Pressel flirts with 59, settles for 65, 2nd

There was a buzz around Morgan Pressel as she walked from the 18th green to the first tee at Phoenix’s Wildfire Golf Club on Thursday.

Pressel had shot 7 under on her first nine holes of the JTBC Founders Cup, and the buzz only increased after she made two straight birdies to open the front nine.

Sitting at 9 under through 11 holes, Pressel needed four birdies in her final seven to reach the magic number of 59, the LPGA Tour record score that Annika Sorenstam shot more than 13 years ago at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix.

But Pressel had used up her magic.

She bogeyed Nos. 3 and 4 and didn’t card another birdie the rest of her round, finishing with a 7-under 65 that left her 1 stroke behind Mirim Lee for the firstround lead.

Pressel admitted after her round that she likely tried too hard to sustain her early success.

“I don't know if I was necessarily thinking 59,” she said.

“I probably just got a little bit excited, because I had never been that many under par in that short of a span of time. I just got a little bit quick, and came back to earth.”

Pressel was undone in part by her tee shot on No. 3, which found an unplayable lie in the desert and forced her to take a penalty stroke, resulting in the first of her two consecutive bogeys.

Wie starts hot

Coming off top-10 finishes in her previous two tournaments, Michelle Wie set herself up for another solid showing with a 6-under 66, leaving her tied with seven other players for third place, 2 shots off the lead.

Wie eagled No. 5, then shook off a bogey on No. 6 to card birdies on five of her final 10 holes.

“I think that eagle really kind of got me going,” she said.

“I just made a lot of birdies out there, so that was a lot of fun.”

Lewis strong

Joining Wie at 6 under was 2013 Founders Cup champion Stacy Lewis, who last year gained the No.1spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings with her victory. She now sits at No. 3.

Lewis made her charge with three straight birdies on holes 14-16.

After shooting 23-under par in last year’s tournament, she’s right on pace for a similar score this week, and admitted there’s something about Wildfire she enjoys.

“A lot of tee shots, they set up well for me. They fit my eye,” she said. “I just like a golf course you can make birdies on. That’s the key.

“It’s just nice to play a really good golf course and one you can make birdies on. It’s fun for us to play and fun for people to watch.”

Chip shot

It was announced Thursday that in support of the Semper Fi Fund, the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will match 100 percent of Cristie Kerr’s 2014 LPGA Tour winnings.

The money will serve as a donation to the Semper Fi Fund, which provides financial support and assistance to injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

Kerr, a 16-time tour winner and two-time major champion, will sport the Semper Fi Fund logo on her bag throughout the season.