Post by philknj on May 28, 2016 1:54:05 GMT
I dropped by Canoe Brook CC (North course) in Summit, NJ at 8:50 AM, when almost every group had teed off by then. That wasn’t the plan...I set the alarm for 4 AM, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. A heavy rainstorm had passed through the night before and light rain was falling during the drive to the course. It stopped around 10 AM.
I walked over to the first tee (par-4 408 yards) where the 9 AM (last) group would be starting. They had one WD, leaving two players, Esther Park and Sarah Stone. Apparently I dressed like a golf big shot, as Stone’s caddy introduced himself and shook my hand. Park’s daddy was caddying and had her bag on a big Clicgear push cart with optional chair attached to one of the legs. Both players were short of the green after two shots, both chipped on, and both two-putted for bogeys. Okay, I had seen enough...these two had no chance.
Renee Skidmore was teeing off at the 9th hole with a couple of Asians, so I followed this group back to the clubhouse.
Later at the 9th green, I noticed a caddy carrying a big staff bag, which was a rare sight in this field. NANNA KOERSTZ MADSEN was printed on it. The name seemed familiar, but from where? I later learned she’s on the LET, from Denmark (why qualify in NJ?). She was grouped with Krista Puisite of Latvia (later learned she’s on Symetra tour) and a young New Yorker, Michelle Rosenhouse (looked like her sister was on the bag and parents followed along).
More than anyone else here, Nanna had “the look” of a big-time pro. Her visor, bag and gear were totally TMAG (M2 driver, Psi Forged irons, TM wedges, Spider putter), except for her ball and glove (Titleist). The jacket of her black Adidas rain suit had obscure foreign logos. She later took off the jacket, revealing a black Adidas polo shirt combo with a white long sleeve Galvin Green undershirt. She’s a blonde with her hair pulled back in a bun (facially, she looks a little like Brooke Henderson) and has a girly but athletic build.
I decided to follow this group for a while, starting at #10, a 365-yard par-4 that runs parallel to Route 24...the constant traffic noise was not a distraction. Rosenhouse was in a greenside bunker, airmailed the putting surface with her sand shot, and made double-bogey. It was a long day for her, 90-90-180, but that put her ahead of the quitters who went home after the morning rounds.
At the par-3 11th (166 yards), Nanna measured two club lengths behind the tee with an iron before hitting. She was still too long, short-siding herself in a bunker. She made a delicate splash to within three feet and made the putt. “Nice save” I said and she thanked me.
It was at the par-5 12th (516 yards) where Nanna Koerstz Madsen turned into Nanna Cursed Mad. She was the longest driver in the group (the LET stats say she drives it 259 and I can believe that) and had a perfectly positioned approach for her third shot. It looked good to me, but not to her, as she walked to the green with her putter, talking to herself and punching the air with both arms. She made the two-putt par, but her head was turning red, and she had a lot to say to her caddie, and would get in his face to say it.
Nanna’s approach shot at the par-4 13th (366 yards) rolled off the front of the green; she dropped the iron, and gave the grip a light kick. After making her bogey putt, the putter was dumped into the rough surrounding the green.
Nanna reached the front of the green at the par-3 14th (195 yards). When she reached the green, she was still in a lousy mood, yakking in Danish, I assume. Her caddy replied and made a point by squatting down a little at the knees and holding out both arms with palms up...then he rose up with his arms in the same position. I have no clue what he was trying to convey, but her response was to take two big strides toward him with a murderous look on her face! That’s when I figured out that the caddy HAD to be her boyfriend...no other “civilian” would have tolerated or survived these antics.
As for the birdie putt, she left it a few inches short, which prompted her to bark at the ball and point at it with her putter. After her tap-in, she went to her bag, which was standing up, and feverishly searched for an open space among her clubs. I knew what was coming next and was not disappointed...she found the spot and rammed the putter in at about 80 MPH.
