BELLEAIR, Fla. — Maria Fassi all the time knew a great placing stroke to go together with her explosive energy would result in low scores. She picked a great time for it to lastly come collectively.
Fassi powered her manner throughout the rain-softened Pelican Golf Membership and rode a easy placing stroke to an 8-under 62, her profession low on the LPGA Tour, giving her a two-shot lead within the Pelican Girls’s Championship.
That is the ultimate match earlier than the main 60 gamers qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship with its $7 million purse.
Fassi, the 24-year-old from Mexico, is at No. 72.
“I feel each single one among us out right here desires to complete the 12 months at CME,” Fassi mentioned. “For me, it was a really powerful season initially and form of acquired again on my ft in direction of center, finish of the season. So now that I’ve an opportunity, and particularly after immediately’s spherical, it is simply hold doing what I have been doing immediately.”
Fassi felt assured by going again to her “claw” placing grip. Her energy was even a much bigger benefit on comfortable fairways with little roll.
Lexi Thompson, Carlota Ciganda and Hyo Joo Kim had been amongst these at 66. Thompson ended a streak of greater than three years and not using a victory on the Saudi-funded Aramco Workforce Sequence in New York final month.
Gaby Lopez opened with a 65, whereas Nelly Korda was within the group at 66. Lydia Ko, who can clinch LPGA participant of the 12 months with a victory, was six behind after a 68.
The Pelican Girls’s Championship was washed out Thursday due to Tropical Storm Nicole, and was decreased to 54 holes.
Fassi determined to interchange her 5-wood with a hybrid, and after an enormous drive on the par-5 14th, the right membership was a 5-wood.
“I used to be like, ‘OK, that is fascinating,'” Fassi mentioned.
She figured her hybrid would depart her just a few yards in need of the inexperienced, however there was simply sufficient breeze behind her and simply sufficient energy in her swing that it acquired onto the inexperienced and rolled out to eight ft, establishing an eagle putt.
“Actually, I could not have left myself a greater putt for eagle, and it was good to only end it with a great putt,” Fassi mentioned.
She was among the many most heralded school stars after graduating from Arkansas, however getting her energy below management has been largely what held her again. It took her till her fifteenth begin on the LPGA Tour to noticeably contend, tying for third in Cincinnati.
“I knew {that a} spherical like this might occur at any level within the 12 months,” Fassi mentioned. “However I feel it was extra mentally and simply form of letting myself exit and play, form of get out of my very own manner. That was my largest aim this week.”
One participant who will not be on the CME Group Tour Championship is Linn Grant of Sweden, who received the Scandinavian Blended, when the European tour and Girls European Tour competed in opposition to one another. In an announcement to Golfweek, Grant mentioned she will’t journey to the U.S. as a result of she shouldn’t be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.
“I perceive some folks wish to know why I’m not taking part in within the U.S. I respect that. The straightforward motive is that I’m not vaccinated,” she mentioned. “Relating to why, I ask the identical respect again.”
