O'Toole Wins LPGA Futures Event in Mexico

Ryann O'Toole

California’s Ryann O’Toole held off some stiff competition on the final holes to win the $125,000 Santorini Riviera Nayarit Classic presented by Pepsi.

The third-year pro started today’s final round tied for tenth, four shots off the lead, but she carded a bogey-free finish with six birdies to post a winning score of 8-under 211 at El Tigre Golf & Country Club.

The former UCLA collegian held off Dawn Shockley (69) of Estes Park, Colorado and childhood friend Nicole Smith (69) of Riverside, California, who tied for second at 7-under 212. Shockley’s birdie attempt to force a tie lipped out on the 18th hole, while Smith took bogey on the final green.

“It’s just nice to get the season off to a great start,” said O’Toole, 24, of San Clemente, California, who earned her third career LPGA Futures Tour title with today’s win. “Dawn and I were going head-to-head in the same group all day and I knew I had to bring 100 percent of my game.”

Shockley, a second-year pro out of the University of Denver, also came to play and rattled off an eagle-3 on the fifth hole, followed by three consecutive birdies. But O’Toole answered with a birdie from 40 feet on No. 5, another birdie from 35 feet from off the green on No. 6, and a 20-foot birdie on the ninth hole.

“She putted awesome today,” said Shockley, of O’Toole’s performance. “I was playing well, but Ryann drained two long birdie putts on top of mine. What can you do about that?”

Like her old pal from Southern California junior golf, Smith brought her mighty tee shots to El Tigre today and charged up the leaderboard on the back nine with birdies on four of her last seven holes. Smith picked up momentum on the homestretch with a 15-foot birdie on the 16th, and added another birdie on 17 from 12 feet to tie O’Toole at eight under.

But an untimely pushed tee shot into the right rough on the final hole forced Smith to punch out and try to salvage her share of the lead. The former University of Tennessee player could not convert her tricky 40-foot par putt, dropping a stroke on the final green after a day in which she hit 17 greens in regulation and missed only two fairways.

“I knew Ryann was going to shoot something like five under today and I knew I had to do the same,” said Smith, who met O’Toole in a junior tournament when they were 12 years old. “This is bittersweet, especially to lose because of a poor drive, but if I can’t win, I’d rather have my best friend finish in front of me.” 

O’Toole credited patience for today’s win, saying that after losing shots late on the previous two days, she came into the final round with a more conservative approach on the par-73 course.

“I’ve been silly going for pins that weren’t accessible, so today, I played it safe, didn’t press, and it paid off,” said O’Toole, who hit 15 greens and 12 fairways in regulation and needed only 28 putts. “Sometimes I just want to go for every flag, so I’ve had to learn that it’s not always smart.”

O’Toole’s prize check of $17,500 moved her from No. 21 to first on the LPGA Futures Tour’s 2011 money list after the tour’s third tournament.

Results

LaCrosse to Defend Title at El Tigre

Cindy LaCrosse

Defending champion Cindy LaCrosse of Tampa, Florida returns to El Tigre Golf & Country Club to defend her title at this week's Santorini Riviera Nayarit Classic.

The event is the LPGA Futures Tour's third tournament in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico.

LaCrosse finished the 2010 season on the Futures Tour as the top money winner and as the 2010 Player of the Year, earning full 2011 LPGA Tour status. Her win in Mexico was her first professional victory of three tournament wins last year.

The Santorini Riviera Nayarit Classic will feature a purse of $125,000, with a cash prize of $17,500 and $12,500 for the runner-up. The tournament will be contested over 54 holes (three rounds) in a stroke-play format.

In addition to LaCrosse, five top-10 finishers from the 2010 tournament in Mexico will be in the field. They are: 3rd - Chelsea Curtis of New Seabury, Massachusetts; tie for 4th - Hannah Jun San Diego; 6th - Jane Rah of Torrance, California; and Mallory Blackwelder of Versailles, Kentucky, Esther Choe of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Adrienne White of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, who all tied for ninth.

LPGA Futures Tour professionals in the tournament field who are natives of Mexico are: Lili Alvarez of Durango; Ani Carrillo of Guadalajara; Tanya Dergal of Durango; Marcela Leon of Monterrey; Pamela Ontiveros of Gomez Palacio; and Sophia Sheridan of Guadalajara.

This week's Santorini Riviera Nayarit Classic is the LPGA Futures Tour's only event held outside the United States.