She cooled off on the next hole, so I decided to check some other groups completing their morning rounds. I exchanged hellos with Maiya Tanaka. She was wearing leggings that had sections which were see-through. Had a brief glimpse of the defending U.S. Girls Junior champ Eunjeong Seong.
As the morning rounds began to end, I took a stroll to the scoreboard near the clubhouse to see who was worth following in the PM. Sophia Popov shot 71, so she was put on my list. I was curious about Rebecca Lee-Bentham, but I was too late...quit after shooting 78. It was a little shocking to see some unknown amateur leading with a 70, Aurora Kan, but I never saw her.
Of course, I also had to get an update on Nanna, who shot 77 in the AM. I later learned she tripled #1 in the AM...wish I had been there. When I saw her on the back-nine in the early PM, she had mellowed out. She even got in a couple of smooches with her caddy at the tee boxes while waiting to hit.
Played better, too, shot 73. She has a lot of horsepower tee-to-green. She should be able to win on the LET (2015 was rookie year) and I hope tries out for LPGA Q-School later on.
I noticed a couple of collegians. One was Amber Wang, who had a white Princeton polo shirt and neon orange pleated skort. Her swing had some extra moving parts, but it was cool to watch. Her bag had Titleist AP1 irons and Vokey wedges with orange-painted numbers and letters (AMBER). Princeton’s coach may have followed her group part of the day, as I saw a woman with a neon orange scarf or sweater around her neck.
The other was Ju Hee Bae, who had a navy Virginia polo shirt and looked pretty good in a short white skort (she was short to begin with). I didn’t care for her swing, but it was good enough (76-80-156) to be in the better half of all the scores.
I checked out Jennifer Kirby at the 3rd (par-4, 366 yards). She hit a perfect drive...low ball flight that split the fairway. But, the rest of her shots reminded me of my game after I hit a great drive. I could hear a fat iron shot that landed in the bunker guarding the green. Her sand shot rolled off the back of the green. She hit a weak chip to get back on the green and two-putted for double-bogey.
I caught up with Sophia Popov at the first or second hole (which was her back nine holes of the PM). I assume it was her daddy on the bag and her mom was following along (Mom caddied later). I don’t think Dad was an experienced caddy. After she hit out of a fairway bunker, he went in there and started raking while another player was preparing to hit from the fairway nearby. Sophia tried to hook him with an iron to make him stop, but she couldn’t reach him in time.
Popov played with Britney Yada and teaching pro Lynn Valentine. Popov and Valentine had identical Cobra stand-bags. Their iron set-ups were a little different. Valentine had a set of Cobra King Forged Tecs. Popov had the same irons for #4 and #5, but #6 thru PW were Cobra King Forged CB/MB (black metal).
Popov was a long hitter the one time I saw her at the Seaview, and that’s what I saw at Canoe Brook. She almost reached the green on the par-5 2nd and made birdie. After pars on #3 and #4, she came to #5, a downhill par-3 (148 yards) over a pond to a shallow green. She dropped it in close and made birdie.
She birdied #6 (par-4) and made par on #7 (par-3). The 8th hole was par-5 (495 yards). Her drive finished in the right fringe and noticeably above her feet. She took out a club that resembled a 3-W and mashed it. By this time of day, you couldn’t see the ball flight when it got higher than the tree line. It finished short of the green. She chose to putt it, but left it around five feet short of the pin. But, she made that knee-knocker for birdie...closed with a par at #18 (par-4).
With Popov’s group at the scoring table, a group was finishing up at the par-5 18th hole (540 yards). I was standing directly behind the 18th green when Jenny Coleman tore up the turf with a wedge that landed about a foot from the flag. I never heard of her before, but she shot 72-71-143, 1st alternate. Her sister (I assume) Kristin was also here, shot 80-82-162.
The shocking number at the scoreboard was the 66 posted by Taiwan’s Pei-Yun Chien in the PM (shot 76 in the AM). She was at a table with her staff bag texting like crazy. She played the 2016 LPGA Swinging Skirts.
