Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Golf Club
Mesa, Arizona
Second-Round News & Notes

MESA, Ariz., February 21, 2015 – Lydia Ko won her first professional event at the age of 15. Hannah O’Sullivan of Chandler, Arizona has a chance on Sunday to win her first professional event at the age of 16. The Hamilton High School junior carded a tournament record-tying 7-under 65 on Saturday to move into sole possession of the lead after 36 holes of the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club at 12-under 132.

She takes a four shot lead over Haley Italia (Pace, Florida), -8, into the final round on Sunday. Brianna Do (Lakewood, Calif.) is five shots back at 7-under 137.

“I was hitting the ball really well,” said O’Sullivan, who hit 16 of 18 greens and only needed 27 putts. “I was hitting some of my approach shots better than yesterday and I was rolling my putter really, really well. I was just really having a lot of fun out there.”

O’Sullivan, who is playing on a sponsor exemption thi week, could become the youngest player ever to win an event.

Cristie Kerr currently holds the record as she won the 1995 Ironwood FUTURES Classic at Ironwood Golf Club in Gainesville, Florida at 17-years-old. O’Sullivan will be 16-years-old, nine months and 11 days on Sunday.

O’Sullivan could also become the first amateur to win a Epson Tour event since 1999 when Kellee Booth won the Pacific Bell FUTURES Classic in Riverside, California.

The USC commit, who started on the back nine, opened with a flurry of birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes to get into a share of the lead at 8-under.

Towards the end of her round, she closed with birdies on three of her final five holes to seize full control of the event.

“I was giving myself better chances today and rolling in the putts.”

O’Sullivan is very comfortable at Longbow Golf Club. She has played well at the Heather Farr Classic, which is hosted at Longbow Golf Club, each of the last two years.

“This has been so much fun for me,” said O’Sullivan. “I’m just enjoying the experience and I think that is part of the reason why my golf has been good this week. My mom is caddying so we’ve been fooling around a little bit on the course and just having fun.”

O’Sullivan is excited for her opportunity to make history on Sunday. She will tee off in the final group at 12:01 p.m.

“I’m so excited for tomorrow,” said O’Sullivan. “It is a great opportunity and I just want to seize the moment and take it one shot at a time. I just want to keep doing what I am doing.”

ITALIA AIMS FOR FIRST WIN: In her 16th career Epson Tour start, Haley Italia is hoping for her first win and her first top 10 finish at the same time.

On Saturday, she carded a 1-under 68 to get to 8-under 136 heading into the final round.

“Today started off good, we had a birdie on the par-5 first so that got us going,” said Italia. “Towards the end it got a little rocky, I had to get up and down on the last two holes.”

Italia moved to 9-under after a birdie on the sixth hole. She dropped back to 7-under with bogeys on the eighth and tenth holes. She made birdie on the par-5 15th to get to 8-under.

The Pace, Florida native dropped a six foot par putt on the 18th hole and showed a lot of emotion with a fist pump.

“You never want to end on a bogey,” said Italia. “Making that last putt helps going into Sunday.”

Italia missed most of last year with an injury, but had time to recoperate during the offseason.

“We had a good offseason plan and I was able to finish the last few events on the LPGA last year,” said Italia. “It helps to be healthy, even with confidence and I knew I would be in this position eventually this year.”

Italia has some experience playing in the final group, but only in Suncoast Series mini tour events.

“Sunday is just going to be another solid day enjoying the walk,” said Italia. “It’s going to be targets and placement.”

KIM WELCH WORKING WITH FORMER LPGA WINNER: Kim Welch (Sacramento, California) has not played fulltime on the Epson Tour since 2009. She has been up on the LPGA Tour predominantly for the last five years. This year, she plans to focus on the Epson Tour in hopes of a return to the LPGA Tour.

She played in just five events on the LPGA Tour in 2014.

Welch has been her own instructor for the last five years and this offseason she decided to reach out for help. One of the people she is working with is 7-time LPGA Tour winner Danielle Ammaccapane.

“Danielle is working with me on my short game,” said Welch. “She played out there (LPGA) forever and won seven times. Even back then to win seven times, you really have to know what you are doing.”

The two met at a recent Grasshopper Tour event that Welch played in. They struck up a conversation and now they are working together.

“She has been very helpful so far,” said Welch. “Without having any eyes to look at me doubt started to creep in. Now, having people to look at me and say ‘yes, you are on the right track’ is great.”

BRIANNA DO IN SOLO THIRD: Brianna Do has four top 10 finishes, but no wins in her career on Tour. She carded a 3-under 69 on Saturday to move into solo third at 7-under 137.

“I didn’t play in anything before this event so I haven’t played a competitive round since Q-School in December,” said the former UCLA Bruins golfer Do. “I really didn’t know what to expect, but I am kind of suprising myself this week so it has been fun.”

Do played her final four holes in 4-under which includes an eagle on 15.

“On 15, I hit it on the green in two and told myself not to leave it short and I just jarred it in the back of the cup,” said

Do. “I just got things rolling from there and finished birdie-birdie.”

FORMER CARD WINNER HAS HUGE DAY: Mindy Kim finished second on the Volvik Race for the Card money in 2008 to earn her LPGA Tour. On Saturday in Mesa, she fired a tournament-tying record 7-under 65 to move from T71 to a tie for fourth.

Kim carded eight birdies including three consecutive to end the day.

Kim won three times on the Epson Tour in 2008 and has not played in a single event on Tour since 2008.

Kim has seven career top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour.

16-Year-Old O'Sullivan Leads and Can Make History

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