A Trio of Players Lead the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans…Courtney Massey, Laura Kueny, and Jessica Speechley all fired 5-under par 66's on Friday to take the first round lead at the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans. The trio of players combined to record an impressive four eagles on the par-71 Drumlins Country Club, East Course.
Massey began the day on the back nine of the par-71 Drumlins Country Club, East Course with a bogey.
The Symetra Tour rookie went on to fire a 1-under par 34 on her opening nine then got just the boost she needed with an eagle on the par-five first hole.
"I hit the fairway straight down the middle," said Massey of her tee shot on the par-five first hole. "I was in-between clubs on the second shot so I thought I would go with the one that was just lower because some of the greens were running out and it went hole high. I had about a 12 foot putt left-to-right down the hill and hit it how I wanted to and it ended up going in."
Massey then quickly responded with two additional birdies on Nos. two and five to shoot a 4-under 32 on her second nine.
After her round, the Aussie admitted she holed some putts that even she typically does not make.
"I didn't even think about it, something just happened," said Massey of today's round. "I just holed a putt, walked to the next hole, wrote it all down then forgot about it because I don't want it getting in my head. I knew I was playing alright, I felt like I was hitting it good and holing some putts I don't think I would have made normally so it was a day that was going good for me."
For the first time in her career, Kueny recorded two eagles in one round which came on Nos. 2 and 13. On the par-5 second, Kueny hit a 209 yard hybrid to 12 feet then converted the putt for her first eagle. Kueny then rebounded after a bogey on No. 12 to eagle the par-5 13th after hitting a cut from 200 yards out to 25 feet.
"Two eagles today helped a lot," said Kueny, a three year member of the Symetra Tour. "That could be a first."
Keeping her composure was key for Kueny today who carded two bogeys, two eagles, three birdies.
"I kept my composure," said Kueny. "I birdied the first hole then went bogey, bogey. I started on the back which is nice because that's the toughest side out here and I just stayed patient on the back side and knew I had to make some birides coming in. Staying patient was the name of the game today."
Speechley got off to a blazing start on Friday afternoon after capitalizing with an eagle on the par-5 second hole.
"I think the first two holes are par-5's so that's a huge advantage," said Speechley. "I pared the first and eagled the second so that's a great start."
Speechley stripped her drive down the middle on No. 2 then knocked it to about 15 feet and made the putt for eagle.
A rookie on the Symetra Tour, Speechley contributed the recent rain and soft greens for her ability to play aggressive and attack the pins on Friday.
"The greens are a lot softer today because of the rain and I thought just go for the flags and I did that," said Speechley. "They all just checked up pretty nicely and I putted pretty good."
Speechley continued her aggressive play on the par-4 18th after hitting a seven-iron to inches from the hole. The Aussie then tapped in her birdie putt to claim a share of the lead heading into tomorrow's second round.
The trio of players currently hold a one-stroke lead over Samantha Richdale and Dawn Shockley.
Volvik Check-In… As the Volvik Race for the Card continues to heat up, those in the top-10 playing at this week's Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans were led by No. 6 Victoria Elizabeth who shot a first-round 3-under par 68 and currently sits and tied for sixth. No. 1 Esther Choe shot a 2-under par 69 to sit at tied for 11th along with No. 7 Sara Brown and No. 10 Kristie Smith. Results for the remaining in the top-10 are as follows: No. 8 Lauren Doughtie and No. 3 Nicole Smith, T23rd (1-under par 70); No. 4 Megan McChrystal T38th (even-par 71); No. 5 Jean Chua T91st (3-over par 74); and No. 9 Jenny Gleason T115th (5-over par 76).
Call it a Premonition… Laura Kueny spoke to her swing coach, Patti Butcher, prior to Friday's first round and received a bit of advice, shoot a 66.
"It was funny because I talked to my swing coach last night, she has played out here before and told me the lowest round out here was a 66 so she told me to shoot a 66 today," said Kueny after her round.
Call it a premonition but that is exactly what Kueny did to take a share of the lead heading into tomorrow's second round.
"I have shot a 66 before in the past and it's certainly been a long time since I've done that," said Kueny. "Today I was just like, remember the time you shot 66, remember what that felt like."
Kueny has had a bit of an up-and-down season thus far in 2012 but she learned how to be a fighter at the young age of four after a battle with leukemia.
"It's definitely been a rollercoaster ride this year," said Kueny. "I've had my good tournaments, my bad tournaments, my good rounds, my bad rounds, but there are still plenty of tournaments left and plenty of time to shoot low numbers."
Land Down Under… Courtney Massey's fundamentals might have been on point during Friday's first round of the Credit Union Classic Presented by Wegmans but the Symetra Tour rookie admitted it was a song from Australia that helped her stay relaxed.
After her round, Massey met with the media where she hesitantly admitted the song she was singing throughout the round was Down Under, a song by Australian rock group, Men at Work.
"I had that in my head," said Massey. "I have the songs I listen to beforehand so it's just a whole mix up but it's something that keeps me mellow."
Remembering Aurora…While players tee'd it up, caddies judged yardage and staff worked diligently, the horrific event that took place last week in Aurora, Colo. wasn't far from everyone's mind. On Friday, the Symetra Tour banded together and wore Aurora stickers to remember all those affected by the theater massacre.
Several Symetra Tour players have close ties to Colorado including Kristen Walla who lives in Aspen, Colo., and Katie Kempter and Dawn Shockley who both attended the University of Denver, just a short drive from Aurora.
"It's close to home, Denver is my second home," said Kempter. "You don't expect anything like that to happen, it's a terrible tragedy. Hopefully the people affected by it can pull through, stay strong, and keep their heads up because there's a lot out there. Denver is a great place and a community with a lot of good people there."
Olympic Family… The 2012 Summer Olympic Games are set to begin with tonight's opening ceremonies and one Symetra Tour player holds the Olympics close to her heart. Victoria Park comes from a long bloodline of athletes including her parents who both appeared in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif.
At the young age of 17, Park's mom Seo Hyang-Soon became the first Korean woman to win an Olympic gold medal after she won in archery. Park's dad also competed in the 1984 Olympics in judo.
"They are always interested in their sport," said Park whose parents plan to watch this year's Olympic Games at their home in Los Angeles, Calif. "Typically Koreans are always good at judo and archery so they love to watch and cheer on their players."
The tables could turn for the Park household as golf is set to return to the Olympics at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the next Summer Olympics still four years away, Park admits she rarely thinks about a chance at competing.
"For now, I kind of think about it," said Park. "But maybe I should start playing better."
Currently in her second year on the Symetra Tour, Park's best finish came at the 2011 Price Chopper Tour Championship where she finished tied for 12th.
