The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Nearly a week of events have led to today and over one hundred of the top golfers on the LPGA tour tee off this morning at the fifth edition of the Pure Silk/Bahamas LPGA Golf Classic at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island.

A stacked field includes the 2016 LPGA Money List leader and World No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, World No. 5 Lexi Thompson and the World No. 8 Brooke Henderson, along with the Bahamas’ own Georgette Rolle.

Jutanugarn, the reigning Rolex Player of the Year, returns to the course and the tournament where she nearly won as a rookie, but missed the cut in 2016.

With a new outlook heading into this year, she said she expects the PureSilk Bahamas Classic to be the start of a new trend for 2017.

“Right now to me, especially this week, no expectation at all. I’m just going to play, try to do the things under my control. And, you know, like this year is 2017 is not going to be like 2016. We’re just going to try to do something fun and don’t worry about the outcome.”

Thompson is the top ranked American in the group and has previously finished as high as seventh in the field, back in 2015.

“I’m very excited. I had a great off-season, spent it at home, spent it with my family, but a lot of practice and training. I have my new physical trainer, Kolby Tullier, and he’s got me in the best shape I’ve ever felt in and I think my game’s in a great spot right now,” she said.

“Yeah, I’ve been excited just the last week or two just getting ready. I played in the Diamond Resorts Invitational, had a lot of fun there but it was a tournament so it got me ready for this, a little warmup. So I’m excited to start here in the Bahamas.”

She expects weather to be a vital factor in determining the outcome over the course of the next few days. “It all depends on weather. I think it’s supposed to be pretty calm like today, like five and seven mile per hour winds, so it’s a little bit of placement golf on a few of the holes out here. So just finding the fairways and taking advantage of some of the shorter holes and hit some wedges close,” she said.

“If there’s no wind out here I definitely think there will be a lot of low scores. But if it’s like yesterday, no.”

The winner of the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Thompson said the stacked field will bring out the best in each golfer.

“I don’t feel any extra pressure honestly. We’re all such amazing players and we put in the work, and I’m just out here doing what I love and trying my best every time I tee it up,” she said, “No matter what place that gets me or ranking, I know I’m putting 100 percent in.”

Henderson will compete in the Bahamas for the third time, but has never finished among the top 20.

“You know, this course looks a lot different than it has. I actually played two years ago too. I won the Monday qualifier, but it looks a lot different and looks a lot more scorable. I think I was a little bit intimidated by it. But it looks like if the wind stays down a lot of birdies can be made and a low score. So hopefully everything goes my way this week and I get a Top 10 or finish high,” she said, “I’m really excited. I’ve had a lot of practice the last few weeks, so to finally get into tournament mode and on the LPGA is really exciting, and no better place to do it than here in the Bahamas. So hopefully I’ll play well this week and hopefully see my name on top of the leaderboard.”

Henderson last won at the KPMG PGA Championship. There are 13 major championship winners in the field for the tournament with a total of 25 major titles.

“You know, I’d love to get a few more wins and move my world ranking up a little bit. Being number two last year, you know, and then slipping back to eight kind of ‑‑ it’s a good feeling to be number two so I’m trying to get back there and repeat that,” she said, “But, you know, just consistency overall in my game and just enjoying it because I’m living my dream life and every day playing against the best players in the world.”

Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim and past winners Sei Young Kim, Ilhee Lee will all compete in the field this week.

For Rolle, it would be her fourth time competing at the event and carrying the mantle for the Bahamas.

“It means a lot for me to play but I think as the years go by and my Fourteen Golf Club grows, more of the younger players are looking up to me as a role model and so I think that’s why it becomes more important, not necessarily for me as a player being in the event, but for me as the coach of the Fourteen Club,” she said, “So that’s what makes it huge and important.”

Tee time is at 7:05am and admission is free to all spectators. The live telecast on the Golf Channel will air from 11:30am-2:30pm.