Lucy Li went bogey-free on her back nine on Sunday at Kinston Country Club in Kinston, N.C. to sign for a 2-under 69 and force a playoff with Alexa Pano. The 19-year-old then went on to eagle the first playoff hole to take home her first Epson Tour and first professional title at the Carolina Golf Classic presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Li follows in the footsteps of 2021 champion, Sophia Schubert, who went on to finish fourth in the Ascensus Race to the Card last year, joining the LPGA Tour for the 2022 season.
Li said the support she’s received from family, sponsors and courses has helped her gain confidence after a hard stretch in 2021. When asked about her post round plans, she referenced her famous U.S. Open press conference, as well as spending time with family.
“I’m probably going to facetime my brother and family, talk to my friends, and maybe get some ice cream,” said Li.
The win at Kinston Country Club lifted a weight off of Li’s back.
“Being four down with four holes to play, I definitely didn’t expect to be here, but I never gave up,” said Li. “It just feels so surreal to finally get my first professional win. I feel like it’s been a long time coming, and it’s a relief to finally get it done.”
The 16th hole was where Li knew she had a chance to step up and take the title. Second- and third-round leader Pano was up by four strokes, but bogeyed No. 15 and double bogeyed No. 16 to cut the lead to one. With the door cracked open, Li kept steady, making pars throughout her back nine, until she finished her round with a birdie on No. 18.
“I knew it was game on,” said Li. “I had to keep focused and keep doing what I was doing. I actually had a six-footer for par [on No. 16], so I was really focused and knew I had to keep grinding.”
The California native recorded three birdies on the day and kept calm throughout the playoff despite the crowd following her. After hitting the green in two, Li drained a long putt for eagle, putting Pano on the spot to also make her long and slightly uphill eagle putt to force a second hole. Pano missed it right, giving Li the title, a long-awaited win that had her feeling the pressure coming down the stretch.
“Of course, I was nervous. You always feel the adrenaline when you’re in contention,” said Li. “It wasn’t too crazy; I think I felt a little more nervous the first time playing the 18th hole but coming around I just knew that I had to keep doing what I was doing and make sure I kept focused. It was nice to see all those people out there, but I was just trying to focus on one shot at a time.”
This is Li’s third time playing in the Carolina Golf Classic presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Along with this year’s win, she has two other top-20 performances, including a T19 finish in 2021 and T15 in 2020, and it’s because of that good play that Li says she always has good feelings in the state of North Carolina.
“Being back here brought a lot of good energy,” said Li. “The people at this golf course are so kind and so supportive. My caddie, Nick, was awesome. I just felt really comfortable this week.”
Despite the disappointment of the playoff loss, Alexa Pano earned her second top-3 finish of the 2022 season, finishing at -19 overall. Gabriela Ruffels finished in third place at -18 while Bailey Tardy’s bogey-free round put her in solo fourth at 16 under. Louise Ridderstrom, Robyn Choi, and Xiaowen Yin finished in a tie for fifth at -14.
QUICK QUOTES
Lori Beth Adams (-12, T9) on her hole-in-one on No. 5:
“I started with a bogey, I three putted the first hole, and I was just trying to get the groove of everything. I had 159 [yards], I had a choke 6-iron; probably the best 6-iron of my life, and it was going straight at it and slam dunked it into the hole. My first one ever. I got chills afterwards, and I just couldn’t believe it.”
Lindy Duncan (-11, T11) on her top-10 finish and bogey-free back nine:
“I’m really excited. I got off to kind of a slow start on the front nine, I just can’t wake up for these morning rounds sometimes, so I was happy to get some energy going for the back nine. I played a little bit more solid, I had two good par putts that were about six feet, so I made those and that kept the momentum. Then I chipped in from just off the green, that was like a bonus, and to birdie the last two holes, I just stuck them real close, so that was a great back nine.”
Erica Shepherd (-1, T45) on making the cut as an amateur:
“It was awesome just to have the opportunity, from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, to get to play here as an amateur with all of these awesome pros. I think it speaks a lot that Lucy Li won this week, obviously she’s one of the greats, so just to have the opportunity to compete with them and get some experience for where I’m going to be in a couple years was awesome.”
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