JUTANUGARN RETURNS AFTER MAKING HISTORY
Ariya Jutanugarn won the inaugural LPGA Volvik Championship in convincing fashion last year to cap a run of three consecutive wins on the LPGA Tour, something that hadn’t been done since Inbee Park accomplished the feat in 2013.
Better yet, the streak began with the first win of her career at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, making the Thai native the first player in Tour history to have the first three wins of her career come in consecutive tournaments.
Jutanugarn will be attempting to defend a title for the second consecutive week after trying to repeat at the Kingsmill Championship last week - she would finish T18, while Lexi Thompson came away with her eighth career win.
Ariya was asked on Tuesday whether she felt nervous trying to defend an LPGA title: “Not really. I mean, I got a little bit excited like before the first round, but after I played first few holes I feel okay, I feel like comfortable to play.”
NO DRIVER, NO WORRIES
Ariya Jutanugarn won last year’s LPGA Volvik Championship without a driver in the bag. In fact, all five of her LPGA victories have come without the big stick, and she sees no reason to alter that strategy this week.
When asked why, Jutanugarn said, “I just feel like more confident with like if I hit 3 wood. And I’ve been working on with my driver and one day if I have really full commitment with my driver I’m going to use it.”
KIM HAPPY TO BE BACK
Christina Kim stood out amongst the field as a fan favorite at last year’s LPGA Volvik Championship during a fantastic week that saw her finish solo second, her best result since winning the 2014 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
Kim told the media on Tuesday that she loves “being able to do something that I love and love what I do,” and enjoys being able to share her passion for the game with people wherever she plays.
“I just remember having great crowds out here, especially for a first year for a tournament,” Kim said of last year’s event at Travis Pointe. “There were some amazing crowds, great people, the food’s fantastic here. Just an awesome experience here. Ann Arbor’s a fantastic city whether you’re living here or visiting. I just remember having a great time.”
That finish ignited a stretch where Kim finished the top-6 in two of her next three starts, but she hasn’t been inside the top-10 since. Kim currently has 49 top-10 finishes in her LPGA career.
CREAMER LEADS CHARGE TO HELP FEMALE VETERANS AT SELFRIDGE VALOR CUP
Paula Creamer’s father and her father in law were Navy pilots, her cousin is an active duty Marine and her husband Derek Heath is a C-17 Air Force pilot. And the Paula Creamer Foundation she established naturally helps families of veterans in need.
She said she jumped at the chance to play in the Selfridge Valor Cup Military Pro-Am Monday on the golf course at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. A field of 60 female veterans paired up with 16 LPGA professionals in the scramble event sponsored by the Eisenhower Center to bring awareness to the health needs of female military veterans.
“The military has always been very important to me and I think these are the real heroes in our world,” said Creamer, who like the other LPGA players at Selfridge is part for the field Thursday through Sunday at the LPGA Volvik Championship at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor.
“I think it is so important to make people aware that these female veterans are still fighting, and this event raises that awareness. I really feel helping military families is the least I can do, and it’s so great that I have a platform like golf that we can use to help.”
Full Story - http://volviklpga.com/lpga-star-paula-creamer-leads-charge-to-help-female-veterans-at-selfridge-valor-cup/
QUOTABLE
“It was just so fulfilling to be able to be a part of that, especially for the inaugural event. So hopefully it’s something that year after year we’ll be able to help continue raise awareness to the fact that women are veterans, too. There are many, many women out there that go out and serve their country and are willing to risk their lives. I think that taking care of them is just as important as it is taking care of the male veterans. For someone to be able to risk their life for the nation, hero doesn’t even describe it properly.”
- Christina Kim on the experience of playing in the Selfridge Valor Cup Military Pro-Am on Monday
QUICK HITS
Ariya Jutanugarn is tied with So Yeon Ryu for the most top-10 finishes on the LPGA this season with eight.
Ariya Jutanugarn’s five wins all came within a stretch of ten starts last season - Jutanugarn has gone 19 starts since her last victory heading into this week.
Ariya Jutanugarn ranks 32nd in the LPGA in average driving distance in 2017 at 259.00 yards despite playing the majority of events without a driver.
Ariya Jutanugarn was one of three players to win back-to-back tournaments on the LPGA in 2016 (Lydia Ko, Shanshan Feng).
Christina Kim finished in the runner-up position for the seventh time in her career at last year’s LPGA Volvik Championship.
Christina Kim’s first round 64 (-8) in 2016 is the 18-hole tournament scoring record at Travis Pointe Country Club.
Christina Kim has three career LPGA victories: 2004 Longs Drugs Challenge, 2005 The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions, 2014 Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex
Christina Kim is a three-time member of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team with a 6-2-2 overall record (2005, 2009, 2011).
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