When Tanaka’s PM score was posted (72-74-146), Popov (71-71-142) knew she had clinched a spot and gave her Mom a big hug. It wasn’t a great field, but Nanna and Sophia made this event worth attending.
I walked over to the first tee (par-4 408 yards) where the 9 AM (last) group would be starting. They had one WD, leaving two players, Esther Park and Sarah Stone. Apparently I dressed like a golf big shot, as Stone’s caddy introduced himself and shook my hand. Park’s daddy was caddying and had her bag on a big Clicgear push cart with optional chair attached to one of the legs. Both players were short of the green after two shots, both chipped on, and both two-putted for bogeys. Okay, I had seen enough...these two had no chance.
Renee Skidmore was teeing off at the 9th hole with a couple of Asians, so I followed this group back to the clubhouse.
Later at the 9th green, I noticed a caddy carrying a big staff bag, which was a rare sight in this field. NANNA KOERSTZ MADSEN was printed on it. The name seemed familiar, but from where? I later learned she’s on the LET, from Denmark (why qualify in NJ?). She was grouped with Krista Puisite of Latvia (later learned she’s on Symetra tour) and a young New Yorker, Michelle Rosenhouse (looked like her sister was on the bag and parents followed along).
More than anyone else here, Nanna had “the look” of a big-time pro. Her visor, bag and gear were totally TMAG (M2 driver, Psi Forged irons, TM wedges, Spider putter), except for her ball and glove (Titleist). The jacket of her black Adidas rain suit had obscure foreign logos. She later took off the jacket, revealing a black Adidas polo shirt combo with a white long sleeve Galvin Green undershirt. She’s a blonde with her hair pulled back in a bun (facially, she looks a little like Brooke Henderson) and has a girly but athletic build.
I decided to follow this group for a while, starting at #10, a 365-yard par-4 that runs parallel to Route 24...the constant traffic noise was not a distraction. Rosenhouse was in a greenside bunker, airmailed the putting surface with her sand shot, and made double-bogey. It was a long day for her, 90-90-180, but that put her ahead of the quitters who went home after the morning rounds.
At the par-3 11th (166 yards), Nanna measured two club lengths behind the tee with an iron before hitting. She was still too long, short-siding herself in a bunker. She made a delicate splash to within three feet and made the putt. “Nice save” I said and she thanked me.
It was at the par-5 12th (516 yards) where Nanna Koerstz Madsen turned into Nanna Cursed Mad. She was the longest driver in the group (the LET stats say she drives it 259 and I can believe that) and had a perfectly positioned approach for her third shot. It looked good to me, but not to her, as she walked to the green with her putter, talking to herself and punching the air with both arms. She made the two-putt par, but her head was turning red, and she had a lot to say to her caddie, and would get in his face to say it.
Nanna’s approach shot at the par-4 13th (366 yards) rolled off the front of the green; she dropped the iron, and gave the grip a light kick. After making her bogey putt, the putter was dumped into the rough surrounding the green.
Nanna reached the front of the green at the par-3 14th (195 yards). When she reached the green, she was still in a lousy mood, yakking in Danish, I assume. Her caddy replied and made a point by squatting down a little at the knees and holding out both arms with palms up...then he rose up with his arms in the same position. I have no clue what he was trying to convey, but her response was to take two big strides toward him with a murderous look on her face! That’s when I figured out that the caddy HAD to be her boyfriend...no other “civilian” would have tolerated or survived these antics.
As for the birdie putt, she left it a few inches short, which prompted her to bark at the ball and point at it with her putter. After her tap-in, she went to her bag, which was standing up, and feverishly searched for an open space among her clubs. I knew what was coming next and was not disappointed...she found the spot and rammed the putter in at about 80 MPH.
She cooled off on the next hole, so I decided to check some other groups completing their morning rounds. I exchanged hellos with Maiya Tanaka. She was wearing leggings that had sections which were see-through. Had a brief glimpse of the defending U.S. Girls Junior champ Eunjeong Seong.
