CARLEIGH SILVERS MAKES FIRST ACE SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Carleigh Silvers (Martinsville, Indiana) remembers her last hole-in-one like it was yesterday. Except, it was when she was in the eighth grade. On Saturday, Silvers made her first hole-in-one as a professional in the second round of the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY.

“I hit it well, but I didn’t think about it going in,” explained Silvers, who used a 6-iron from 156 yards out. “Our cart driver was up by the green and he kind of did a little scream and we were like ‘did it go in?’ so it was cool even though I didn’t see it go in.”

Her last ace in the eighth grade was in a middle school match and it came on her first hole of the day.

“I didn’t see that one go in either because it was uphill so it was the same as this one,” said Silvers. “I feel like so many people have been getting them recently and I was telling myself that I needed another one because my first was so long ago.”

She even remembers the minor details. The eighth grade hole-in-one was at Bluff Creek in Greenwood, Indiana on the ninth hole.

Silvers immediately wrote “HOLE IN ONE” on the golf ball and put it straight in her bag on Saturday.

Unfortunately, she missed the cut at 7-over, 149.

PUTTER HAS KIM WELCH IN THE MIX

After an even-par, 71, in Friday’s opening round, Kim Welch’s (Sacramento, CA) putter caught fire on Saturday to put her in contention heading into Sunday’s final round at Capital Hills Golf Course in Albany.

Welch, who shot a 3-under, 68, credited her consistency throughout as a reason for her quality play.

“I was really consistent and never really got myself in trouble. The couple times I missed the green, I got up and down.”

Hitting 12-of-18 greens in regulation, Welch’s short game and clutch putting helped her climb into a tie for fourth at day’s end.

“I made a couple 15 and 20 footers. I made a 25-footer on a par five which was a bonus after a poor approach shot.”

Only four shots off the lead heading into Sunday’s final round, don’t count on Welch to do any scoreboard watching.

“I’ll look, but for me it doesn’t affect me negatively or positively,” she said after bogeying the 18th hole. “I don’t dig deeper if I am one back. I just play my game still and see what happens.”

NEWELL HUSTLING TO MAKE IT

Posting her second 1-under, 70 of the week, Alexandra Newell (Knoxville, TN) has been nothing but consistent at a time when her life is anything but.

“I am mentally and physically exhausted,” She said after a round in which she hit 13-of-18 greens in regulation. “I got here at 10pm Thursday night and didn’t play a single practice round. I woke up Friday, came here rolled a few putts, hit a few balls and pegged it.”

On the outside, life as a professional golfer may seem glamorous, but Newell will be the first to tell you that perception isn’t quite true.

“It is absolutely insane. A lot of things go wrong,” she said referencing her latest trip to New Jersey to play in the ShopRite LPGA Classic Pro-Am. “Me and my friend Jennifer drove up on Friday to Atlantic City and we get there and it is Memorial Day Weekend so there were no hotel rooms. We were finding peoples couches to sleep on and sleeping in the chairs of Kaylin Yost’s hotel room.”

A newcomer to Capital Hills, Newell used Google Earth to study the course before showing up Thursday night, less than 24 hours before her scheduled tee time.

“I have never played here before so I was doing my homework and studying the course on Google Earth and putting in the time with my yardage book,” she said.

Currently five shots back of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round, Newell knows that she has to make the most of this opportunity to boost her Epson Tour status.

“It is a really big deal. I hadn’t gotten into any tournaments all year, but I kept working hard and I kept telling myself that ‘you have to be ready when your name is called’. I am glad I was ready this week.”

When she isn’t working hard on the course, she is working even harder off of it at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“My parents paid for my junior golf and helped me with college, so I wanted to do this on my own the best I can,” she said when asked about her 40 hour a week full-time job outside of being a professional golfer. “Last year I finished with $8,000 dollars in debt just from Q-School. My goal from this year was to finish debt free. So I work a ton and work as hard on the course when I am not in the shop.”

With another quality round tomorrow, she may be spending less time in shop in the coming weeks.

OF NOTE

Erynne Lee had the low round on Saturday with a 4-under, 67 to move from T44 to a tie for fifth.
There are just 15 players under-par through two rounds.

Silvers Makes Ace, Welch in the Mim and More from Albany

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