Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Golf Club
Mesa, Arizona
First-Round News & Notes
MESA, Ariz., February 20, 2015 – Chandler resident and Hamilton High School junior Hannah O’Sullivan has a chance to make history this week at the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club after firing an opening round 5-under 67 to stand two shots off the lead. Haley Italia stole the lead late in the day from O’Sullivan by carding a 7-under 65, tied for the lowest round in tournament history.
There were 33 rounds under-par on Friday and 53 rounds of even-par or better.
Italia, who was limited in 2014 due to a left hamstring tear, posted a bogey-free round to open the Epson Tour season.
“It was pretty steady all day,” said Italia. “I’m usually the first group and I always have to set the pace and today I was the last group so we just kind of coasted in.”
Italia closed with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 ninth hole. She made birdie on three of her final five holes.
“I had a chip-in on the fifth hole from about ten yards off the green and we had just lost the tee box and I was like we got to get the tee box back,” said Italia. “I really had some adrenhaline going, we went down a club on the final hole and I went past the hole so it was wild.”
Italia played in five Epson Tour events and three LPGA Tour events in 2014, but felt confident heading into the year.
“I was telling one of my coaches that I feel confident,” said Italia. “We had a great offseason plan and I was healthy this offseason so that was really key and it is always fun to kick it off this way.”
Italia’s hamstring came undone during the Hawaii LPGA event last year.
“I did my rehab with Top Tier, which is a partner of the LPGA, and I was in the hands of Curtis and Chris and Steve and they really got me going,” said Italia. “I came back and played three LPGA events at the end of 2014 which gave me a good plan for the offseason.”
Now, Italia will try and win her first Epson Tour event. She doesn’t have a top 10 finish in 15 career starts. O’Sullivan, who played on the 2014 USA Junior Ryder Cup team, will try to become the first amateur to win a Epson Tour event since 1999 when Kellee Booth won the Pacific Bell FUTURES Classic in Riverside, California.
O’Sullivan could also become the youngest player ever to win an event. Cristie Kerr currently holds the record as she won in 1995 at 17-years-old.
A DAY TO REMEMBER FOR 16-YEAR-OLD O’SULLIVAN: Hannah O’Sullivan is mature beyond her age. She appears confident and unphased by the stage of a professional golf tournament.
The 2012 and 2013 Arizona High School state champion carded a bogey free round with five birdies, four of which came on the front nine.
“I was hitting a lot of fairways and a lot of greens today,” said O’Sullivan, who hit 14 of 14 fairways. “I was rolling the ball really well on the green so overall it was just a solid round and I feel good about my game.”
She made a birdie on the second and then poured in birdies on the fifth, seventh and ninth holes to make the turn at 4-under. O’Sullivan’s final birdie of the day came on the 17th hole.
“Definitely didn’t expect it (being near the lead),” said O’Sullivan. “I always tell myself not to have expectations and to take it one shot at a time. I knew my game was good going into this event and I really love this golf course.”
Longbow Golf Club has been good to O’Sullivan. She finished second at the 2014 Heather Farr Classic, which is hosted at Longbow Golf Club. She finished third in 2013.
“It helps to have a lot of competitive experience on this golf course,” explained O’Sullivan. “I know what I can get and what pins to go for. I’ve had a couple chances to win the Heather Farr here and I wasn’t able to close it out so I’m motivated this week.”
O’Sullivan hopes to represent her community well the rest of the weekend.
“I feel humbled and honored to represent the local area and I think this is just an amazing opportunity and I’m so grateful for the sponsor exemption.”
O’Sullivan has already committed to play college golf at USC in the class of 2018. She is currently ranked No.40 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
MIA PICCIO MAKES EAGLE ON 18 TO GET -5: Mia Piccio, who is one of two from the Phillipines on the Epson Tour, three-putted the 15th hole. She made up for it on her final hole with a chip in eagle from pin high and right of the hole to get to 5-under.
“When I chipped in, I was like ‘oh, nice’,” said Piccio, who played college golf at Florida. “I three-putted on 15 so my caddie told me I just made up for it with the chip-in.”
Piccio played in just one Epson Tour (Garden City Charity Classic) event in 2014. She played mostly on the LET Access Tour. She earned her first professional win on the LET Access Tour in 2014.
ROOKIE GABRIELLA WAHL FROM GERMANY IN SECOND: Gabriella Wahl, who is playing her second event as a professional (played a Suncoast event at LPGA International), fired a 4-under 68 and is just one shot off the lead.
“I was surprisingly calm, but a little nervous throughout the round, but it was just a lot of fun,” said Wahl. “I stayed in the moment really well which helped.”
