FROM THE LPGA SYMETRA TOUR WEBSITE
France native Isabelle Boineau fired the low-round of the day
at 5-under 67 to take the first-round lead at the Symetra Classic in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Sweden’s Caroline Westrup, Argentina’s Martina
Gavier and Michigan State’s Laura Kueny trail Boineau by one stroke
heading into Friday’s second round.
Boineau, who is a rookie on the Symetra Tour this year, produced a
blemish-free round on Friday opening with three consecutive birdies on
the front nine, with two more following on the back nine. With 26 putts
on the Raintree Country Club, Boineau said her comfort on the greens
helped her deliver a flawless round.
“I made everything under 9-feet,” said Boineau. “I would just get on
the green and be so confident then make the putts. I started well with a
birdie on two then on three with making a chip off the green. I wasn’t
very confident about the chip but it was perfect, it went in. Then the
next par-5 I made a birdie again so I was 3-under after four but I tried
not to think about it and just keep on playing. I didn’t hit or strike
the ball very well but I just tried to hit my safe zones and the putting
was really well.”
Westrup tee’d off on the No. 10 tee this morning and carded six-straight pars before her first birdie came on the par-5 16th hole. She made the turn after carding a bogey on the par-3 18th hole but it didn’t take long for her to shake off a three-putt.
“I was in between two clubs there and I hit the longer one,” said Westrup said of the 18th
hole. “I ended up long and had a really hard putt sliding down grain
and downhill. I feel like I should have been under on the front nine but
I missed a lot of birdie putts. But I came back on one and made a
30-footer for birdie.”
Gavier got off to a hot start on Thursday posting four birdies and an eagle on the par-4 9th
hole to put her at 6-under before the turn. But three bogeys coming on
Nos. 11, 13, and 15 cost her an outright lead on the day-one. A birdie
on the par-4 17th hole brought her to a tie for second along with Westrup and Kueny at 4-under 68.
Gavier said the excitement on the front nine caused her to feel pressure heading into the back nine.
“When I start playing well, I get a little anxious and get a little
nervous,” said Gavier. “I’m trying to learn again to stay in the moment
and just take it one shot at a time. I got a little frustrated so I lost
focus and my energy went down but my caddy really helped me to get my
focus and energy back.”
Kueny can’t complain after a carding four birdies on her front nine,
but couldn’t quite drop the birdie putts on the back nine. With no
bogeys or birdies on the back nine, Kueny says she’s content with her
round after catching a few breaks.
“I started out with a birdie on the first hole so that set the tone
for the rest of the day,” said Kueny. “I actually had a lot of great
misses and bounces today that I took advantage of. I had 28 putts, so
the putter was rolling pretty nicely especially on the front nine but on
the back nine I had 9 straight pars. They were all stress-free too so
that was nice. Overall, I felt really comfortable today and felt pretty
solid and relaxed.”
Sitting two-strokes off Boineau’s lead is a group of five that
include Brianna Do, Tiffany Joh, Blair O’Neal, Katie Kempter and Alena
Sharp.
From Point A to Point B… Every Symetra Tour
player tee’s it up at the beginning of the year with one goal in mind,
to make it to the LPGA Tour. While Isabelle Boineau (@IsabelleBoineau)
shares the same dream, she is also aware of the process it takes to
achieve her lifelong goal.
“The goal is the LPGA but it’s just a goal,” said Boineau. “You have
to think about the process, it’s not ‘oh my goal is to make it to the
LPGA so I’m going to get there.’”
A graduate of the University of Arizona, Boineau has relied heavily
on the Point A method introduced by her by her coach, Susie Meyers. The
technique is designed to help her stay in the present and remain focused
on the process at hand.
A four-time winner in collegiate competition, Boineau’s professional
game has blossomed in recent months as she is coming off a runner-up
finish at the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay where she
lost in a two-hole playoff to Christine Song. While Boineau is beaming
from her recent success, she remains focused with the Point A method as
there are still 11 tournaments remaining on this year’s Symetra Tour
schedule.
“I just need to think about Point A and stay in the present all the
time and shot after shot,” said Boinean. “If I play well then I’m going
to get there but if I don’t then we’ll see. There are still a lot of
tournaments to go. I’m not thinking like oh yeah, I’ve been playing well
for two weeks; I’m going to make it. I’m still in the process, I don’t
want to think ahead and get too excited because when I get too excited I
make mistakes.”
Boineau is a rookie on this year’s Symetra Tour and after carding a
5-under 67 during the first-round of the Symetra Classic, she admitted
the tour has far exceed her expectations.
“It’s been fun, I like it,” said Boineau. “I mean, I want to get to
the LPGA as soon as I can, that’s the goal but it’s a really good tour.
It’s actually a lot better than what I thought it was. Through the years
the Symetra Tour has grown and gets a lot of good players.”
A Familiar Place. At the end of
first-round play of the Symetra Classic, Caroline Westrup found herself
in a position that produces a certain incentive that helps her maintain a
competitive mindset. The Florida State University alum, who won five
tournaments as a Seminole, says she seems enjoys chasing the lead.
“A lot of my wins I had in college I was not leading into the final
round,” said Westrup. “Sometimes I was even three-stroke behind but you
know I always thought it was doable, possible. I don’t think I was
actually leading one tournament in tournament, and I won five. I like to
be behind. I think it’s easier because you’re not the one being
chased.”
Westrup, a proclaimed leaderboard watcher, says she tends to take more risks when she’s fighting for the lead.
“I like to know where I’m at on the leaderboard,” said Westrup. “Like
on 18 I looked to see where I was at and if I see I’m one stroke behind
the lead I’m going to go straight at the pin and not play it safe.”
TO CHECK OUT ALL THE FIRST ROUND SCORES
CLICK HERE