Epson Classic
Raintree Country Club
Charlotte, N.C.
May 23, 2014
Second Round News & Notes
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, MAY 23, 2014 – Olivia Jordan-Higgins holds a one-shot lead over a trio of players heading into a final round of the Epson Classic at Raintree Country Club in Charlotte. The Brit backed up an opening round 68 with a second day 69 to sit at 7-under (137) for the tournament.
75 players made the cut of 147 (+3).
“Really everything has come together this week,” Jordan-Higgins said. “The big thing though is that I’ve hit a lot of greens. I’ve given myself a ton of birdie chances and that’s all you can really ask for. You’re going to make a couple of mistakes here and there but if I can make these birdie chances then I’m going to be looking pretty good.”
On the day, Jordan-Higgins tallied five birdies against a pair of bogeys to register her 3-under score. Jordan-Higgins was once again solid with her approaches hitting 14 of 18 greens and needing only 28 putts to complete her second round.
“I love this golf course,” Jordan-Higgins gushed. “It’s actually one of my all-time favorite golf courses. It just suits me. It really requires a lot of shot planning and position and that’s kind of my game. I don’t want to have to hit it a long ways I just want to be smart about playing the golf course and it definitely suits me at this golf course.”
Jordan-Higgins, who finished last year at 11th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, will be looking for her second-career win on the Epson Tour tomorrow as she captured the Credit Union Classic in 2013.
“I have been here before. I have to say it’s been a while so I’ll definitely be nervous but really all I can focus on is what I’m doing and sticking to my plan and playing like I have been and that seems to be working.”
Kendall Dye, Krista Puisite and Brittany Altomare sit a stoke off the pace at 6-under for the tournament, while Mallory Blackwelder is two behind at 5-under.
DYE LOOKS FOR WIN NUMBER TWO: A week after Marissa Steen became the first player on the Epson Tour to pick up two wins in 2014, Kendall Dye will look to become the second in as many weeks as she sits a single stroke back of the lead.
“I have confidence in all areas of my game,” Dye said. “I’m finding fairways, hitting a ton of greens and making a lot of putts. It was kind of a more boring day. I only had three birdies compared to seven yesterday. The greens really slowed up and I left a lot of putts short coming in which is frustrating but 15 greens and only one bogey on the day was pretty good overall.”
Dye, who ranks fifth in the Volvik Race for the Card money list standings, sits at 6-under for the tournament after a second round 70.
The Oklahoma University standout opened with a bogey but responded with birdies at 4, 10 and 13 to record her 2-under day to keep herself in contention for her second win of the year.
“I’ve done it before. I can’t believe I did it but I did and it’s given me a lot of confidence,” Dye said. “I’ve got a lot of belief that I can do it again.”
PUISITE CLOSES STRONG: Krista Puisite had an even par round going through her first 14 holes before closing with a bang going 4-under in her last four holes to sit at 6-under for the tournament, one behind Olivia Jordan-Higgins’ lead.
“It’s definitely nice to finish on that,” Puisite said. “Hopefully it doesn’t get me too excited. I know that tomorrow I can build on that.”
The Texas State graduate started her run with a birdie on the par-4 15th and followed it up with an eagle on the par-5 16th and a birdie on 17 to tie her lowest round of the year.
“I try not to look around too much,” Puisite said of her approach. “I try to play my own game and just do what I practiced and not think about what others are doing too much.”
The Latvian got an interesting start into the game of golf in a country not known as a hotbed for the sport.
“I started when I was nine,” Puisite said. “Our dad got me and my sister into it, It was actually a Christmas gift, golf clubs. We did not like it at first of course. We were nine year old girls. What was he thinking? Then we just went out there and played in the spring and just kept doing it. Probably when we were 12 or 13 we started playing more serious and going to tournaments around Europe and that motivated us to keep practicing and keep competing.”
The competing could pay off this week as Puisite looks for the best finish of her young career.
“I think I’m playing well,” Puisite said. “I need to keep calm and not get too stressed out if I don’t hit a perfect shot or don’t make a putt. Like today, I wasn’t making many putts and then I went 4-under in the last four holes.”
TALLEY CHARGES UP THE LEADERBOARD ON MOVING DAY: The biggest jump up the leaderboard came from Emily Talley who carded a bogey free, five-under, 67 to move from a tie for 60th at 1-over into a tie for sixth at 4-under.
