NORTON, Mass. — Marina Alex found TPC Boston much to her liking, carding a 4-under 68 to give her one shot at Thursday’s inaugural FM Championship.
Former US Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz and Lauren Coughlin, a two-time winner on the LPGA this year, were part of the big 69 group. Both are on the US Solheim Cup team in two weeks, and this is their last. competition before the event.
The selection of two American captains, Lexi Thompson and Sarah Schmelzel, and Massachusetts native Megan Khang, were 70 years old.
TPC Boston has hosted a PGA Tour event for nearly two decades, and it has taken some renovations with tight greens and fairways.
For Alex, it was a welcome change from the previous two weeks in Scotland. She played the Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links and then the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews also had to deal with cold winds at both stops.
St. Andrews was very cruel, and Alex was among those caught on the worst side of the painting. He shot 80 in the first round, leaving him with little chance of making the cut.
“It was tough for a lot of us in some of those waves,” Alex said. “I just felt like I’d never play a good round of golf again, to be honest. It was really good to see some good golf today. It was a break from playing in 30 mph wind. Being able to see yourself hitting the shot and going where you’re aiming is great.”
Alex said he was happy to “throw two weeks in Scotland aside.” The 34-year-old from New Jersey is a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, lifting trophies in 2018 and 2022. He has dropped to No. 121 in the world rankings and has missed four cuts in his six starts.
“There was some good golf this year,” he said. “It’s been coming out, but I’m happy to see a 68 today. I hope I can keep it up for the next three rounds.”
It was a tidy 68, for sure. He made two birdies on the par 5, No. 7 in the front and No. 12 on the back, and picked up birdies on the par-3s on each side. One of them was the 11th to a high green, the other was the 16th with water.
Alex had to fight for a few points in the back nine. The difficult task was to play a draw when Jenny Shin withdrew. that meant a lot of standing.
“Our pace was a little better today because we were behind the threesome, so I felt it was hard to finally get into a good rhythm,” Alex said. “I felt like mentally that was the most challenging part to finish. Just staying in it. A lot of waiting between shots. You get tired. It’s late.”
Coughlin was also 4 under until he bogeyed the par-5 18th hole, with a third shot over the river and a steep slope to the edge of the green.
“Disappointing bogey there at the end, but overall a good game,” Coughlin said. “Made a lot of really good putts on the front nine. The greens were really tight and some of them aren’t too deep, so I’m glad I got some front nines down and made it early in the day. .”
That was not to spoil his attitude. He won twice this year, the second time winning his first team Solheim Cup. The games against Europe are September 13-15 in Virginia, where he attends college.
“I remember after Canada I said, ‘I want to do it again,’ so I was just thinking, ‘Keep doing what I’m doing, don’t change a thing,'” Coughlin said. “That was my whole thing.”
Not all Americans in the Solheim Cup started well. Rose Zhang had just one birdie and Jennifer Kupcho had two bogeys on the par 5s. Both shot 75.
Europe has five players on the field, none of them top quality.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used for this story.
Source link
