Pressel enjoying strong LPGA season
Back in January, Morgan Pressel said she was looking forward to playing golf in 2015.
Four months into the LPGA Tour season, Pressel has demonstrated why she was so confident.
The Boca Raton pro was second at last week’s Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, losing on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to world No. 1 Lydia Ko.
Pressel also finished third in the season’s first major, the ANA Inspiration earlier last month, and has had four top-20 finishes in her last four events.
She is eighth in the money standings with $416,643 in nine tournaments.
Pressel discussed her outlook for 2015 with me during her eighth annual Morgan & Friends Fight Cancer Tournament at St. Andrews Country Club, where she grew up playing golf and now lives with her husband. Thanks to her tireless efforts and those of the St. Andrews community, that event raised more than $750,000 for breast cancer research and outreach.
She had a strong finish to 2014, with a tie for fourth at the Mizuno Classic and a solo fourth-place finish two weeks later at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
“I’m happy with the way I played,” Pressel had said. “I was putting myself in contention, where I haven’t been in a long time. It gives me a lot of confidence.”
Pressel won $508,534 in 29 tournaments in 2014. It’s safe to say she’ll be eclipsing that total this year.
Update on local tour pros
The LPGA Tour’s three other local players have had mixed results this year.
Lexi Thompson of Coral Springs is 23rd in the money standings with $181,820 in seven events, her best finishes a seventh and a tie for seventh.
Second-year pro Jaye Marie Green of Boca Raton is 80th at $39,225. She’s made three cuts in eight events and her best finish is a tie for 11th.
Fellow sophomore Paula Reto of Coral Springs is 89th with $29,058, having made two cuts in eight events.
Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Lexi’s older brother, is 47th in the money standings with $35,696 in seven events for his rookie year on the Web.com Tour. He started off with a tie for sixth in his first Web.com event, missed the cut in the next event, then had a tie for 13th and a tie for 64th, but has missed the cut in his last three tournaments.
He also Monday qualified for the PGA Tour’s Sony Open and got a sponsor exemption into last week’s Zurich Classic, but he missed the cut in both events.
Guy Boros, 50, of Fort Lauderdale has played in two Champions Tour events this year, finishing tied for 11th at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton in February and tied for 27th at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in March. He also finished tied for 64th at the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in March.
Boros has no exempt status on the Champions Tour, so he needs sponsor exemptions like he had for Allianz, or to Monday qualify for events, then finish high enough so he can play in the next tournament.
If Boros can win enough money, he can earn his way onto the tour. In his two events, Boros won a total of $47,600, which put him 63rd on the Champions money list.
Davie Summer League
With the days growing longer, Davie Golf & Country Club is starting its Summer League Cup Series on May 13.
The Wednesday evening league consists of a nine-hole round beginning at 5:45 p.m. for 16 weeks.
Scoring is on an individual player point system similar to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup point system, which awards points based on a player’s finish. According to a league spokesman, that means all golfers have a chance to win prizes and the Summer Series Cup regardless of their handicaps.
To keep things interesting, formats will vary each week and include two-person best ball, two-person scramble, individual stroke, two-person Stableford and two-person alternate shot.
Entry fee for the season is $35 for those who register by Wednesday and players will pay a reduced nine-hole twilight rate of $18 a week. Register at the club’s golf shop at 8201 Nova Drive in Davie, call 954-797-4653 or visit daviegolf.net.