Stephanie Na (Adelaide, Australia) is one of five players tied for first after a first round 4-under 66 at Brook Lea Country Club. Na carded a bogey-free round today highlighted by four birdies including the last hole of the round, No. 9.
“I hit a really good shot in there. I finally hit a straight one, which believe it or not I wasn’t hitting my mid irons well today, so it was just nice to get that one in,” said Na. “It has been a rough start to the season for me. For me not having gone home to Australia between seasons kind of felt like this really stretched out season and I realized that and recognized that I needed to prioritize resting and not doing too much but obviously enough. My game has always been there I just wasn’t able to bring it all together so hopefully the rest of the season will be good. Today it was good to have a nice score and I am looking forward to the rest of the week.”
Na’s rookie season on the Epson Tour came in 2010. Since then, she has claimed 12 top-10 finishes included a T8 finish at the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic in 2017.
“I think having played here several times now I am just really comfortable around here, I have had some pretty decent results in the past, so it is always just comforting,” said Na. “This is always a really fun week for me and (my caddy) was my host dad the first time I came out here. He has caddied for his friend Jeff Sluman out on the Champions Tour and previously when he was playing the (PGA) Tour. He said he had a couple of players that he hosted in previous years and nobody took him up on it. It was just kind of by accident because my local caddy that I had originally bailed on me last minute, so Tom offered, and I was just like why not. It was an awesome week, and they are pretty much like my American parents now, so I always look forward to this week and it is always fun to have him on the bag.”