FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Battle Creek Country Club
Battle Creek, Mich.
June 7, 2014
Second Round News & Notes
Taylor Collins tallies an ace
Shot of the Day part 2
Dye in contention again
Garrett Phillips goes low
Playing for a cause
Making the cut
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (June 7, 2014) – Jean Reynolds backed up an opening round 66 (-6) with a day two 68 (-4) to hold a 5-shot lead going into the final round of the 2014 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club. Reynolds is 10-under for the championship with 18 holes to play.
“I’ve just been playing really well from tee to green and making some putts,” Reynolds said. “I don’t know it’s been kind of going my way I guess for the past couple of days. I just really enjoy the golf course. I think it’s an outstanding golf course and I’m just having fun playing around it.”
Reynolds was even through her first seven holes but went out with a pair of birdies to turn in 2-under. Birdies on the par-3 12th and the par-4 14th got the Georgian to 10-under. A bogey on 16 was countered by an 8-footer on 18 to wrap up the round in style.“I just like being in contention,” Reynolds said. “I think the more you can get there the more you’ll get the hang of it. I just enjoy playing for something at the end.”
The Georgia alum will be looking to better her best finish of the year, a T7 at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial, and climb up from her current position of 56th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list as the season reaches its halfway point. Reynolds will look to position herself in the top-10 of the money list to reclaim a spot on the LPGA Tour, where she played in 2010 and 2011.
“Just kind of get up and do the same thing,” Reynolds said of her approach to sleeping on the lead. “I don’t really have a different game plan. I’m just going to come out here and try to be patient and hit the fairways and hit the greens and hopefully make a couple of putts. It will be a long day tomorrow but I’m looking forward to it.”
Melissa Eaton, Jessy Tang and Min Seo Kwak are tied for second at 5-under for the championship while five additional players sit at 4-under.
TAYLOR COLLINS TALLIES AN ACE: For the first time in her competitive career, Taylor Collins made an ace. It came on the par-3 12th hole in the second-round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
“It was the perfect club so I just put a good swing on it and I saw it in the air and it looked really good,” said Collins. “It was the perfect speed too and it just dropped in.”
Collins used a 7-iron from 157-yards to make her first career ace.She was not surprisingly “shocked” when she saw it go in.
“I wanted to make sure it was actually in the hole and then we all (Marita Engzelius and Carlie Yadloczky) high-fived and then went on with the day.”
The former Big Break star used the momentum of her ace to birdie the next hole. She finished 1-over for the day and is 3-over for the event.
“I tried to stay calm and happy today and not get mad about anything.”
Collins plans on giving the hole-in-one ball to her dad, who has “numerous” hole-in-one balls in his collection that she is happy to add to.
Collins’ father teaches junior golfers in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“Now I feel like I can pretty much hole it out from anywhere. Once you get the first one, you start to think maybe I’m going to hole this one out.”
SHOT OF THE DAY PART 2: Min Seo Kwak deserved a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar after chipping in from the rough behind the 18th green to close her round with a birdie.
“I took out a 58-degree wedge and hit a pitch shot and it rolled and curved in,” said an excited Kwak, who was enjoying her ice cream bar during the interview.
Kwak shot 3-under for the round and is 5-under for the event, in a three-way tie for second.
Kwak, who ranks fourth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, had an uneven front nine with three bogeys against two birdies.
She made back-to-back birdies to begin the second nine and made a total of four birdies and no bogeys on the back nine.
“I was mad after I made bogey on number nine and then I made birdie-birdie and I got myself going. My ball-striking and putting was better on the back nine.”
Kwak has positioned herself for a return to the LPGA at the midway point of the Epson Tour season.
“I feel like I have played really well and I am comfortable, but I feel like I can play better every week."
DYE IN CONTENTION AGAIN: Kendall Dye tied the low round of the day with a 4-under, 68, to sit six strokes back of the lead entering the final round.
“I’m just happy to be in the hunt,” Dye said. “I’ve been there plenty so whatever happens is supposed to happen and I’ll go out and give it my best.”
Dye has been in the hunt plenty this season as she has three top-10 finishes, including a win at IOA Golf Classic, to sit at fifth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.
“The last two days have been really solid,” Dye explained. “Today I made a few more putts than yesterday. I’ve hit a ton of greens and if I’ve missed them I’ve been right on the fringe. The rough is up so you kind of have to find the fairways but fortunately I’ve had some really good lies. I’ve really only had to get up-and-down from about 30 yards once and it was a really good par. It was mostly just birdies and tap-in pars all day.”
The Oklahoma grad registered five birdies against a lone bogey to card her 68 and will look to become the second two-time winner on the Epson Tour this season.
“I probably won’t change my game plan just try to make some more putts tomorrow.”
GARRETT PHILLIPS GOES LOW: Garrett Phillips will be looking for her best finish on the Epson Tour this season after a day two 68 to sit at 4-under for the tournament.
“I was making a lot of putts today,” Phillips said. “I’ve been hitting it really well all week and just dropped a few putts that I normally don’t make so there’s a 4-under.”
Phillips started her day with eight consecutive pars before a birdie at the par-5 ninth started a stretch of three birdies in four holes. An additional birdie on the par-5 15th and three pars coming in gave Phillips her best round of the season.
While Phillips was happy with her round there was still work to be done on her day.
“I’ve been told I have to do laundry so I’m going to have to go find some money and find some coins to do some laundry.”
PLAYING FOR A CAUSE: Golfers wore purple ribbons on their hats today in support of S.A.F.E. Place, the charitable partner of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
S.A.F.E. Place is committed to helping victims of domestic violence and their families in Barry, Eaton, and Calhoun Counties. For more information visit their website - http://www.safeplaceshelter.org/.
MAKING THE CUT: 76 players made the cut at 147 (+3). Notable players who missed the cut include Volvik Race for the Card Money List No. 6 and Epson Classic Champion Mallory Blackwelder (+4), No. 16 Laura Gonzalez Escallon (+1) and both sponsors invites – Gabrielle Shipley (+6) and Grace Labrecque (+27).
Additionally, all five players from Michigan State – Sara Brown (-3), Caroline Powers (-1), Aimee Neff (+2), Laura Kueny (+3) and Christine Meier (+3) – made the cut.
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