Founders Cup 1st Round Rookie Race
Mar 19, 2015; PHOENIX, AZ, USA; Sophia Popov hits her tee shot on the 15th hole during round one action of the JTBC Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
An unseasonable weather delay at the Founders Cup and a first round suspended because of darkness has us all looking as the leaderboard and scratching our heads. Half the field hasn’t finished their first round and there’s just no way to know how the tournament is unfolding at this point. But among the rookies who’ve finished their 1st round and are in the clubhouse waiting it out, there’s an intriguing race in process.
Sophia Popov gets a hug from her mother after earning her Tour card at Q-School. Photo credit: Dave Andrews
Sophia Popov, who’s leading in the Rookie Race and most of the Founders Cup field as well, caught my eye at Q-School. Simply put, the USC-Trojans golfer was playing with exceptional grace, style and confidence. She repeated that performance during her first round on the Wildfire track.
The Founders Cup is Popov’s 2nd pro appearance and she carded a bogey-free career low of 66, which put her into a 4-way tie with Lydia Ko, Tiffany Joh, and Kim Kaufman for the clubhouse lead. That’s hot company for a rookie!
Popov’s long and accurate off the tee and she was deadly on the putting surface Thursday. Although she admitted in her post-round interview to being nervous and feeling a bit lonely out there on the Tour’s big stage, you wouldn’t have guessed that from her performance or her demeanor. Now we’ll see whether or not this young German who looks like she’s more than ready to join Sandra Gal and Caroline Masson and start putting together a German team for next year’s International Crown can sustain the pace.
More from Golf News
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- 2023 Hero World Challenge Predictions: The Return Of Tiger Woods?
- RSM Classic Brings the controversial 2023 PGA Tour Season to a close
Simin Feng
Like Sophia Popov, China’s Simin Feng (no relation to Shanshan Feng) also finished her first round at the Founders Cup before the sun set and Feng, too, is on the first page of the leaderboard.
At 4-under par, Feng’s in very good company, standing among others alongside Austin Ernst (2014 Portland Classic winner), Amy Yang (2015 Honda LPGA Thailand winner), and rookie Ha Na Jang, who’s been making her own mark on the Tour this season with some stellar performances.
Feng’s only 1st round bogey came on the par-4 10th hole but after two missed cuts and a T59th finish at the Pure Silk-Bahamas earlier this spring, Feng played her first round like a veteran who’s ready to hoist a trophy.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
Demi Runas & Ariya Jutanugarn
Right below Feng on the leaderboard, rookies Demi Runas and Ariya Jutanugarn also established an impressive first round pace. This pair carded very respectable but not unexpected 3-under first rounds of 69.
Runas is playing back-to-back rookie years, 2014 on the Symetra Tour and 2015 on the LPGA Tour, and Jutanugarn’s delayed LPGA rookie year has probably served her well. She’s built substantial competitive experience playing the Ladies European Tour and in coming into 2015 very strong.
There are rookies scattered throughout the leaderboard. Marissa Steen is in the clubhouse at 2-under, Kelly Shon and Minjee Lee at even par and Sadena Parks at 1-over. They’ll have to wait out the completion of the first round to have a clear sense of their standing in the field, but overall the Rookie Race within the Founders Cup has its own unique dynamic and is making very clear the strength of the 2015 rookie class that drew the attention of both Stacy Lewis and Jessica Korda as the season began.
None of the rookies were among my fantasy picks for the top of the Founders Cup board. Looking back over their 1st round performances, several of them should have been!
You can follow the completion of the Founders Cup 1st round and the beginning of the 2nd round on the LPGA’s live leaderboard and Golf Channel will provide a recap of Friday’s play beginning at 6pm ET. Follow me on Twitter @bethbethel and I’ll notify you when I publish updates and commentary on the Founders Cup and other pro golf news.