Tavatanakit withstands Lydia Ko’s brilliance at ANA

Lydia Ko – file photo Henry Peters

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko has staged a remarkable bid for a third major championship with a final round of 62 at the ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage in California and although falling two shots shy of the eventual winner, Patty Tavatanakit, that she was able to produce her best major championship result in nearly five years on the LPGA Tour, tells the story of her game’s resurgence.

Ko, began the final round a massive eight shots behind and thirty minutes ahead of the 54 hole leader, Tavatanakit, but after a brilliant opening nine 29 and seven birdies and an eagle in her opening 11 holes, Ko was making Thailand’s Tavatanakit’s first LPGA Tour title a little more difficult than it appeared at the start of the day.

Ko would add one more birdie at the 15th but the Thai golfer was showing no signs of bucking under Ko’s onslaught and she would eventually run out the winner by two.

Ko won US$287,000 for her efforts but perhaps more importantly went a long way to re-establishing the confidence eaten away by several seasons performing below the level which saw her such a star of the female game earlier in her career.

Ko was clearly enjoying the opportunity to contend again at this level and in a tournament in which she has experienced success previously. This event is one of the two major titles she has won and for a while in today’s final round it appeared she might have been applying the sort of pressure that might see the far less experienced Tavatanakit fold in the latter stages of the event.

“I think you just have to be really patient,” said Ko when asked what she will take out of this week. “I felt like my game is trending in the right direction. The first couple days this week and last week was a little messy, making clumsy mistakes here and there, but I feel like I was able to bring that together, and I’ve really just tried to have fun out there and I think that is such a big key for me.

“When you’re enjoying it I think everything kind of follows. Today is happy Easter so I feel like God was watching me and gave me all the right bounces, right breaks as well.

“To me going into today I didn’t want to play conservatively. I just wanted to go out there and play as aggressively but as smart as I can, and I think to some point when you’re so far behind, all you know is that you need to make as many birdies as you can. It was not a bad position to be in.

“Sean (coach Sean Foley) gave me a little pep talk on his way to the Masters while I was warming up today, and yeah, this place has so many great memories, me jumping into Poppies Pond with my family and team and having my second major championship win here, and even though we don’t technically have friends here, the members were out watching us, and they’ve always supported me and all of us and they love seeing the LPGA here.”

Ko has been working with renowned coach Foley in recent times and paid credit to some of the pepe talks he gives her and the timing of them.

“I think the area that Sean has really helped me is to sometimes call me and he’ll say a few things and I’ll be like, whoa, that was way too much. Not like technical stuff, but he kind of gives me like a word slap, like wake up, and I think that’s what we all need at some point. Sometimes you just get in the way of your way.

“I know that sometimes I get in the way of myself, and at the end of the day all I can do is — it’s me against the golf course, and sometimes the me part is the really hard thing to get over. He’s been really helpful to clear those questions and kind of build the confidence in me.”

The winner, Tavatanakit, is essentially in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour following a collegiate career at UCLA. The 21 year old recorded just one top ten in 14starts in a curtailed first season last year but already in 2021 she had finished 5th in one of her three starts to date.

She is considered one of the longest hitters on the LPGA Tour but combines that power with a deft touch, a combination which is expected to see her a regular contender in events and in major championship golf also.

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all today just because — I saw her name up there but I didn’t look at it,” said the 21-year-old who is remarkably just two years younger then Ko. “I wanted to play my own game, which I did, and did a really good job of that today.

“It’s a dream come true. Every time I play here I remember exactly I was on this green receiving my low amateur award and I saw they were jumping and I took a Snapchat and the caption was, One day. It’s been crazy.”

Hannah Green was the leading Australians when she tied for 14th, Gabi Ruffels was 19th and Minjee Lee 25th.,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spieth’s back with Home State Victory

Jordan Spieth – holds the trophy for his 12th PGA Tour title – photo Getty Images Steve Dykes

It took 27-year- old Jordan Spieth four years to win his first 11 titles on the PGA Tour and nearly as long again to win his 12th.

Today Spieth broke a four-year drought when he won his first PGA Tour title since his 2017 Open Championship title and confirmed his recent resurgence with a two-shot victory over Charley Hoffman at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.

Spieth began the final day tied in the lead with England’s Matt Wallace but he gained control with two early birdies and by the turn he was three ahead of both Wallace and Hoffman.

Hoffman threatened to make Spieth battle for his return to the winners’ circle but the Texas native, Spieth, was up to the task and matched him with every stride. It was perhaps fitting that his return to winning ways happened with his own state title.

Clearly moved by the turnaround in fortunes, Spieth was quick to thank those who had helped and stuck by him during his downturn.

“Yeah, I feel grateful. I feel — I feel really — you know, it kind of bounces off and on right now when it hits me that I’m back in the winner’s circle,” said the champion.

“It’s been a road that’s had a lot of tough days. I’ve had people in my corner that have always believed in me even when I’ve kind of believed less in myself. I just feel a lot of gratitude to those who have helped me kind of get back here.

“My wife has been just a rock to me. This is my first win since we’ve been married, so it’s been progressing this way since maybe December. Before that, there was a lot of tough times. When you’re struggling at work, you try not to bring it home and that kind of stuff.

“I’m very grateful for the people that I have around me. I’m blessed with a great family who’s always just looking out for my best interests. I’ve got an amazing team and I get put in position and I’ve got full trust in everyone that’s on my side that they’re going to be the best at what they do and I’ve just got to go out and feel the freedom to go enjoy playing golf.”

Spieth paid special tribute to his caddie Michael Greller for some important advice he offered during the day.

“Michael did a great job today of telling me — he was like, look, Matt and Charley, these guys are playing for a lot more than you’re playing for. Whatever you’re feeling, they’re feeling more. Charley’s trying to get in next week, Matt’s trying to get a job, you know, Tour card.

