Post by verdantgarden on Sept 3, 2019 3:51:59 GMT
I first started going to the Portland tournament in 2003 back when it was sponsored by Safeway. I went every year for the first few years but not so often recently since the change of sponsorship to Cambia. And the last time I went in 2017 was only for the weekend so it has been a handful of years since I went for the full four rounds.
It's been written here how as a consequence of Safeway dropping out, the tournament is on a smaller scale. When I first went, there were grandstands set up on the par 3s 8 and 13, the tenth tee and 17th green. Now only the first tee and 18th green remain. One of my fondest memories was arriving early in the morning, as I do, and head right to the 13th hole and sit in the grandstand and wait for the first groups to come through (this year was very unusual in that all groups teed off from 1 on both Saturday and Sunday).
Not only has the tournament scaled back even the course looks, how should I say it?, more rustic. Again picking on hole 13, before they had landscaped the pond in front of the green with exotic plants. Not so anymore. Now just a few non-descript bushes and cattails.
Entering the course from the parking area takes you through a gauntlet of signs displaying tournament winners from oldest to most recent. I got the order of the Seoul Sister winners mixed up. Hee Won Han won in 2004 and Kangsy in 2005. The photo of Peanut was unflattering.
Like two years ago, there were no concession stands, only food trucks. Except for the burger/hot dog trailer by between holes 2 and 17, they were located by the driving range. A big thumbs up to Cambia for giving out water bottles and sunscreen and stationing water-dispensing machines around the course. Nice not having to spend $2.50 on a bottle of water.
It was hellaciously hot on Wednesday when I arrived but thankfully cooled down considerably on Thursday. It was actually showery in the morning that day and overcast most of the day on Friday with a brief sprinkle. Saturday was clear and warmer and Sunday mostly sunny. Beautiful weather conditions. The low scoring was undoubtedly helped by the lack of wind.
Low scoring was also induced by relatively easy pin placements for the first two rounds. The placements were much tougher on the weekend. Never placed the pin on the third upper tier again though haha. I will always remember during Hee Won's victory how they putt the pin up there creating a huge backup at the tee as players struggled to get their balls up there. Hee Won was the only one I saw do it but alas she missed her birdie putt much to Happy Fan's agony. Ah, memories.
No real plans on following any particular group especially on the first two rounds. I would go here and there, sit for a while to watch the groups pass and move on. I was leaderboard watching and Thursday I caught Jane Park go on a Crazy Jane birdie train at 14, 15 and 16 - not an easy feat. Alas, she "three-putted" for bogey from just off the green on 18 to finish -7. Later I watched Lucky 6 (a phrase emblazoned on the front of her top) make eagle on 5. By contrast, Ariya took and missed her par putt before Six took her eagle putt.
Friday I caught a little bit of Jin Young Ko including making a long birdie putt on 8. Saw Hannah Green was making her move and she was continuing her hot stuff on 10 to get to -15.
Chinese player Jing Yan switched caddies here because her first caddie was feeling feverish.
While Cristie Kerr's ball didn't touch her playing partner's ball on 12, a duck definitely touched her ball on 18.
Saturday was a frustrating day for me. I have poor eyesight and wear prescription lenses. When I first started going to tournaments, I didn't have prescription sunglasses. Come the 2010 Kia Classic in San Diego won by Hee Kyung Seo (which for some reason the LPGA doesn't list) and my eyes started to bother me. So much so that I couldn't keep them open because the sunlight hurt them so. I soon got prescription sunglasses. The ophthalmologist simply said my eyes were old. Well, the sunglasses have definitely helped but not on Saturday. In spite of camping out in the shade early on by the time youngin' Youngin Chun and Angel Yin teed off at 2:05, I was feeling it. I could last only 4 holes before heading home. Maybe it's an allergy? My nose really starts running as well.
TMI I know. It was cool to see local amateur Ellie Smala commence her round with World no. 1 Jin Young Ko.
I was dreading the same thing was going to happen Sunday but good fortune, I had no trouble whatsoever.
I wish I could say the same for Amy Yang, Sung Hyun Park and Sei Young Kim. Very up and down for those players. Namdalla was particularly egregious. She couldn't clear the water on 5 and had to hit her third only about 120 yards from the tee. She three-putted for double-bogey. After a nice birdie on 6, she hit her tee shot on 7 left into the shrubbery. Bogey there. +3 on the two par fives on the front nine.
By contrast, Amy birdies and eagles those two holes. Good stuff to come right? Well, she goes ahead and three-putts 8 from short range. On 9, she airmails her chip over the green to the back. Ugh!
I waited for Sei Young to come along next and follow her for the back nine. She was charmed up to her birdie at 12 to get her to -15 and tied for third. Unlucky 13 saw her tee shot short and roll back into the water. Then her putter abandoned her. She missed a short birdie put on 15 and a short par putt on 16. 17 was the worst. She literally missed a tap in par. Painful.