As the morning rounds began to end, I took a stroll to the scoreboard near the clubhouse to see who was worth following in the PM. Sophia Popov shot 71, so she was put on my list. I was curious about Rebecca Lee-Bentham, but I was too late...quit after shooting 78. It was a little shocking to see some unknown amateur leading with a 70, Aurora Kan, but I never saw her.
Of course, I also had to get an update on Nanna, who shot 77 in the AM. I later learned she tripled #1 in the AM...wish I had been there. When I saw her on the back-nine in the early PM, she had mellowed out. She even got in a couple of smooches with her caddy at the tee boxes while waiting to hit.
Played better, too, shot 73. She has a lot of horsepower tee-to-green. She should be able to win on the LET (2015 was rookie year) and I hope tries out for LPGA Q-School later on.I noticed a couple of collegians. One was Amber Wang, who had a white Princeton polo shirt and neon orange pleated skort. Her swing had some extra moving parts, but it was cool to watch. Her bag had Titleist AP1 irons and Vokey wedges with orange-painted numbers and letters (AMBER). Princeton’s coach may have followed her group part of the day, as I saw a woman with a neon orange scarf or sweater around her neck.
The other was Ju Hee Bae, who had a navy Virginia polo shirt and looked pretty good in a short white skort (she was short to begin with). I didn’t care for her swing, but it was good enough (76-80-156) to be in the better half of all the scores.
I checked out Jennifer Kirby at the 3rd (par-4, 366 yards). She hit a perfect drive...low ball flight that split the fairway. But, the rest of her shots reminded me of my game after I hit a great drive. I could hear a fat iron shot that landed in the bunker guarding the green. Her sand shot rolled off the back of the green. She hit a weak chip to get back on the green and two-putted for double-bogey.
I caught up with Sophia Popov at the first or second hole (which was her back nine holes of the PM). I assume it was her daddy on the bag and her mom was following along (Mom caddied later). I don’t think Dad was an experienced caddy. After she hit out of a fairway bunker, he went in there and started raking while another player was preparing to hit from the fairway nearby. Sophia tried to hook him with an iron to make him stop, but she couldn’t reach him in time.
Popov played with Britney Yada and teaching pro Lynn Valentine. Popov and Valentine had identical Cobra stand-bags. Their iron set-ups were a little different. Valentine had a set of Cobra King Forged Tecs. Popov had the same irons for #4 and #5, but #6 thru PW were Cobra King Forged CB/MB (black metal).
Popov was a long hitter the one time I saw her at the Seaview, and that’s what I saw at Canoe Brook. She almost reached the green on the par-5 2nd and made birdie. After pars on #3 and #4, she came to #5, a downhill par-3 (148 yards) over a pond to a shallow green. She dropped it in close and made birdie.
She birdied #6 (par-4) and made par on #7 (par-3). The 8th hole was par-5 (495 yards). Her drive finished in the right fringe and noticeably above her feet. She took out a club that resembled a 3-W and mashed it. By this time of day, you couldn’t see the ball flight when it got higher than the tree line. It finished short of the green. She chose to putt it, but left it around five feet short of the pin. But, she made that knee-knocker for birdie...closed with a par at #18 (par-4).
With Popov’s group at the scoring table, a group was finishing up at the par-5 18th hole (540 yards). I was standing directly behind the 18th green when Jenny Coleman tore up the turf with a wedge that landed about a foot from the flag. I never heard of her before, but she shot 72-71-143, 1st alternate. Her sister (I assume) Kristin was also here, shot 80-82-162.
The shocking number at the scoreboard was the 66 posted by Taiwan’s Pei-Yun Chien in the PM (shot 76 in the AM). She was at a table with her staff bag texting like crazy. She played the 2016 LPGA Swinging Skirts.
When Tanaka’s PM score was posted (72-74-146), Popov (71-71-142) knew she had clinched a spot and gave her Mom a big hug. It wasn’t a great field, but Nanna and Sophia made this event worth attending.