“I made way more birdie putts,” said Talley of the difference in her scores. “Yesterday, I hit every fairway and almost every green. I was hitting the ball really, really well from tee to green and just nothing was dropping. Today, I finally was dropping some putts. I’m really happy with my score, but there were definitely some putts I could have dropped and made it even better.”
Talley, who ranks 21st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list, will look for a strong finish to move into the top-10 in front of her family who has made the trip to North Carolina to support her this week.
“It means a lot,” Talley said of playing in front of her family. “I especially like playing well in front of them because sometimes you call home and say ‘Hey I shot a 65’ and they’re like ‘Great. I wish I was there to see it.’ At least today they were here to see it so that’s really fun. They’re cheering for you and it’s really great to have people in your corner.”
Another person in Talley’s corner is her boyfriend who is on the bag this week.
“He’s great on the bag,” Talley admitted. “He’s a new golfer so he’s there for more moral support than anything. He’s also learning from the situation. He’ll ask ‘what are you looking at here?’ and that’s actually a really good thing because you’re talking through shots more than you would, double-checking because he wants to know what you’re thinking. I love having him around. It’s really special that he puts up with me. On a good day I’m nice. On a bad day I’m probably terrible to deal with out there.”
While some of her fellow competitors in contention may spend the rest of the afternoons and evenings beating balls on the range to get ready for tomorrow’s final round, Talley will rely on a more laid back approach with her family and boyfriend.
“I’m going to take the day off,” Talley said. “I think we’re going to check out some sites in Charlotte, have some fun, and just put the clubs in the car. I’m not a range rat. I hit it really well today and I’m just going to completely take that into tomorrow and kick butt.”
BLACKWELDER SITS TWO BACK DESPITE FRUSTRATING FINISH: Mallory Blackwelder is two-strokes off the lead going into the final round of the Epson Classic. Blackwelder followed up her opening round 69 (-3) with a 2-under 70 to sit at 5-under for the tournament.“I played great today. I just had a three putt and that double but other than that I played super solid,” Blackwelder said. “I played really solid yesterday too so I’m feeling really good about my game.”
Blackwelder birdied two, three and four to start her day on a high note and jump into the lead early on. The Kentuckian pushed her score to 7-under for the tournament with a birdie at the par-5 10th but gave shots back with a bogey on 13 and a double on 17 to fall out of the lead. Blackwelder was able regroup and close her round on a high note with a birdie on the 18th.
“That double on 17 really killed me. I just made a bad swing and plugged it in the lip and had a really tough lie and then didn’t get up-and-down the second time because I hit it in my footprint but anyway coming out with a double is never a good thing but I’m glad I made birdie on the last to get one back.”
Blackwelder will hope to conjure up good memories from Raintree Country Club the site of her best finish of the 2013 season.
“I love this golf course. I played here last year and it was my best tournament of the year so it sets up really good for me,” Blackwelder explained. “It’s nice because you have to hit accurately which I’m good at, and then the greens are in great shape and rolling true so if you hit it on your line it’s going to go in.”MAKING THE CUT: 75 players made the cut at 3-over 147. Notable players who missed the cut include a trio of players who rank inside the top-20 of the Volvik Race for the Card money list in Jennie Lee (+4), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (+5) and Hannah Yun (+6). Also missing the cut were locals Laura Wearn (+9) and amateur Allison Emrey (+6).
Defending champion Laura Kueny rallied with a two-under round to safely fall within the cutline at 2-over, while Wake Forest grad Cheyenne Woods birdied the ninth, her final hole of the day, to make it in on the number.
Final round play will begin tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. with 25 groups of three teeing off the first tee.
USO INVOLVMENT AT EPSON CLASSIC: This week’s primary charitable partner for the Epson Classic is the United Service Organizations of North Carolina (USO-NC). As part of the partnership, servicemen and women will be taking part in numerous events throughout the week at Raintree Country Club.
Prior to the opening round of the Epson Classic on Thursday morning, members of the Marines, Air Force, Navy and Army hit ceremonial first drives to open the tournament.
Today, Epson Tour players and staff wore red in support of RED Friday. RED stands for R-remember, E-everyone, D-deployed.
Tomorrow, the 18th green will feature a U.S. Flag on the pin and a serviceman tending as the players complete their final rounds.The United Service Organizations of North Carolina (USO-NC), founded in 1941, is the lead organization charged with supporting military servicemen and women in the state of North Carolina. For more information on the USO-NC please visit - http://uso-nc.org/.
Media Contact
Matt Haas, Coordinator, Tour Media, matt.haas@lpga.com, 386-679-4770
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