Illinois, Arkansas and Texas: Recapping June and July on the WAPT
I have fallen behind on updates yet again…thank you for being patient with me!
The past four weeks on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour were some of my favorite events. I had great host families, played some good golf and was able to see a few new cities.
Redbird Championship – Weibring Golf Club, Bloomington, IL
Our wonderful host family Lynn and Bill hosted 6 girls which made this tournament a fun event. The week was full of spike ball, pickle ball, big meals together, reading on the porch and of course, lots of golf played. The rough was thick here and the wind the first day was extremely difficult. I hit the ball decently, but my putter was cold both days and I ended up missing the cut by 3 with scores of 77-77. Fortunately, I was able to caddy for my friend Olivia for the final day and we had a great time on the course.
How cute is this sign? They said we are all invited back so they can use the sign again next year!
Children’s Hospital of Illinois Champ – Weaver Ridge and Metamora Fields, Metamora, IL
This event was unique because both the men’s All Pro Tour and the Women’s All Pro Tour were playing in the event at the same time. In order to accommodate the field size, we played two courses: Weaver Ridge and Metamora Fields. These courses were quite different, making it tricky to switch between the two. The yardage for the course was also longer than usual and tough pins to accommodate both the men and women. I played pretty well the first two days making the cut and was able to finish strong on my final round despite the heat. My scores for the week were 72-73-73-73 and I finished 34th.
Genesis of Conway Central Arkansas Open – Centennial Valley Golf and Athletic Club, Conway, AR
After a week off in San Diego I headed back to the South. I flew into Dallas and made the long drive to Conway, Ar. Susie, Olivia and I shared a car and we were lucky to (once again!) have two incredible host families for the week. Centennial Valley had its fair share of dog legs and some pretty shaggy, soft greens after Hurricane Beryl had come through the day of our practice round. (Did I mention that we have had terrible luck with weather this season? I think nearly every tournament has had a tornado, hurricane or extreme heat warning!) The week was extremely hot and humid but fortunately I had morning tee times three out of four days. I hit my irons well, was able to get myself a few birdie streaks and move up the leaderboard on the final two rounds to finish T14 (73-72-71-70.)
Kathy Whitworth Championship – Trophy Club Country Club, Trophy Club, TX
After a fun week in Arkansas we drove 6 hours back over to Dallas area for the Kathy Whitworth Championship at Trophy Club Country Club. During her playing career, Kathy won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else on the LPGA or PGA tour. The club houses the majority of Kathy’s trophies. We were treated to another amazing and generous host family, Elisa and Russ, who even let us use their car when we woke up to a flat tire on our rental the second day of the tournament. It was very hot and muggy all week (104 degrees and 89% humidity). I birdied my last hole in round 2 to sneak inside the cut line by 2 and finished the week at T27 with scores of 71-74-75-71.
Some of you have asked whether I am playing in the Portland Classic this weekend. Unfortunately, it conflicted with our final tournament on the WAPT. I had a hard decision to make, but I chose not to play in the Monday Qualifier for the Portland Classic, because I wouldn’t be able to do that and also compete in the WAPT tournament if I didn’t make it. So I am currently in Wichita, Kansas about to play our last event of the season and looking forward to it. You can follow along on wapt.bluegolf.com.
