Lopez shines in second try

ROGERS -- What a difference a year makes.

Last year Gaby Lopez was just happy to be in the field of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She was awarded a sponsor's exemption after completing her sophomore year at the University of Arkansas. She made the most of the opportunity by making the cut and finishing tied for 57th with an even-par 213.

This year she was again awarded a sponsor's exemption to the LPGA Tour event, but she was no longer the wide-eyed amateur. She is a year older, and her game showed much improvement after an All-American junior season with the Razorbacks that included a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship.

"Mentally it was a great experience last year and just made me stronger for this year," Lopez said Sunday. "The first day (Friday) I was a little nervous. But I just felt comfortable with my game and that it's good enough."

It was more than good enough.

Lopez opened tournament play Friday with a 73 and was in danger of missing the cut. Then on Saturday her putter caught fire and she sank seven birdie putts to move to 4-under heading into Sunday's final round.

After a bogey on No. 6 moved her to 3-under, she eagled the par-5 No. 7 hole to move to 5-under, then closed the front nine with a birdie at No. 9 to move to 6-under.

Lopez parred every hole on the back nine, missing a couple of birdie chances including a short putt at No. 10. But she also rallied to save par several times, including a tough eight-foot downhill putt at the par-3 No. 11 to keep her score at 6-under. She also sank a short par putt at No. 18 to end the round in front of a large, pro-Razorback crowd. That all added up to a tie for 29th.

"I was forcing a lot more of the birdies (putts) than yesterday," Lopez said. "I did not make as many birdies today, but I think I hit more solid putts today. It was just a matter of falling in or not falling in."

Lopez said she was a lot more comfortable this year playing in front of the large crowds at Pinnacle Country Club. That comfort level was due to more confidence in all aspects of her game, from her swing to her short game, she said.

Shauna Estes-Taylor, the women's golf coach at Arkansas, said Lopez has the game to compete with the best women's golfers in the world.

"The girls that are winning each week have hot putters," Estes-Taylor said. "Getting those putts to fall like she did yesterday. To make seven birdies, that's what it takes out here week in and week out. Just more patience, more smarts around the golf course, all of those things. You couple them together and she'll make a great player out here."

Lopez said she believes she is already playing at a level that could compete on the LPGA Tour.

"I don't think my game has to go anywhere," she said. "I think it's just a matter of consistency and knowing where the ball is going to go before I hit it. And hitting good solid putts. That's it. I think I'm good enough to compete against these girls.

"I have a lot of respect for all of them, but I have a lot of respect for my game also. I think I'm comfortable with where I am today."

Lopez, who will compete in the U.S. Open in two weeks, said she intends to return to Arkansas for her senior season to try and lead the Razorbacks to the national championship.

"You never know," Lopez said when asked if her performance at the Open could change her mind. "Winning the U.S. Open is a big moment for me. I can tell you I love Arkansas and it has given me a lot of things. So I want to give back, to lead my team to a national championship opportunity and that's where I want to be."

Ko rallies on final day

Several of the LPGA's top golfers struggled this week at Pinnacle Country Club, but the world's No. 2 player finished strong and was even the leader in the clubhouse for a stretch Sunday afternoon.

Lydia Ko, who was ranked No. 1 from February until two weeks ago, fired an 8-under par 63 in the final round to finish 11-under in a tie for sixth after beginning the day tied for 40th. She finished four shots behind winner Na Yeon Choi, but was able to earn her third straight top-five finish at the event.

"My tee shots were good the last two days so in a way I was playing good and my score wasn't up to that," Ko said. "But today I got some putts rolling and I shot in well with 3-under the first three holes,"

Ko's Sunday charge came after she finished one shot better than the cut Saturday, narrowly avoiding what would've been her second straight missed cut after making her first 53 on tour. The 18-year-old South Korean phenom, who became the youngest player to earn a No. 1 ranking in February, used her birdie-birdie-birdie start Sunday to set the tone in a round that featured eight birdies and no bogies.

She birdied two of her final three holes, including the par-five 18th, but she couldn't quite make up enough ground.

"The last few days I just didn't make enough birdies and left many shots behind," Ko said. "It's hard to try and catch up."

A number of other top players weren't as fortunate. No. 1-ranked Inbee Park, No. 14 Michelle Wie and No. 19 Morgan Pressel all finished 1-under par to miss the cut by a stroke. It was Park's first missed cut since May 2014.

Golfers go low Sunday

Low scores abounded in Sunday's final round to wrap up the lowest-scoring week in tournament history.

Choi's 15-under finish broke the tournament record set when Yani Tseng finished 13 under in 2010. Ko's 63 was the best of the day and one of nine final-round scores of 66 or better.

The tournament featured a record 70 golfers who made the cut and finished under par, eclipsing the previous high mark of 56 set last year. It also featured a tournament-record 12 players who finished 10-under par or better, surpassing the previous mark of seven set in 2008.

Information for this article was contributed by Jimmy Carter of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Chip Souza can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAChip.

Sports on 06/29/2015