Portland Classic Recap
Last week I played in my first event as a professional – the LPGA Portland Classic. Making my professional debut at this tournament was a dream come true and I can’t thank those who gave me the sponsor’s exemption enough. I shared (here) about how I grew up volunteering at this event every year, carrying the standards for the professionals. Now, being one of the players is a full circle moment that feels surreal. It was a whirlwind of a week that included two 18-hole practice rounds as well as participating in my first Pro-Am as a pro! The format was a 9-hole scramble, and my team was 8 under. We had a great time, and it was fun going low and getting some confidence in my putting.
Round 1
The first round was Thursday. My pairing included Natasha Andrea Oon, a San Jose State Alum who turned pro earlier this summer, and Jing Yan, who played for University of Washington a few years before I joined the Oregon State team. I had my friend Spencer Tibbits on the bag. Spencer and I grew up playing Oregon Junior Golf and he was on the Oregon State Men’s Golf team while I was there.
I struggled a lot with my irons all day Thursday, leaving myself in some very difficult places. The rough was thick and I found my ball sitting down deep most times I was in it. This made it hard to stop the ball on the firm greens. After signing my scorecard and having some lunch I went to the range to figure it out. I worked for a while on my swing and got a couple “feelings” to focus on for the next day.
Round 2
On Friday, I had an afternoon tee time for Round 2. I started very steady, making three birdies (and one bogey) on my first 9 holes, watching as I slowly moved up the leaderboard throughout the round. When I was making the turn, I knew I needed around three under on the back nine to fight my way inside the cut line. I made a great birdie on the par 3, #13 from 18 feet. I saved par on #14 with a 10 foot uphill putt after missing the green long. On #15 I hit my approach to about 28 feet and drained the long putt for birdie which put me inside the cut for a few minutes. Sitting at 1 over par for the two days, I had three more holes to play. I missed the green on #16 (another par 3) by a few feet right and managed to get up and down to save par. On #17, I missed my drive to the left and unfortunately had a tree branch interfering with my backswing. I did what I could and punched out, leaving myself 100 yards. I two putted from the back of the green to walk away with a bogey. I was now 2 over par for the tournament and I went into my last hole I went in with the mentality of “I have nothing to lose.” I hit my drive down the right center, approach on the green to 15 feet and hit a nice firm putt right in the back of the hole. Turns out, I needed eagle to make the cut, but finishing with birdie brought my two day total back to 1 over par and gave me a 4 under, 68 for the day.
Although I ended up missing the cut by one, I was proud of my fight. I played my heart out on Friday and gave it 100%. My round on Thursday put me in a difficult position and one where I could have easily given up or gotten frustrated, but instead I looked at it as an opportunity to go low Friday and fight my way back into the tournament.
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Columbia Edgewater is one of my favorite courses in Oregon and the Portland Classic is an incredible event. I had an amazing time being out there, enjoying the course and making new friends. Having Spencer as my caddie was like old times and made the experience so much fun. I knew it would be helpful having someone on the bag who I was comfortable with and who knew the course well. We worked well together. My family and many friends were able to come and support me which meant the world to me. It was great to have them there cheering me on. I especially love this picture of Al Cross, my 90 year old swing coach, who walked my first 9 on Thursday and helped me figure out my irons after the round.
Thank you to everyone who reached out and supported me this week. Thank you to Amazing CRE, the Tournament Golf Foundation, the LPGA and the all the sponsors who had this tournament possible. Thank you to all the tournament staff and volunteers and to Columbia Edgewater Country Club. I appreciate each and every one of you!
Next up on the schedule… Q School Stage 2.
