The Atlanta Athletic Club proved to be a major challenge Thursday as the third major of the LPGA season got underway on a day where Lizette Salas got her game on.
Salas has been trending in the right direction, she hasn’t finished outside the top 25 in her last four starts on the LPGA Tour and last week she tied for sixth at the Meijer Classic in Michigan.
So it’s no surprise she played well on day one of the Women’s PGA Championship. What came as a surprise is that Salas spoke about her struggle with mental health issues last season. Last week, it was Matt Wolff revealing his struggles as he returned to play in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
Salas was in the right frame of mind early Thursday as she got off to a bogey-free start on a day that saw her close out a five-under par 67 that gave her the first round lead by herself.
Afterward, she spoke of her struggles. “I’m not afraid to be out here anymore,” Salas said. “That (2020) was a really tough year for me. It was probably one of the lowest points of my career mentally, but I am so lucky to have a strong backbone and team… just to be there for me. I think we’re on an upward trend, and golf is a lot more fun right now.”
Salas said the upcoming Solheim Cup has her motivated. She wants to be on the U.S. team.
“The Solheim Cup is always a goal, the big-time goal. But in order to achieve that, you have to play well in majors. I think I started off on a good note today just know that the goal is there, but at the same time there’s little goals you have to achieve to get there. I think we’re right on course,” said Salas. “As long as I continue doing my process and believing in myself, it’s in reach.”
By day’s end, she was a shot in front of England’s Charley Hull, who, like Salas, has been trending in a positive direction.
This is an important week for Jessica Korda. The older of the two Korda sisters will qualify for the Olympics with a good showing this week and her 69 put her in a tie for third with Alena Sharp and Austin Ernst as only five players managed to break par for the first round.
Nelly Korda, the third-ranked player in the world, was just three shots back after shooting a two-under par 70. Korda picked up her second win of the season last week at the Meijer Classic.
But a lot of big names didn’t fare that well.
U.S. Open champ Yuka Saso shot 73 as did Lexi Thompson and sixth-ranked Danielle Kang. The world’s No. 1, Jin Young Ko struggled on her way to a 75, fourth-ranked Sei Young Kim shot 76.
Storms Stop Play At BMW International:
Things got stormy in Munich on Thursday and put a halt to first round play at the BMW International but not before Aussie Wade Ormsby got in the clubhouse with a bogey-free seven-under par 65 at the Golf Club Munchen Eichenried.
Three players were on the course and reached seven-under when play was halted.
Spain’s Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, England’s Sam Horsfield and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura were unable to finish but were seven-under.
All three also had putts to take the outright lead, with Horsfield left with an eagle putt on the 18th hole. Kawamura had a birdie look on the ninth — his final hole — and Garcia Rodriguez had a birdie putt at the 12th.
Play resumes at 7.30 a,m, to complete their first rounds along with 54 other players, with all second round tee times in the morning delayed by 20 minutes.
Pablo Larrazábal – a two time winner of this event – England’s Andrew Johnston, Australian Min Woo Lee and South African J.C. Ritchie were in the clubhouse at six under.
Ormsby won his first and only European Tour event at the 2018 UBS Hong Kong Open.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
Salas is a wonderful person.
Like so many people, she struggled mentally the last couple of years. But unlike many she is brave enough to talk about it; which truly can help many others.
She seems to have been dealing with two things: how to fill her time during the hiatus; which we can all relate; and associating her results with the person that she is, which many serious competitive golfers can relate.
Salas is a wonderful person… regardless of results.
Golfers need to be reasonably tough on their golf imo; but it’s crucially important they understand the person they are —good or bad— has nothing to do with their golf game. Not being able to separate those things is proving to be detrimental; as we learn from wonderful people like Lexi Thompson, Wolff and now Salas sharing their stories.
Tom Edrington
I think overall, all golfers need to realize how difficult this game is; They need to realize that when they go out and think they want to try and play this for a living; Everyone has their own “unexpected life” and we have to deal with those situations no matter what we do; I wish all these golfers with “mental issues” would sit down one day, evaluate what’s going on and if golf is making them distressed, then take a moment to think what it would be like to go out and get into some other line of work; Too many pampered athletes these days who need to understand 1. The game is difficult; 2. Life isn’t easy 3. All roads have potholes. LEARN TO COPE!