Five LPGA Rookies Eyeing Poppy’s Pond
Mar 19, 2015; PHOENIX, AZ, USA; Alison Lee tees off on the 11th 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
Typically, when it comes to golf, rookies don’t win Majors, unless they’re Fuzzy Zoeller at Augusta National in 1979 or Hyo Joo Kim at Evian-les-Bains in 2013. But the 2015 LPGA rookie class is exceptional and a rookie leap into Poppy’s Pond on Sunday afternoon isn’t entirely out of the question. Five of them are looking good for the weekend.
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With Morgan Pressel leading the field into the second round at the ANA Inspiration, the Tour’s first Major of the season, there are 5 outstanding rookies chasing her and within 5 shots of overtaking her. They’re all likely to make the cut and they’re all capable of putting a winning game together over the next 54 holes of golf remaining to be played on the Dinah Shore Championship Course at Mission Hills.
The week-long party that is The Dinah — the largest girl-party music festival in the world — may be swirling around Palm Springs, but on the golf course things are all business. If she got her putting straightened out yesterday afternoon after her barely red 71, Lydia Ko is likely to surpass Annika Sorenstam’s record for most consecutive sub-par rounds. If she can get her short game into its usual sharp focus Stacy Lewis is likely to make her way up the board today and get a peek at the top.
In the midst of all this 5 LPGA rookies are going to be playing hard today for a piece of the weekend action and a shot at the historic, magnificent, triumphant leap into the legendary Poppy’s Pond!
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Charley Hull’s starting Friday’s 2nd round on the top of the rookie pile at 2-under par. She banged her drives down most of the Mission Hills fairways on Thursday, keeping pace with the Tour’s other long hitters, defending champion Lexi Thompson and past champion Brittany Lincicome.
Hull doesn’t always take her golf as seriously as some of her competitors and at times she can approach the competitive moment with an attitude that’s downright maddening, but don’t let that public façade fool you.
Charley Hull. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Charley Hull has the game it takes to be a standout player. She proved that in Parker, Colorado and again during her LET rookie year. If she figured out the greens yesterday and if conditions don’t vary dramatically today, watch for Hull to creep on up the board.
One shot below Hull, Alison Lee’s also in a very good position going into the 2nd round at the ANA Inspiration. With a 71 on yesterday’s scorecard, Lee’s starting today even with Lydia Ko and two other LPGA rookie standouts, Ariya Jutanugarn and Hyo Joo Kim.
Kim’s the only one in this group coming in to the ANA Inspiration with both a Major championship — the 2014 Evian — and a 2015 win — the JTBC Founders Cup, but Lee is poised for a breakthrough and it’s inevitable that Jutanugarn will collect a Tour victory, probably before the 2015 season ends. I’m looking for all of them to be in the mix come Sunday.
Ha Na Jang. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Ha Na Jang, coming into Friday at even par and trailing Pressel’s lead by 5 shots, has been making very good use of the experience she gained during the five seasons she played on the KLPGA before qualifying for the Tour last December. She picked up 6 KLPGA wins and she’s been playing a strong, competitive game throughout the early events in the 2015 season.
What do these LPGA rookies need to do today? Play their game, keep the ball in the fairways, and putt like wizards! All any of them needs is a crack to slip ahead of the pack. They’re going to need to play past some strong, savvy veterans — Juli Inkster, who’d really love to take a third leap into the pond, So Yeon Ryu and Na Yeon Choi, who both play tactically wise and shrewd games, and Ai Miyazato, who played like a champion on Thursday.
But right now the distance to the top of the board is not great and swapping a birdie or two for a bogey or two might be all it takes to inch a little closer to that coveted Sunday Leap.
Golf Channel is providing coverage of the round in progress from 12 noon – 3pm and again from 6-9pm (all times ET) and you can also follow the live action in Rancho Mirage on the LPGA electronic leaderboard.