Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Golf Club
Mesa, Arizona
Pre-Tournament News & Notes
MESA, Ariz., February 19, 2015 – The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, begins the 2015 season with the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 a.m.
The morning wave, which includes 39 groups starting from the first tee and the tenth tee, will run from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. The afternoon wave will begin at 11:50 a.m. with the final groups of the day teeing at 1:20 p.m. from the first and tenth tees.
The field is competing for their share of the $100,000 total tournament purse with the winnner earning $15,000. The champion will also move into the top spot on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. The top 10 players on the yearend Volvik Race for the Card money list earn LPGA Tour membership for 2016.
There will be a cut to the top 70 and ties following second round play on Saturday.
JAY FEELY, IAN KENNEDY PLAY IN WEDNESDAY PRO-AM: Former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely played in the Wednesday pro-am at Longbow Golf Club. He was teamed with former MLB pitcher and current owner of 2nd Guy Golf Russ Ortiz, current MLB pitcher Shane Loux and Epson Tour professional Michelle Piyapatrra.
Former Arizona Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy, who now pitches for the San Diego Padres, also played in the pro-am on Wednesday with Epson Tour professional Jessi White.
JUNIOR CLINIC IS A MAJOR SUCCESS: Approximately 270 students from the Mesa Public Schools (MPS) were on hand to participate in the Epson Tour/First Tee of Phoenix junior clinic at Longbow Golf Club on Tuesday.
Nine Epson Tour professionals (Emily Talley, Olivia Jordan-Higgins, Kristi Cardwell, Haley Italia, Ginger Howard, Becca Huffer, Mary Narzisi, Maribel Lopez-Porras and Nannette Hill) hosted the clinic that included a hitting demonstration, three instructional stations and a question and answer session.
All the students also received a First Tee of Phoenix t-shirt, a hat and lunch after the clinic.
“This is one of the biggest junior clinics we have on Tour,” said professional Mary Narzisi. “The kids are all so excited to be out here and so excited to learn and play and practice.”
For professional Emily Talley, who served as the moderator of the fun and interactive demonstration, the clinic is all about giving back to the next generation of golfers.
“This is a blast,” said the Napa, Calif. native Talley. “Being able to help the local First Tee is super fun and we want to give back and really help kids in the local area.”
NOTABLE GROUPS FOR FRIDAY’S FIRST ROUND: There are several notable pairings for Friday’s first-round at Longbow Golf Club.
7:30 a.m. - Chandler resident Jessi White will tee off with Jessie Gerry (Madison, Wis.) and rookie Alejandra Cangrejo (Bogota, Columbia), who was part of the 2014 national championship team at Duke.
8:00 a.m. - Lindy Duncan (Jupiter, Fla.), who finished 12th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014 will tee with Sara-Maude Juneau (Quebec, Canada) who finished 13th and Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ontario) who finished 16th in 2014.
8:30 a.m. - Veronica Felibert (Caracas, Venezuela), who finished 11th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2014, will tee with former Arizona golfer Margarita Ramos (Mexico City, Mexico) and Hye-Min Kim (Seoul, South Korea).
11:50 a.m. - Cara Freeman of Scottsdale, Arizona will tee with Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida), who has nine career LPGA Tour top 10 finishes and Oklahoma All-American Chirapat Jao-Javanil (Phetchaburi, Thailand).
12:40 p.m. (10th tee) - Former Arizona State golfer Tiffany Tavee (Tempe, Arizona) will tee off with Brianna Do (Lakewood, California) and Alejandra Llaneza (Mexico City, Mexico).
1:00 p.m. - 2005 U.S. Women’s Open champion Birdie Kim (Seoul, South Korea) will tee with Erica Popson (Davenport, Florida) and Joy Trotter (Chino Hills, Calif.).
NUMBERS TO KNOW: Here are some numbers to know heading into the first round of the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club.
1 - Number of players in the field representing Brazil. Luciane Lee (Sao Paulo, Brazil) is a rookie on the Epson Tour. She played college golf at University of California - Irvine.
1 - WGCA National Players of the Year in the field (Lindy Duncan, 2012, Duke).
8 - Number of former Duke or North Carolina golfers in the field.
9 - Top 10 finishes for Vicky Hurst on the Epson Tour in 2008, in just 13 events played.
T9 - Finish of Nannette Hill at Final State of LPGA Qualifying Tournament, the highest of anyone in field.
13 - Canadians in the field this week.
16 - Players from the state of California, most of any state in the field.
23 - Players in the field that have won a Epson Tour event in the past.
27 - LPGA Tour members in the field.
44 - The age of the oldest player in the field, Nicole Jeray. The Berwyn, Illinois native played in her first event on Tour in 1990. This is her 18th partial season on the Epson Tour. She is also an LPGA Tour member.
65 - 7-under 65 is the lowest single round score by a Epson Tour player at Longbow Golf Club (Emily Talley, third round in 2014).
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