Wahl carded a bogey free round with two birdies on the front nine and a pair on her back nine including a 20-foot putt from the fringe on nine to close the day.
“I was really happy with my driver today, I had good distances into the greens and didn’t miss many,” said Wahl. “I am very happy with how I played today.”
Wahl graduated after three years at East Tennessee State where she became just the second player in school history to ever compete in the NCAA Championships. She posted five top 10 finishes in 2013-14.
Wahl grew up in Heidenheim, Germany and got into the game because of her father Willy, who is also her caddie this week.
Wahl was playing in a British Girls’ amateur event in Liverpool when the East Tennessee State coach (Stephanie Shelton) first noticed her.
“We have a really nice golf facility in Johnson City so it’s a great program and I loved it there,” said Wahl. “I always wanted to be a professional, but I needed the college experience to get used to everything.”
LPGA HALL OF FAMER BETSY KING IN ATTENDANCE: LPGA Tour Hall of Famer Betsy King was at Longbow Golf Club on Friday following good friend Esther Choe, who finished first on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2012.
Choe is in the same bible study group with King and also went over to Africa as part of Golf Fore Africa, which King founded.
King also confirmed that she expects to play in the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial this year. The one-of-a-kind event where Epson Tour players and Legends Tour players will compete for separate $150,000 tournament purses will be held at Cypress Lake Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida.
King won 34 times on the LPGA Tour including six major championships. She won the U.S. Women’s Open in 1989 and 1990.
2013-14 BIG 12 GOLFER OF YEAR HAS STRONG DEBUT: The 2013-14 Big 12 Conference Golfer of the Year Julie Yang made her professional debut Friday. Yang finished T18 at LPGA Qualifying Tournament and just missed full-time LPGA status in a playoff.
She fired a 3-under 69 with six total birdies.
“During the round it (being a professional) wasn’t much different, but since three days ago I was really excited to play,” said Yang, who played two years of college golf at Oklahoma State before turning professional after Qualifying Tournament. “Just the thought that ‘oh, this is my first tournament ever’ is pretty exciting.”
Like many players with partial LPGA Tour status, Yang will have decisions to make about where to play.
“Obviously, I would love to play more LPGA events, but my status is pretty limited so hopefully in the first couple starts on the LPGA I can do well and get reshuffled to a better category,” said Yang. “If that happens, it’s a bonus, but if not I always have Epson Tour and this is a great Tour. It is very competitive and I feel like I can really grow from this Tour.”
Yang is not your average rookie. She has lived in Korea, Thailand, Scotland and the United States and has played in professional tournaments in more countries than she can count.
“When I played in Asia, I played in Malaysia, Indonesia, you name it,” said Yang. “When I lived in Scotland, I got to Tour all of Europe. I played in the German Open, the Danish Open and also played in Spain, Portugal, France and really all over.”
On her off weeks, she had the chance to vacation around Europe.
CASEY GRICE PLAYING VOLVIK AND PLAYING WELL: Casey Grice didn’t make wholesale changes to her game in the offseason. She didn’t need to because she finished a respectable 25th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014.
The one change she did make was her golf ball. She is now on Team Volvik and plays the S3 Volvik yellow golf ball.
“The two tournaments I’ve played with the ball, I’ve played well so I love it,” said Grice.
Grice fired a 3-under 69 to open her 2015 season. She carded five total birdies on the day.
“It was a great start,” said the former UNC golfer. “Everyone is excited to get back going again and I know I am so I was just really excited to get out there and go play.”
LATE CADDIE TURNS INTO GREAT CADDIE: Lindy Duncan (Jupiter, Florida), who finished 12th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014, had an interesting start to her day. Her caddie, Jeff, was late due to road closures in the area so she lugged her bag for the first two holes. When Jeff arrived, he was shuttled out to hole three. They had never met, just communicated over the phone.
“I didn’t think he was going to make it because of traffic, but on the third hole someone carted him out and I literally met him on the third tee and he was great,” said Duncan. “He was awesome, we clicked, and everything was pretty solid today.”
Duncan carded a bogey free round of 3-under 69 and is four shots off the lead.
The 2012 WGCA National Player of the Year at Duke finished less than $2,000 from an LPGA Tour card in 2014.
“I really focused on making my practices more well rounded this offseason,” said Duncan. “If I’m struggling with my driver, instead of just beating drivers or putting, I made sure I had a checklist of things and that is helping with each part of my game.”
Duncan has the same partial LPGA status that she had last year. This year she plans on playing more LPGA Tour events when she gets in.
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