Aussie uses birdie on 1 to get going
ROGERS - Australian Sarah Kemp got off to fast start Friday with a birdie on her first hole at the LPGA Wal-Mart Northwest Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club and went on to finish her bogeyfree round at 4-under-par 67.
Kemp made only three cuts last year after missing most of the season with a broken foot. She was 122nd on the LPGA’s money list ($12,964) entering this week’s tournament.
“It’s was nice and steady,” Kemp said. “I holed a couple of putts.”
One of Kemp’s biggest putts came on the first hole, the par-4 No. 10, when she made a 30-foot putt to start her round at 1-under. She also carded birdies on the par-3 15th and the par-3 17th and made the turn at 3 under.
“I got lucky, but it is always nice to get off to a start like that,” Kemp said.
“I’ve been a pro for six years, and I haven’t done anything special, anything fantastic. I’ve had a couple of top-10s, but it has been pretty mediocre. It definitely feels great to start this way.” Solid Stanford
Angela Stanford, 20th in the Rolex rankings and 25th on the 2013 LPGA money list, made 6 birdies, 11 pars and 1 bogey en route to a 5-under 66, but did most of her damage on Pinnacle Country Club’s four par-5holes, birdieing all of them in conditions she said were conducive to scoring.
Stanford, who ranks 36th in driving distance (254.7) and 32nd in driving accuracy, hitting 74 percent of the fairways, averaged 280.0 yards off the tee Friday, setting up birdie opportunities on the par-5s.
“It seems like the fairways are firm and fast, which is usually good for me, but the greens are still kind of receptive and I thought the pin placements were pretty, what’s the word I’m looking for, accessible today,” Stanford said. “I imagine [today] they’re going to be tougher.”
Stanford, a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour,has two top-five finishes in 12 starts this year, propelling her to $245,982 in earnings.
Stanford (T-2) is playing alongside local fan favorite Stacy Lewis (67, T4) and former Kraft Nabisco winner Morgan Pressel (68, T-14), a grouping that will tee off from No. 10 at 8:16 this morning. Lewis, a seven-time LPGA winner, is ranked second in the world.
Pressel, a two-time winner, is ranked 49th in the world.
Pro-am winners
LPGA professional Veronica Felibert teamed with amateurs Brian Feiro, Kevin Doyle, Lee Dixon and Matt Witherall to win Wednesday’s pro-am witha 17-under 54. Touring pro Amanda Blumenhurst joined Tim Cheatham, Charles Holley, Rick Webb and Anthony Sumlin and finished second with a 55.
Kent Eikenberry, John David Lindsey, Shawn Carlson and Tom Larimer teamed with LPGA golfer Mariajo Uribe to win Thursday’s pro-am with an 18-under 53. Pro Lisa McCloskey teamed with Kelly Sudduth, Todd Towery, Matt Giordano and Nick Bryan to finish second at 18-under 53.
Notable tee times
Arkansas golfer Gaby Lopez, who is playing as an amateur, will tee off on No. 10 with Michelle Wie and Caroline Masson at 9 a.m. today. Former Arkansas golfer Stacy Lewis will tee off on No. 10 at 8:16 a.m. and will be paired with Morgan Pressel and Angela Stanford.
Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer and defending champion Ai Miyazato will tee off on No. 1 at 12:44 p.m.
Inbee Park, Anna Nordqvist and Lizette Salas will follow them at 12:55 p.m.
Today’s weather HIGH 90 LOW 69 FORECAST Sunny, with a possibility of an afternoon thunderstorm. Winds from south at 10 to 20 mph.
Tweet of the day “Woke up in the
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Sports, Pages 23 on 06/22/2013