NORDQVIST SETS COURSE RECORD

NORDQVIST SETS COURSE RECORD, SLEEPS ON TWO-STROKE LEAD

On a day when low scores were abundant at Wildfire Golf Club, it was Anna Nordqivst’s 61 that took the lead in round three of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.  Nordqvist 11-under par in Saturday’s round set a new tournament course record, previously a round of 62 set in 2016.

The score ties her career low round, which she previously shot in the third round of the 2013 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.

Nordqvist went out in the afternoon and got off to a quick start with a 5-under par, 31 on her first nine of the day. This event has a hometown feel for Nordqvist who carded a career-best T-6 in 2015.

To read Jennifer Meyer’s full recap of Saturday’s third round at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, click here: http://www.lpga.com/news/2017-nordqvist-sleeps-on-two-shot-lead-in-round-three-at-founders

AMERICANS LOOK FOR SECOND TITLE OF SEASON

Americans make up four of the ten players that are within five shots of the lead at T7 or better.

Players currently T7 or better on the leaderboard have combined for 59 LPGA wins. Rookies Nelly Korda and Angel Yin along with Vicky Hurst are aiming for their first career victory.

HISTORIC ROUND

Anna Nordqvist’s third round 61 ranks among the best 18-hole scores in relation to par in LPGA history.

ANNA NORDQVIST - LOWEST CAREER ROUNDS

61, Round 3, 2017 Bank of Hope Founders Cup

61, Round 3, 2013 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic

63, Round 3, 2016 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer

64 (six times)

18 holes In relation to par (All-Time LPGA Records)

-13 (59) Annika Sorenstam, Moon Valley Country Club, Phoenix, Ariz., second round, 2001 Standard Register PING, par 72

-12 (61) Lexi Thompson, Ocean Club Golf Course, Paradise Island, Bahamas, 2017 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, par 73

-11 (62) Vicki Fergon, Almaden Golf & Country Club, San Jose, Calif., second round, 1984 San Jose Classic, par 73

-11 (61) Annika Sorenstam, Hermitage Golf Course, Old Hickory, Tenn., first round, 1999 Sara Lee Classic, par 72

-11 (61) Karrie Webb, Walnut Hills Country Club, East Lansing, Mich., second round, 2000 Oldsmobile Classic, par 72

-11 (61) Hee-Won Han, Panther Creek Country Club, Springfield, Ill., third round, 2008 LPGA State Farm Classic, par 72

-11 (61) Brittany Lincicome, Blackhawk Country Club, Danville, Calif., first round, 2010 CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge, par 72

-11 (61) Anna Nordqvist, RTJ Golf Trial Magnolia Grove, Mobile, Ala.; third round, 2013 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, par 72

-11 (61) Anna Nordqvist, Wildfire Golf Club, Phoenix, Ariz.; third round, 2017 Bank of Hope Founders Cup, par 72

-11 (60) Anna Acker-Macosko, The Ridge Golf Course, Auburn, Calif., fourth round, 2004 Longs Drugs Challenge, par 71

-11 (60) Paula Creamer, Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio, first round, 2008 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger, par 71

GOING LOW

With the low scores being posted through three rounds the LPGA all-time scoring record in relation to par, 27-under set by Annika Sorenstam at the 2001 Standard Register Ping and matched by Sei Young Kim at the 2016 JTBC Founders Cup, could be threatened.

72 holes In relation to par

-27, 261 (63-66-70-62) Sei Young Kim, Wildfire Golf Club, Phoenix, Ariz., 2016 JTBC Founders Cup, par 72

-27, 261 (65-59-69-68) Annika Sorenstam, Moon Valley Country Club, Phoenix, Ariz., 2001 Standard Register PING, par 72

-26, 258 (65-67-61-65) Hee Young Park, Grey Silo Golf Course, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2013 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, par 71

-26, 258 (63-67-64-64) Angela Stanford, Grey Silo Golf Course, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2013 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, par 71

-26, 262 (63-67-64-68) Karrie Webb, Royal Pines Resort, Ashmore, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 1999 Australian LadiesMasters, par 72

-26, 266 (64-65-69-68) Brittany Lincicome, Ocean Club Golf Course, Paradise Island, Bahamas, 2017 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic,

par 73

-26, 266 (70-64-64-68) Shanshan Feng, Pine Valley Golf Club, Beijing, China, 2013 Reignwood LPGA Classic, par 73

HALL OF FAME MATCHUP

LPGA Tour Hall of Famers Nancy Lopez, Patty Sheehan, Pat Bradley and Betsy King got the competitive juices flowing on Saturday. The foursome split into pairs and played a two-person scramble on the front nine at Wildfire Golf Club once the leaders made the turn. In the end, it was King and Bradley that emerged victorious over Lopez and Sheehan.

FOUNDERS PERCH

The Bank of Hope Founders Cup was created in 2011 to honor the 13 women who started the LPGA. Three of the original LPGA founders, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork and Marlene Hagge Vossler, are in attendance this week sitting on the “Founders Perch” on the 18th green.

“You couldn’t find many people that would love sitting on a hole for four or five hours, but they do,” Stacy Lewis talking about the Founders Perch.

“They love seeing all the players that come through,” Stacy said. “The current players get to know the founders and get to know their stories and what they did to make this tour what it is. That’s really what this week is about.”

QUICK HITS

Anna Nordqvist is the only LPGA player to have multiple rounds of 61 in her career (twice). Only 13 other players have ever posted a round of 61, with only four players recording a round of 60 and just one player shooting 59 (Annika Sorenstam)

Anna Nordqvist’s 54-hole score of -21 (195) is also a 54-hole tournament course record, the previous 54-hole tournament record was -19 (197) recorded by Ai Miyazato in 2013

Five of Anna Nordqvist’s six LPGA wins have come when she has held a share of the third-round lead, including her last win at the 2016 ShopRite LPGA Classic

Anna Nordqvist’s 11-under 61 is the lowest round on Tour since Lexi Thompson shot a 12-under 61 on the par 73 layout at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic

The top two players in the Rolex Rankings, Ariya Jutanugarn and Lydia Ko, are the only players inside the top-20 to go bogey-free through the first three rounds. Jutanugarn and Ko combine for 19 LPGA tournament titles

Three times in Bank of Hope Founders Cup history the third-round leader/co-leader has held on to win the tournament (Karrie Webb, 2011; Yani Tseng, 2012; Hyo Joo Kim, 2015), while three times the third-round leader/co-leader has finished as the runner-up