FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Battle Creek Country Club
Battle Creek, Michigan
June 4, 2015
Thursday Pre-Tournament Notes

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., June 4, 2015 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, tees off with the second annual FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship on Friday, June 5 at 7:30 a.m.

The field of 144 up-and-coming professionals will compete for their share of the $100,000 total tournament purse. The winner will earn $15,000 and take a significant jump up the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 on the money list at the end of the year earn LPGA membership for the 2016 season.

There are seven Michigan natives in the field this week: Britney Hamilton (Lake Orion), Laura Kueny (Whitehall), Amy Meier (Rochester Hills), Christine Meier (Rochester Hills), Liz Nagel (DeWitt), Samantha Troyanovich (Grosse Pointe Shores) and Battle Creek Country Club employee Adrienne Plourde (Livonia).

There are also four former Michigan State Spartans (Caroline Powers, Christine Meier, Liz Nagel and Laura Kueny), one former Western Michigan golfer (Britney Hamilton) and a recent Olivet College graduate (Adrienne Plourde).

EPSON TOUR PROFESSIONALS RAVE ABOUT BATTLE CREEK CC: Making their final
preparations for the first-round, Epson Tour professionals spoke highly of the course conditions for this weekend.

“The course is in amazing condition and the greens are rolling so good,” said Margarita Ramos of Mexico City, Mexico. “The rough is tight so keeping it in the fairway is going to be key.”

Ramos finished in a tie for 44th last year in Battle Creek. She is excited to have her biggest cheerleader, her mom, back with her this week.

“She is always so positive and fun so it is great to have her out here with me,” said Ramos, who travelled with her mom last year. “She’s not traveling as much this year so I am excited to have her out her with me this week.”

Emily Collins, a rookie on Tour, agreed that keeping the ball in the fairway will be critical.

“There are a lot of false fronts out there so you have to make sure you get the ball to the hole, but you also want to stay below the hole,” said Collins. “The greens are definitely going to be tough too.”

Emily Gimpel, a rookie from the University of Maryland, also raved about the course conditions.

“I think this is a great course and I really like the layout,” said Gimpel. “It’s going to be very important to hit the fairways so you can position the ball around the greens. The greens have a lot of andulation so you have to put the ball in the right spots.”

BREANNA ELLIOTT/STEPHANIE CONNELLY LATEST TO QUALIFY FOR U.S. OPEN: Breanna Elliott of Yarrawonga, Australia and Stephanie Connelly of Pasadena, Maryland became the latest Epson Tour members to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open this week. Elliott tees off at 8:25 a.m. from the tenth tee on Friday while Connelly begins at 8:14 a.m. at the first.

Elliott has been to the U.S. Open as a guest of Karrie Webb, but it will be her first time playing the U.S. Open.

For Connelly, who just arrived in Battle Creek on Thursday due to weather at the Middleton, Massachusetts qualifer that delayed the finish to Wednesday morning, it will also be her first U.S. Women’s Open.

“I’m so exciting and it (U.S. Women’s Open) is in Lancaster, which is close to family,” said Connelly. “I’ve tried four times and it is just tough because there are only two spots, so I’m excited.”

Connelly was just outside the top two after the first 18 holes and then started slow on the second 18 holes, but played the final 14 holes at 6-under.

She also drained a 24-foot birdie putt on her final hole, which ultimately sealed her spot in the U.S. Women’s Open.

A total of 12 Epson Tour members have qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open.

JASI ACHARYA’S COACH/CADDIE IS LOCAL GOLF PRO: Tim Matthews of Kalamazoo, Michigan is Epson Tour professional Jasi Acharya’s coach and also her caddie this week. Matthews, a 1978 Catholic Central graduate and a 35-year professional golfer, won the Michigan Open in 1986 and plays on the Champions Tour and the Adams Tight Lies Tour from time-to-time.

Matthews now splits time between Kalamazoo and Arizona, where he met Acharya.

“It’s great to have him here with me and helping me this week,” said Acharya. “It’s also great to be able to stay with him and his family nearby.”

FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship Pre-tournament News and Notes

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