Too bad Yealimi couldn't pull it off in the end. Will she become the first player born in the 21st century to win an LPGA tournament?
It's been written here how as a consequence of Safeway dropping out, the tournament is on a smaller scale. When I first went, there were grandstands set up on the par 3s 8 and 13, the tenth tee and 17th green. Now only the first tee and 18th green remain. One of my fondest memories was arriving early in the morning, as I do, and head right to the 13th hole and sit in the grandstand and wait for the first groups to come through (this year was very unusual in that all groups teed off from 1 on both Saturday and Sunday).
Not only has the tournament scaled back even the course looks, how should I say it?, more rustic. Again picking on hole 13, before they had landscaped the pond in front of the green with exotic plants. Not so anymore. Now just a few non-descript bushes and cattails.
Entering the course from the parking area takes you through a gauntlet of signs displaying tournament winners from oldest to most recent. I got the order of the Seoul Sister winners mixed up. Hee Won Han won in 2004 and Kangsy in 2005. The photo of Peanut was unflattering.
Like two years ago, there were no concession stands, only food trucks. Except for the burger/hot dog trailer by between holes 2 and 17, they were located by the driving range. A big thumbs up to Cambia for giving out water bottles and sunscreen and stationing water-dispensing machines around the course. Nice not having to spend $2.50 on a bottle of water.
It was hellaciously hot on Wednesday when I arrived but thankfully cooled down considerably on Thursday. It was actually showery in the morning that day and overcast most of the day on Friday with a brief sprinkle. Saturday was clear and warmer and Sunday mostly sunny. Beautiful weather conditions. The low scoring was undoubtedly helped by the lack of wind.
Low scoring was also induced by relatively easy pin placements for the first two rounds. The placements were much tougher on the weekend. Never placed the pin on the third upper tier again though haha. I will always remember during Hee Won's victory how they putt the pin up there creating a huge backup at the tee as players struggled to get their balls up there. Hee Won was the only one I saw do it but alas she missed her birdie putt much to Happy Fan's agony. Ah, memories.
No real plans on following any particular group especially on the first two rounds. I would go here and there, sit for a while to watch the groups pass and move on. I was leaderboard watching and Thursday I caught Jane Park go on a Crazy Jane birdie train at 14, 15 and 16 - not an easy feat. Alas, she "three-putted" for bogey from just off the green on 18 to finish -7. Later I watched Lucky 6 (a phrase emblazoned on the front of her top) make eagle on 5. By contrast, Ariya took and missed her par putt before Six took her eagle putt.
Friday I caught a little bit of Jin Young Ko including making a long birdie putt on 8. Saw Hannah Green was making her move and she was continuing her hot stuff on 10 to get to -15.
Chinese player Jing Yan switched caddies here because her first caddie was feeling feverish.
While Cristie Kerr's ball didn't touch her playing partner's ball on 12, a duck definitely touched her ball on 18.
Saturday was a frustrating day for me. I have poor eyesight and wear prescription lenses. When I first started going to tournaments, I didn't have prescription sunglasses. Come the 2010 Kia Classic in San Diego won by Hee Kyung Seo (which for some reason the LPGA doesn't list) and my eyes started to bother me. So much so that I couldn't keep them open because the sunlight hurt them so. I soon got prescription sunglasses. The ophthalmologist simply said my eyes were old. Well, the sunglasses have definitely helped but not on Saturday. In spite of camping out in the shade early on by the time youngin' Youngin Chun and Angel Yin teed off at 2:05, I was feeling it. I could last only 4 holes before heading home. Maybe it's an allergy? My nose really starts running as well.
TMI I know. It was cool to see local amateur Ellie Smala commence her round with World no. 1 Jin Young Ko.
I was dreading the same thing was going to happen Sunday but good fortune, I had no trouble whatsoever.
I wish I could say the same for Amy Yang, Sung Hyun Park and Sei Young Kim. Very up and down for those players. Namdalla was particularly egregious. She couldn't clear the water on 5 and had to hit her third only about 120 yards from the tee. She three-putted for double-bogey. After a nice birdie on 6, she hit her tee shot on 7 left into the shrubbery. Bogey there. +3 on the two par fives on the front nine.
By contrast, Amy birdies and eagles those two holes. Good stuff to come right? Well, she goes ahead and three-putts 8 from short range. On 9, she airmails her chip over the green to the back. Ugh!
I waited for Sei Young to come along next and follow her for the back nine. She was charmed up to her birdie at 12 to get her to -15 and tied for third. Unlucky 13 saw her tee shot short and roll back into the water. Then her putter abandoned her. She missed a short birdie put on 15 and a short par putt on 16. 17 was the worst. She literally missed a tap in par. Painful.
Too bad Yealimi couldn't pull it off in the end. Will she become the first player born in the 21st century to win an LPGA tournament?