Mission Health Wellness Classic
Country Club of Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
May 16, 2015
Second-Round News & Notes
13 YEAR-OLD FROM ASHEVILLE INSPIRED BY EPSON TOUR: Ana Tsiros, a 13-year-old eighth grader from Asheville, remembers needing a sport to play during her sixth grade year in 2013. It’s the same year that the Epson Tour hosted the inaugural Mission Health Wellness Classic at Country Club of Asheville.
She didn’t like soccer and her only other option was golf. She took a mild interest, but then the school year ended and so did golf.
“Then the Epson Tour came here and I was like ‘Wow, I want to do that one day’ so I told my dad that I wanted to start playing tournaments,” said Tsiros, who had the opportunity to caddie on Saturday for rookie Ericka Schneider. “I started to practice and then I played in my first tournament and I was just really inspired to work hard and now I love it.”
The Tsiros family has hosted a player in their home each year of the event and that is what first allowed Ana to connect with the professionals. In 2013, they hosted Caitlin McCleary, in 2014 Maddie Sheils stayed with the family and Ashley Knoll is staying at her house this year.
“The girls have always been so fun and supportive, I remember telling them that I wanted to start playing and they always told me that I should,” explained Tsiros. “Seeing all the girls from all across the country come over here and practice was just so cool.”
“I look up to them so much and I want to be in their spot one day.”
On Tuesday, she also had the chance to play in the pro-am with Stefanie Kenoyer.
“Oh my gosh, I was so nervous,” said Tsiros on Saturday after toting the bag for Schneider. “She told me not to be nervous and I was like ‘um, OK’,” said Tsiros. “I had a blast, she was so sweet and so helpful and I felt like I could have asked her anything and she would help.”
Kenoyer was very impressed with Tsiros and says she has a chance to be really good one day.
“She’s a very good junior player, she is belting the ball from the red tees way past my drives,” said Kenoyer, who has taken Ana under her wing this week. “It’s so great to see the impact of what we are doing on the younger generation because really that is what it is about.”
Ana actually met Stefanie and gave her water in 2013 so she requested to play in her group this year.
“I had a smile on my face the entire day just being around her,” said Kenoyer. “Her dad asked me some questions about the clubs she plays and at one point she was struggling a bit and I helped her with her alignment and told her to just swing and she hit it to ten feet and just had this big old smile on her face.”
How good has she become in three short years?
“I could see her playing in college easily on a scholarship and if she sticks with it she could play professionally,” said Kenoyer. “She is just in love with golf now and to see that after she didn’t want to play until watching us play in her hometown is really cool.”
When Ana, Stefanie and the rest of the pro-am group posed for a picture, the photographer said, ‘OK, this is a picture of the 2015 winner and the 2020 winner’.
Ana turned to Stefanie and said with the brightest smile, “do you think I can do it?”
HYE-MIN KIM THOUGHT ABOUT QUITTING GOLF: Right after LPGA Qualifying Tournament, Hye-Min Kim started to have problems with her driver. Those problems followed her into the season as Kim missed five cuts and withdrew from the other event she entered.
“I was so depressed and I was really thinking about going back to Korea and quitting golf,” said Kim after her stellar round on Saturday to move into a tie for second place. “On the tee box, I couldn’t see any lines and I totally lost my confidence.”
Confidence restored after back-to-back rounds of 4-under 68 to move into solo second at 8-under 136.
“Since Fort Myers, my driver has been getting better and better and that helps me a lot,” said Kim, who had four top 10 finishes on Tour last year. “This is my first cut made this year and I’m so glad this is happening and I’m really enjoying Asheville.”
IACOBELLI SEEING THINGS COME TOGETHER: Daniela Iacobelli has picked up a club and worked on her game every single day since January 1st. No days off.
The hard work is paying off as Iacobelli carded a 5-under 67 to move up to 7-under 137.
“I went on a little bit of a streak on the first nine, it was like I couldn’t miss a putt,” said Iacobelli, who only attempted 11 putts through nine holes. “Honestly, on the first nine (back nine of course) I tried to go as low as a can because of this side (front nine), I struggle with the hills.”
Iacobelli moved from T15 to a tie for third.
“If the putts drop for all 18 holes like they did on the front nine today, it could get crazy tomorrow,” said Iacobelli. “I putted well last week and that has carried over to this week, which is huge.”
Iacobelli’s game is about as zoned in as anyone on Tour. She has finished in the top 15 in four consecutive events including a tie for sixth last week in Greenwood.
“I don’t have a number in mind for tomorrow, I just know that the way I have been playing something low is lurking,” said Iacobelli. “If I keep playing like I’m playing, it’s going to be low.”
BACK UP PUTTER WORKS JUST FINE FOR GREHAN: Just 15 minutes before her round was scheduled to begin, Megan Grehan was franticly looking around for her putter. Turns out she left it on the practice putting green on Friday, but it didn’t turn up.
Fortunately, she had a back up putter in her car, which is similar to her regular putter. She posted a 6-under 66 and had the back up putter rolling to perfection.
“I left my putter on the green yesterday, so I had to use my back up today and I think the back up putter is going to stay in the bag for now,” said Grehan with a smile. “I hit only like four putts with the new putter in warm ups before playing.”
GAHM ON NOW FOR THE ROOKIE: Lindsay Gahm (Louisville, Ky.) had the best round of her life, posting a 5-under 67 with seven birdies to move to a tie for sixth.
“It’s nice to finally get a low one,” said Gahm. “I was hitting them decently close and I was hitting 10-15 footers. I was finally able to get the putter going.”
Gahm missed the cut in her first event and finished towards the bottom of the cut in her second event. She had a breakthrough tie for eighth at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial and now is in the hunt again.
“I was like a deer in the headlights during my first two events,” admitted Gahm. “I’m starting not to be as scared. I’m getting used to how everything works and I am much calmer now.”
HISTORY WITH ANOTHER ALBATROSS: Ellen Davies-Graham (Brisbane, Australia) carded an albatross on the par-5 second hole on Saturday. On Sunday in Greenwood, Amy Meier made a two on the par-5 18th hole.
For the first time since 2002, a Epson Tour player has made an albatross in consecutive events.
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