ROGERS — Nicole Hage, a Florida resident, should be more accustomed to the heat that has plagued the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship this week.
The 26-year-old former Auburn standout still didn’t want to take any chances during Wednesday’s pro-am session. Hage broke out her large sun umbrella before she finished her first nine holes, and she used it extensively throughout the back nine at Pinnacle County Club.
“I’ve never used the umbrella before,” Hage said. “I just thought it would be a good idea because it was so warm out. I was just trying to shield off the heat.
“I definitely noticed a difference. I felt like I had a tree on me.”
The umbrella wasn’t the only thing Hage used during her morning round that she normally doesn’t utilize when she plays normal tournaments. She chose to ride in a teammate’s cart over the final four holes instead of walking the course.
Her reason for it was more than the heat. She — as well as many other golfers — are playing in a tournament for the fifth straight week, so conserving energy for Friday’s tournament is a necessity.
“It’s a lot of golf,” she said. “It’s definitely way warmer here than last week, and I think it’s going to be play a factor. We will have to stay rested, well hydrated and keep our minds sharp while we are out there.”
Hage teamed with David Pierre, Matt Rader, Tom Hauge and Craig Chestnut during the morning session and finished with a 10-under-par 61. Hage helped her team’s cause with a great approach shot on No. 10, then her chip within 2 feet of the hole saved par on No. 11.
Her teammates helped the cause, Pierre, a former baseball player at the University of Minnesota who resides in Rogers, had birdie putts on Nos. 12 and 14, while Rader, who played football at Cornell, capped the round with a birdie on No. 18.
“She allowed us to relax,” Pierre said of Hage. “Playing a pro-am, sometimes you feel that you have to do more than you’re capable of. She allowed us to enjoy the round and enjoy some time with her.”
But not everybody complained about the heat, which was still above the century mark when some teams finished their afternoon rounds. In fact, Katherine Hill relished it.
“Actually, I don’t mind when it’s this temperature,” the 30-year-old Australian said. “It’s certainly a lot easier to swing. We play probably in these temps in Australia, and certainly at the start of the season when we play over in Thailand and Singapore a at the end of the year in Malaysia.
“Would I rather it be 90? Yes, but we can’t control it.
Hull, who was teamed with Paul Francisco, Bill Shotwell, Brad Hoener and Bob Clinard, finished their round with a 14-under 57. The 30-year-old Hull capped the round with a chip within 2 feet of the hole on No. 9, which set up her teammates for an easy birdie putt.
“We played pretty well,” Hull said. “We shared some laughs, and I didn’t have to putt that much. That was nice because they were making all the putts.
“It was just a team effort all around. We just combined very well. When somebody didn’t hit a great shot, somebody else made up for it.”