“These guys have a lot more to play for than you and we’re trying to make progress for next week. It’s kind of his way — we clearly were very focused on winning this golf tournament and it being important, but I think that was his way of freeing me up and I thought that was really good advice today.”

Earlier this year the former world number one and two time Australian Open champion was only just inside the top 100 in the world but thanks to his recent efforts he is now # 38 with a lot more to come it would seem.

Hoffman who has a very good record at Augusta National won’t be there next week as this was the last chance for a golfer otherwise not qualified to gain access to the Masters. It wasn’t to be but Hoffman did all he could in his last minute bid.

“I’ve lost golf tournaments, I’ve won golf tournaments, but today Jordan won the golf tournament. Obviously I put some pressure on,” said Hoffman. “Obviously I would have liked to have hit some better shots coming down the stretch, but gave myself an opportunity coming down the 18th fairway and that’s all you can ask for. Hats off to Jordan.

“Obviously you come to each event trying to win, but second place isn’t that bad. Obviously I want to get back to the Masters, I want to get back to Kapalua. I play to win, not finish second. But obviously had a chance, gave my best and just fell slightly short”

Cameron Davis was the only Australian to make the weekend but struggled over the final 36 holes and finished 69th.

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Lydia Ko heads Australasians at ANA Inspiration

Lydia Ko – File photo Bruce Young

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko heads the seven Australasians through 36 holes of the ANA Inspiration Championship, the first major of the year in world golf.

Ko finds herself four shots from Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit who leads by one over China’s Shanshan Feng.

Ko’s second round of 69 was highlighted by a closing nine of 33 which included an eagle at the 11th and two late birdies to put herself right in the hunt.

Minjee Lee, Gabriela Ruffels and Hannah Green are the best of the Australians at 2 under par, tied for 26th and seven from the lead.

Sarah Kemp, Su Oh and Katherine Kirk will unfortunately have the weekend off.

Ko’s round was a roller coaster of sorts and she would later say she has been on a roller coaster often in recent times.

“I’ve been on this roller coaster since last week. The good thing is I’m making plenty of birdies to make up for the bogeys I’ve been making.

“But I think I been trying to not get too in my head when I been making mistakes. You know, just trying to stay positive and go, Hey, if I have nine holes left I have nine chances for birdie. I’ve been lucky enough to kind of have a good comeback after a mistake which kind of gets rhythm going.

“Yeah, lots of birdie-bogeys or bogey-birdies, but hopefully I’ll be able to reduce a few of those clumsier mistakes and keep having fun out there.

“I think it started last week where I felt like my ball striking wasn’t there and my putting was okay. Then the ball striking kind of improved over the week and then I just had too many putts on the putting green.

“But, no, I think the game is a little bit better in general coming into this week, and I think — I’ve been taking it as a positive where, even if I make a mistake, I’ve been able to get up and make a birdie on the next or within the next few holes.

“I think that’s just helped me mentally. I think sometimes you’re not going to have your A game. I would say most people, like it’s really hard to have your A game every single day. You have to play with what you have. You have to play with that kind of shot that you have been hitting.

“I think you just play with what’s in front of you and not try to find it, and I think that is such a big key. Hopefully I’ll just be able to keep continuing the aspects that I’ve been doing well and polish up on a few things and see where I finish at the end of this weekend.”

Lee’s round of 70 included four birdies and a big weekend could yet see her vying for a first major championship title.

Ruffels finished 15th in this event as an amateur last year and in just her second appearance in the event she has done well with a round of 70 which included an eagle, four birdies and four bogeys.

Ruffels, who attended the University of Southern California during an amateur career which included a win and runner-up finish at consecutive US Women’s Amateur Championships, is considered destined for a successful professional career although at this stage she does not enjoy LPGA Tour status.

Hannah Green is one of only three Australian women to win a major championship title and she is well enough placed at the halfway mark although two bogeys late in her round are no doubt disappointing.

The leader Tavatanakit led after round one but an early bogey gave little sign of what was to come.

She eagled her 6th hole and birdied the 7th and went further ahead with birdies at her 11th and 13th holes before a late bogey saw her finish one ahead of Feng.

Tavatanakit has a New Zealand connection in so much as she is coached by New Zealand born and raised Grant Waite a winner on the PGA Tour.

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Hopes still alive for Cameron Davis in Texas

Cameron Davis- in action this week. Photo Getty Images Steve Dykes

Sydney’s Cameron Davis produced a solid back nine in round two of the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio and although seven shots from the leader, Cameron Tringale, he is just five shots out of second place, in a share of 19th place and not yet out of contending for the title.

Davis recovered from two early bogeys and played the home nine on the demanding Greg Norman designed layout at the TPC San Antonio in 2 under and not only is a potential first PGA Tour title up for grabs this week, so too is what would be his first start at the Masters.

The winner of this event, not otherwise exempt, is the last player into next week’s field at Augusta National and with Davis narrowly missing Masters’ opportunities on two occasions previously at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in 2015 and 2016, it is an enticing prospect for him.

After a good start to the year, Davis has not played quite as well in recent starts, but he is a genuine talent, destined for success on the PGA Tour and another good finish this weekend is not beyond him.

Rhein Gibson, Cameron Percy and Danny Lee missed the cut, Percy disqualified following his horror second round of 80 and Lee withdrawing after an outward nine of 41.

The leader, Tringale, has yet to win on the PGA Tour but he has been playing well of late and has been three times runner-up in PGA Tour events so this represents a good opportunity for that breakthrough.

Tringale leads by two over Jordan Spieth and Englishman Matt Wallace. Spieth’s resurgence continues as he chases his first PGA Tour title since his Open Championship victory in 2017.

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