Nomura Wins Futures at Daytona Beach

Haru Nomura

Japan’s Haru Nomura was forced to save par on the 18th hole in Sunday's final round to win the LPGA Futures Tour’s $100,000 Daytona Beach Invitational.

Nomura carded rounds of 69-67-71 to grab her first professional win at 9-under 207, earning $14,000 for her victory. She edged amateur Jaye Marie Green (72) of Boca Raton, Floridau, at 8-under 208.

The teen from Tokyo watched her second shot veer dangerously close to the left water hazard bordering the 18th hole on the Champions Course at LPGA International. With a bounce of good luck, her ball landed just above the water’s edge.

“I thought the ball was in the water,” said Nomura, 18, who also is an LPGA rookie. “I thought it was gone. My mindset was to get a par. If I get a par, I win.”

Her uphill chip hit the 18th green and rolled to the back fringe. Moments later, Green, who was in the final pairing with Nomura, drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the last hole to move within one shot of the lead.

The Tokyo pro’s putt from the fringe stopped two feet short of the hole. She tapped in for par and the victory in only her third professional event and her second tournament on the LPGA Futures Tour.

“Yesterday, I used my pitching wedge on the fringe, but it didn’t go well,” said Nomura, who had three birdies and two bogeys in today’s final round. “I asked my coach and we decided to go with the putter from the fringe today.”

Playing on an amateur exemption for winning the 2011 South Atlantic Amateur (“Sally”) Championship, Green, 17, a high school junior, started the day tied for the lead with Nomura, but lost ground with bogeys on holes 2 and 5. Green recovered with a pair of six-foot birdies on 10 and 11, but took double-bogey on the par-three 14th hole when it took her two shots to get out of a bunker.

Green birdied 16 and 18, but the amateur ran out of holes as she chased Nomura to the finish.

“I gave myself a chance,” said Green, who plans to play college golf at the University of Florida in the fall of 2012. “I didn’t think I’d be happy with second place, but I feel good. Having fans out here gives me chills. It’s a great experience.”

Second-year pros Caroline Westrup (73) of Ahus, Sweden and Jennifer Johnson (73) of Carlsbad, California, tied for third at 5-under 211.

Nomura’s smile was unmistakable as she held her crystal trophy, stared at her giant cardboard check and had her photo made in front of the leaderboard with her name at the top.

But when asked how important it was for her to win for the people back home in Japan who had suffered in the devastation of the recent earthquake and tsunami, the teen’s tone changed.

“I think it’s very important to give them something to cheer about,” she said. “We constantly talk about it. They are in my thoughts and in my mind.”

www.lpgafuturestour.com.

Lauar Nochta Shoots 60 at Natural Charity

Rookie Laura Nochta posted her second consecutive round in the 60s to hold on to her lead today after the second round of the $110,000 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.

The Indiana University graduate carded a 3-under 69 to stay out front at 8-under 136 in the LPGA Futures Tour’s season opener at Lake Region Yacht and Country Club.

She leads Tzu-Chi Lin (68) of Taichung, Taiwan, and Jackie Barenborg (68) of Vero Beach, Fla., both at 7-under 137.

“I struggled off the tee today,” admitted Nochta, 23, of Cortland, Ohio, who hit only seven fairways and 11 greens, but used 26 putts in her round. “It was a pitch and putt contest for me and I made a couple of clutch putts.”

Lin, who was a member of the Chinese Taipei National Team with LPGA star Yani Tseng, currently ranked No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings, carded five birdies and a single bogey in today’s second round to steadily move up the leaderboard. The key to her round was she “hit them close” and converted.

“My putter was good today,” said the 20-year-old third-year pro. “I feel very comfortable. I think I can do better tomorrow and keep going.”

Barenborg, who played college golf 20 miles away at Florida Southern College, took advantage of her home-state gallery support in today’s round and rattled off five birdies in her first 12 holes. But the real incentive in her round was playing in the same pairing with Lin. The two players fed off each other and finished tied, one shot off the lead.

“It was nice because if one us birdied, the other one birdied the next hole,” said Barenborg, 24, who hit 15 greens in regulation. “It was fun.”

A total of 47 players carded rounds of even-par 144 or better.

Seventy-three players made the 36-hole cut at 147 (+3). It was the lowest cut in the tournament’s three-year history.

Leader board