ROGERS — Emma Lavy wouldn’t mind playing the two front side par 5 holes at the Pinnacle Country Club over again.
The University of Arkansas golfer carded a pair of bogeys during the qualifying round for the LPGA Walmart Northwest Arkansas Open Monday and finished with a 2-over 73, missing the cut by six shots. Samantha Richdale (66) and Yuki Sakurai (67) won the two spots in the tournament.
The 54-hole event begins Friday. The players will have practice rounds all day today and Pro-Am’s are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Lavy was within 100 yards on both holes and looking at birdie before falling two shots off the pace.
“The first two par 5s on the front, I bogeyed with a wedge in my hands,” Lavy said. “It was the little things like that. If I take advantage of the par 5s like the lower scores did, that is what you have to do to qualify.”
Lavy recorded birdies at No. 8 and No. 9 and she finished six shots better than she did in her attempt to qualify for the event in 2011.
“I’m always learning,” Lavy said. “I have learned a lot in the last year. I’ve learned a lot mentally. I was 3-over through seven holes, but I got it together.
“It was a great experience, and an honor to be out there.”
More Improvement
Celeste Bobbitt also made big strides since last year as the former Rogers High golfer fired a 4-over 75.
Bobbitt played golf at Central Arkansas for four years and graduated in 2011. She played in the first tour stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour last month and will go to the LPGA Qualifying School this fall.
Bobbitt shot a 9-over 80 in last year’s qualifier and the former Lady Mounties golfer hit seven of nine greens on the front side Monday.
Bobbitt was 1-under over her last three holes and she finished with a par on No. 18 despite hitting her approach shot into the lake in front of the green on the par 5.
“I hit lots of greens, I just didn’t make any putts,” Bobbitt said. “I was over reading greens, and I was under reading greens. And they were not breaking as much as I thought. It was just putts that couldn’t fall.”
Crowd Favorite
Chelsea Schriewer had a lot of onlookers Monday as the former Missouri golfer fired an even par 71 while also missing the cut. Schriewer is an assistant golf professional at the Pinnacle and many of her co-workers followed her around the course
Schriewer has been at the Pinnacle just over a year and she carded a 77 in the Monday qualifier last year.
“I had a lot of good birdie chances,” Schriewer said. “I probably missed five or six good ones. I had some lip outs, but nothing to be disappointed in. Some other ladies just played better than I did.”
Big Money
The purse at this week’s Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship is $2 million and with the U.S. Open next week, $5.25 million is on the line for the LPGA.