Getting off to a hot start is at a premium this year at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, with the tournament moving from a 72-hole format to the Epson Tour's standard 54-hole format. In years past, players had time to get acclimated to a dry, firm desert golf course, but this year, if you are behind the 8-ball early, you have a lot of work to do and only a little time to do it. Luckily, no one could separate themselves from the field too far, even on a day that saw 46 players shoot under par. Julie Houston leads the way at 5 under, and with 32 players within three shots of the lead heading into the second round, there are all the makings of an eventful moving day tomorrow at Sewailo Golf Club.
Houston first earned membership for the Epson Tour for the 2020 season but has only made four starts on Tour since her rookie season. In her 2024 campaign alone she has made as many starts as she did in the previous four seasons due to her priority rank. The 2024 season has been the first year Houston has been able to get consistent starts but came into this week missing the first four cuts of the season.
That did not matter to the 27-year-old in her first round of the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic. After an early bogey on her second hole of the day, Houston played near-perfect golf for the next 16 holes, rolling in six birdies on her way to 5-under 67. Even when doubt started to creep in, the Texas native knew her time was coming, and she made sure to capitalize when it did. With some favorable conditions heading into her second-round tomorrow morning, Houston has a chance to open up the gap on the field.
"I definitely feel like I needed this round. After just not having the start I wanted, it's hard not to creep into self-doubt a little bit, but I knew it was coming," said Houston. I've been hitting the ball well. I just needed to start seeing the ball go in the hole and make some birdies. So, I feel like today was huge and exactly what I needed to get going for the rest of the season and the rest of the week."
Just one shot behind Houston is a group of five players that includes Soo Bin Joo, a 2023 LPGA Tour regular, and Saki Baba, the former #2 ranked amateur in the world. Also in that group of five is Beatrice Wallin, who, like Houston, has not had the start of the season she was hoping for. Wallin is working through swing changes she made this off-season and is starting to reap the rewards of her hard work.
"I changed my coach after the last event of the year in October. So, I've just been grinding on my swing because that was my main issue last season," explained Wallin. We actually changed a lot, like we completely destroyed my old swing. I was kind of over-swinging it, but now it's just like, you know, trust your shot. It feels great coming out here this week."
Round Two will start tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. MST, and fans can follow along a little closer than usual over the next two days at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic. Fans can follow the tournament via live streaming thanks to GKLive.TV. The broadcast will feature Nos. 16-18 on Friday from 2–5 p.m. MST (5–8 p.m. ET) and Saturday from 2 p.m. MST (5 p.m. ET) until the tournament's conclusion. The tournament can be viewed on https://www.gklive.tv/event/2024-epson-tour-casino-del-sol-golf-classic, with a replay airing on https://www.youtube.com/@ROAD2LPGA the following week.
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