t have the result for it,” he said.
The men’s Olympic Golf podium this past Sunday exuded experience and longevity with the likes of PGA TOUR veterans Justin Rose (gold), Henrik Stenson (silver) and Matt Kuchar (bronze).
The average age of the trio is 38 years old with Rose the youngest (36) and Stenson the oldest (40). Chances are the three women standing on the podium come Saturday will be a representation of youthful exuberance and a snapshot of the future of golf.
Almost every trend in women’s golf in recent years has pointed to the fearless crop of youngsters who have taken the game by storm. And, it looks like the youth movement has made its way to the Reserva de Marapendi golf course this week in Barra da Tijuca.
The top three ranked players in the world are no older than 20 years old: No. 1 Lydia Ko (19), No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn (20) and Canada’s own Brooke Henderson (18) and are all front runners this week in Rio. In the latest world rankings, seven of the top-10 players are 24 years old or younger.
Through the first 22 events on the LPGA Tour, 20 of them were won by players 23 years old or younger, while three teenagers have broken into the winners circle (Ko, Henderson and Minjee Lee).
India’s Aditi Ashok, a rookie on the Ladies European Tour, is the youngest in the field and will be 18 years, 4 months, 19 days on day one of competition. The average age of the 60 female players is 26.97 years old. Four players are under the age of 20 and only two are over the age of 40.
Also in contrast to the men, the ladies will have three amateur competitors this week versus none last week. Leona Maguire of Ireland, Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland and Tiffany Chan of Hong Kong will try to upstage the world’s best on the world’s biggest stage.
Catriona Matthew is the oldest player in the Rio 2016 field at 46 years old.
Henderson and her unique swing are ready for Olympic debut
Brooke Henderson (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Canadian golf star Brooke Henderson has used longer clubs since her junior days and it has helped her create a unique swing that generates tremendous power.
Henderson brings the club way back, flattens it out as it comes down and then uses her balance and core strength as she strikes the ball. She has become one of the longer hitters on the LPGA Tour and is expected to be a podium favourite in the Olympic women’s golf tournament, which starts Wednesday.
“When you mix power and probably some clubs that are a little longer, she’s created a way to create some leverage,” said Canadian women’s team coach Tristan Mullally. “She definitely uses the ground, she definitely gets down into it, sinks into it and then rotates her body super quickly. When she came on to the program, strength wasn’t the issue, it was more stability and balance.
“We’ve worked a lot on trying to clean up the little things so that she can continue to be powerful and continue to have a go at it because that’s when she plays great.”
Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., turns 19 next month. She has risen to No. 2 in the world rankings and won her first major tournament — the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — in June.
She’ll be joined by Alena Sharp of Hamilton at the Olympic Golf Course for the stroke play competition.
Mullally has worked with Henderson since she was 14 and has helped fine-tune a swing he describes as “hard and aggressive.”
“We wanted to keep that but with kids, you can run into injuries pretty quickly if that’s the way you go,” he said in a recent interview. “It was just about cleaning that up. I would say it’s natural, it’s her. She knows where the club is in space which makes her great.
“Anything we’ve ever done has always been around trying to help with the variety of shots or to make it pain and injury-free. That’s really where we’ve had some input.”
Long-time golf instructor Kevin Haime hosted a recent junior golf event in the Ottawa area that featured Henderson and her sister Brittany. Haime said he regularly uses a video demo of Brooke’s swing for his students.
“I will tell you that she is in some incredibly good positions,” he said. “Her transfer of club from backswing to downswing is really dynamic. It’s really similar to Sergio Garcia’s, it’s almost (Ben) Hogan-esque, the way the club drops. You don’t see that very often.”
Haime called it an “athletic swing” that is only seen a few times a generation on tour.
“She’s got that Rory McIlroy-type of talent if she gets it all going,” he said. “I think Lexi Thompson has that as well, a dominant performance possibility. I’m not so sure how many others have that. It wouldn’t be more than 10.
“So if you think about the limited field at the Olympics, No. 1, and then No. 2, you think about her horsepower if she gets it going just right, I think Canadians should be excited about that.”
Golf is making its return to the Olympic program for the first time since the 1904 St. Louis Games.
