Manulife Financial LPGA Classic - First Round Notes and Interviews
Michelle Wie & Hee Young Park tied for first round lead at Manulife Financial LPGA ClassicMichelle Wie & Hee Young Park both shot 6-under 65 on Thursday and share the first-round lead at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.
Manulife Financial LPGA ClassicGrey Silo Golf Course
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
First-Round Notes & Interviews
June 5, 2014
Rolex Rankings No. 10 Michelle WieRolex Rankings No. 7 Shanshan Feng
Rolex Rankings No. 13 Cristie Kerr
Rolex Rankings No. 23 Hee Young Park
Rolex Rankings No. 138 Xi Yu Lin
Rolex Rankings No. 215 Jacqui Concolino
Rolex Rankings No. 328 Brooke Henderson
Hee Young Park’s third-round 61 and 26-under-par total a year ago was fresh on Michelle Wie’s mind as the fifth group off the first tee Thursday. She knew the birdies have to come in bunches to win this tournament, and she did Thursday, posting a 6-under-par 65. But while Wie’s birdies on three of the last four were enough to put her out of reach of the rest of the field in round one, they weren’t enough to separate her from the defending champ, who went off in the breezier afternoon wave and fired a 6-under 65 to match Wie.
This is only the fourth time in Wie’s career that she’s held a piece of the day one lead. Previously, she owned at least a share of the first-round lead at the 2005 US Women’s Open, the 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Open (which she won), and the 2012 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
“I was early off and I just wanted to make a lot of birdies early on.
And just especially 26 under winning this last year, it’s definitely one of those golf courses where you have to keep making birdies,” Wie said. “My 6 under today, you know, it’s not enough. I need to keep making birdies for the rest of the weekend. Still a lot of work cut out for me.”
Park birdied the first hole of the day – the 11th for her – and went blemish free the rest of the way, sprinkling in five more birdies to tie Wie. This 65 was better than the one she shot in the final round a year ago to win, though, when you factor in the 20-25 mile per hour breeze that whipped through the golf course Thursday.
“I just keep thinking positive, keep it simple,” Park said. “And then I didn’t really expect to play well today because last year and this year, pretty different golf condition.”
Park said in her practice round Tuesday and Wednesday that her and her caddie were visualizing different spots on the golf course where she made putts and how they broke, and thinks the positive mojo of that exercise played a part in her continued destruction of Grey Silo Golf Course on a day in which she hit 17 of 18 greens.
And if she keeps playing like this, could her tournament record – and LPGA record tying - 26-under-par from a year ago be in jeopardy?
“I hope so. That’s wishing. But I’m just happy today played pretty good and then shoot under par, which is I think maybe 6-under-par pretty good position,” Park said. “Still three more rounds left, so going to keep staying patient and doing same thing.”
Shanshan Feng is just one shot behind Wie and Park in solo second after a bogey-free 5-under-par 66 on Thursday. Cristie Kerr, who has never played this event before, fired a 4-under-67 on the par-71, 6,330 yard track to join Xi Yu Lin in shared possession of third. Newly-minted world No. 1 Stacy Lewis shot 2-under 69 and is four shots back. No. 2 Inbee Park is tied for 18th with Lewis and fourteen others. Thirty-one players are within four shots of the lead and the stacked leaderboard should provide for plenty of movement amongst the leaders heading into the weekend.
Rolex Rankings No. 10 Michelle WieQ. (in progress) ... but you seemed to manage it pretty well. What was the key?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, just gave myself a couple opportunities and made a couple of putts today, which was nice, yeah.
Q. And obviously this is a golf course where you really have to kind of put the accelerator down, right, because you know there's going to be a lot of birdies made. Does that go through your mind that you're just going to have to keep pressing?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, you know, that's definitely what I thought today. I was early off and I just wanted to make a lot of birdies early on. And just especially 26 under winning this last year, it's definitely one of those golf courses where you have to keep making birdies. My 6 under today, you know, it's not enough. I need to keep making birdies for the rest of the weekend. Still a lot of work cut out for me.
Q. What did you like about your game today specifically, Michelle? Was there one thing in particular?
MICHELLE WIE: Nothing really in particular. It was just consistent. I felt like I judged the wind pretty well today.
Q. Is this the toughest wind round you've played out here so far?
MICHELLE WIE: Tuesday practice round was a lot windier, so I think that was very helpful.
Q. But tournament round for the last couple years?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, for sure.
Q. How about the galleries today? It's Thursday at noon hour and you've got a couple thousand people probably following you. Can you just talk about that?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, you know, it's great crowds this week. I always really look forward to coming up here and seeing all my Canadian fans, and hopefully over the weekend more people will show up, but it's great to see everyone.
Link to Article:www.lpga.com/golf/news/2014/6/manulife-first-round-notes.aspx
