Meadow exits LPGA Match-Play as Clarke slips back in Senior PGA
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 27: Minjee Lee of Australia hits her approach shot on the 14th fairway during the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play Hosted by Shadow Creek at Shadow Creek Golf Course on May 27, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
STEPHANIE Meadow turned her thoughts to next week’s US Women’s Open after she bowed out to Andrea Lee in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play in Las Vegas.
Meadow had one point after halving her first two matches at Shadow Creek but she fell 2&1 to Lee, who now faces Germany’s Caroline Masson in the last 16.
“It's really hard to win a match out here against any girls, so to get through this round-robin part of the match play event, it means a lot,” Lee said.
“I feel like the last couple days I didn't really have my best stuff, but I played better today against Stephanie and she was a really good competitor. So, yeah, it was a fun match for sure.”
Meadow won three of the first six holes to go two up but never won a hole after that.
Lee claimed the seventh with a birdie four, then drew level by holing from the fairway for an eagle two at the 12th before a birdie at the 14th and par-three at the 17th gave her victory.
“I was really patient all day,” Lee said. “I don't think I took the lead until after the 14th hole. I just knew there were a lot of holes left, and par is a really good score out here.
“Actually on 12 I think I holed out for eagle, which was pretty cool. So I think that was kind of the momentum shifter for me.
“I had 115 to the hole and I was just trying to hit the front number, which was 105. The wind was a little into off the left, so I just hit a nice little pitching wedge, and, yeah, it went in. I didn't even see it go in.
“Some ladies were clapping on the side. I was like, oh, must be pretty close. Then the cameraman he was like, it went in. He made this gesture, so that was pretty cool, yeah.”
Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh had the Cinderella story of day, taking down undefeated 25-seed Gaby Lopez, first beating her 2&1 in group play before knocking her out in a playoff to decide who would advance to today’s last 16.
Dryburgh replaced Anna Nordqvist in the field when the major champion withdrew late Tuesday night.
“I had no expectations, to be honest, especially after losing my first match,” said Dryburgh who finished group play with two points total.
“I was like, just try and make the most of it. But I knew I could still get into the round of 16 after two wins which I've done so I just kind of took that momentum.
“I think anything was a bonus. Getting into the event, I really wasn't expecting it so have to thank Anna Nordqvist for that.”
Germany’s Masson emerged from group play undefeated, taking down number one seed Minjee Lee 2&1.
Meanwhile, Pádraig Harrington is the best of the Irish in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, tied for 12th on four-under after carding a one-under 70 at Harbor Shores in Michigan on Friday.
He’s just four strokes behind American Scott McCarron and Canada’s Stephen Ames, who both shot 66s to lead by two strokes on eight-under from Brian Gay and Canada’s Mike Weir.
Darren Clarke shot a three-over 74 in difficult afternoon conditions to slip to tied 39th on even par.
On the PGA TOUR, Jordan Spieth rediscovered his putting touch and holed 134 feet of putts in a four-under 66 to close to within four shots of leaders Scott Stallings, Scottie Scheffler and Beau Hossler in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.
Ranked 180th for strokes gained putting on the PGA TOUR this year, the Texan made three putts between 20 and 35 feet in a bogey-free round as Stallings shot 64 and Hossler and Scheffler 65s to lead by a shot on nine-under from Patrick Reed.
In the Netherlands, Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia made two birdies in his last three holes and shot a six-under 66 to leapfrog Li Haotong and take a one-shot lead on 10-under into the weekend at the 2022 Dutch Open.
Li went out in 29 en route to a nine-under 63 at Bernardus Golf before Gouveia eagled the 12th, then birdied the 16th and 18th to lead on 10-under after a 66.
Jonathan Caldwell shot 78 to miss the one-under cut by six strokes with Cormac Sharvin three shots further back after a 77.
There was more luck for the Irish in Aberdeen, where Conor Purcell, Paul Dunne and John Murphy made the weekend in the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge.
Purcell made the one-over cut with a shot to spare after a 73 as Dunne shot 74 and Murphy a 73 to make in on the mark.
Craig Lee. Picture: Getty Images
Scotland’s Craig Lee shot 69 to open up a one-shot lead on seven-under with overnight leader Nathan Kimsey of England, who shot 71.
Mallow’s James Sugrue shot a fine, one-under 71 but missed the cut by a shot on two-over as Gavin Moynihan had two birdies and an eagle two in a 69 to finish on three-over alongside Tom McKibbin, who shot 75.
On the Ladies European Tour, Olivia Mehaffey has her work cut out to make the cut after opening with a five-over 77 in the Mithra Belgian Ladies Open at Naxhelet Golf Club.
The Banbridge star played the four par-threes in three-over and the par-fives in level par to share 102nd place on five-over.
She’s 11 strokes behind Sweden’s Linn Grant, who made an eagle and four birdies in a six-under 66 to lead by three strokes from compatriot Ellinor Haag, Anne-Charlotte Mora of France and Australia’s Whitney Hillier.
Meanwhile, world number two Nellie Korda has announced she’ll return to action and join Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire in next week’s US Women’s Open at Pine Needles.
The Olympic champion (23) last teed it up at the LPGA Drive On Championship in February before undergoing surgery for a blood clot in a subclavian vein in her left arm in April.
Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play, Shadow Creek, Las Vegas
Last 16:
Emma Talley USA vs Madelene Sagstrom SWE
Eun-Hee Ji KOR. V Hye-Jin Choi KOR
Gemma Dryburgh SCO v Moriya Jutanugarn THA
Caroline Masson GER v Andrea Lee USA
Jenny Shin KOR v Annie Park USA
Allisen Corpuz USA v Lilia Vu USA
Paula Reto RSA v Ayaka Furue JPN
Tiffany Chan HKG v Jodi Ewart Shadoff ENG
