Fifth year professional, Isi Gabsa (Munich, Germany) finished the first round with a 3-under par 69, tied with Min-G Kim (Cheongju, Republic of Korea), Ingrid Gutierrez Nunez (Cuautla, Mexico), Allison Emrey (Charlotte, North Carolina), Prima Thammaraks, and Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Florida). She hit all fourteen fairways during the first round and carded four birdies with only one bogey.
“I feel pretty good after the round today, I was hitting it pretty well. I had a lesson with my coach on Monday and we changed just one little thing and it’s working very well. I just hope I can keep it up the next two days,” said Gabsa. “The speed on the greens is tough, some of them slide away from you a little bit so you have to stay patient out there, so hopefully some will drop, but we will see.”
Gabsa has not missed a cut this year yet in her first five starts on tour. She already has three top-10 finishes including a T4 two weeks ago at the Garden City Charity Classic. Gabsa has not been in the winner’s circle since 2018, the Forsyth Classic, but she is using her experience to her advantage.
“I feel pretty comfortable playing out here. I know the courses well and I know what to expect. I think knowing that helps to really prep for each week and that has been really big in helping me do well this season.”
NOTABLE QUOTES
Allison Emrey (-3, T2) on what it means to play at home for the Epson Classic:
“It feels good to have a solid first round. I stuck to my game plan and was able to execute it well here on day one. It was great having my Dad caddy for me today too and seeing familiar faces cheering me on.”
Min-G Kim (-3, T2) on starting the week strong:
“I think for me the course played a lot easier than it has in past year, because the greens held a lot better than previous years. My irons are really my strength out here, but from past years I remembered you always want to keep it in the fairways. Also looking back, I remembered I needed to focus on hitting in the same part of the green where the hole is because the greens have lots of hills.”
Sophie Hausmann (-2, T8) on how the course played today:
“The pins were solid today. Some you had to play smart and others you really had some opportunities, I told myself today to just stay patient. I knew there was a chance someone could go really low, so I knew when I had birdie opportunities, I had to take them.”
Lilia Vu (-2, T8) on her first round since she won in Garden City, KS:
“The course is definitely longer than what we have been playing so far this season. There are more 8-irons through 5-irons, so it’s different and that is what I am trying to focus on. Since my win in Garden City, I was able to celebrate with my family but now I am back out here competing again.”
)
)
)
)
