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LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship: Ko wins again at Lake Merced

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Photo credit: @1NewsSportNZ

By Jeremy Harness

DALY CITY, Calif. – Celebrating one’s 21st birthday is a huge deal here in the United States, as Lydia Ko acknowledged on Friday. Winning a professional golf tournament days after turning 21 will make the milestone much more significant.

That’s what Ko did on Sunday, as she powered past Minjee Lee on the first playoff hole to win the LPGA MEDIHEAL championship at Lake Merced Golf Club. It was her 15th-career win and the third time she has been victorious on this golf course.

She got the victory in spectacular fashion. From a little more than 230 yards away, with both players in the fairway at the par-5 18th, Ko pulled out a 3-wood and hit a stunning second shot, coming within inches of a double eagle before the ball came to rest just two feet past the hole.

Following that, Lee elected to go with a long iron from a little more than 200 yards away and pushed it to the right, ending up in the rough. Just as she did at the final hole in regulation, she got up and down for birdie.

Ko then rolled the ensuing short eagle putt to secure the win, her first since the 2016 Marathon Classic.

Lee started the final round three shots behind the lead, but after a bogey at the third, she made a charge and overcame another bogey at the 10th to tie Ko at the top when she made birdie at the par-5 15th.

That was short-lived, as Ko tapped in for birdie at No. 15, after coming within inches of an eagle. Lee, however, came right back two holes later at the par-3 17th, as she holed out from the right greenside bunker for a birdie and momentarily took a one-shot lead with her birdie at the 18th, one group ahead of Ko.

Ko played the hole masterfully, leaving her second shot just 10 feet short of the green. Her ensuing chip shot – for eagle and the win – just burned the edge of the hole, and her tap-in birdie forced the playoff with Lee, who has also won at Lake Merced, in the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.

Jessica Korda began Sunday just one shot behind Ko, but her putter deserted her down the stretch and proved to be the difference.

Korda and Ko were tied at nine-under after 11 holes, and both hit the green at the par-3 12th. While Ko made par, Korda three-putted the green for a bogey.

Two holes later, she found the right fairway bunker with her tee shot but recovered beautifully by sticking her second shot to two feet. However, she missed the short putt that would have closed the gap to a single stroke.

Although she birdied the par-5 15th, Korda could not recover from that point on. She finished the tournament in a four-way tie for third with Angel Yin, ShanShan Feng and Charley Hull.

Ko began Sunday’s round with a one-stroke lead over Korda, but both young women struggled in the early going. Both bogeyed the opening hole before Ko bogeyed the fourth – her first three-putt of the tournament being the main culprit there – as well as the sixth, and at that point, she fell one stroke behind Korda and Lee, who birdied the seventh hole to get into a tie for the lead.

However, Ko bounced back with a birdie at the seventh to get back into a tie at the top. That lasted for about a minute, as Korda also made birdie there to re-take the lead.

LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship: Ko jumps back on top

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Photo credit: @nzgolf

By Jeremy Harness

DALY CITY, Calif. — Three years after she last won on this course, Lydia Ko is again in the top spot in the LPGA Tour’s return to the Bay Area.

After falling out of the lead in the second round after being tied for it after Thursday’s action, Ko shot a five-under round of 67 to vault herself into a one-shot advantage on Saturday.

To do it, she powered through the front nine by going three-under before having to settle for a bogey at the par-four 10th hole – she also bogeyed the 10th on Thursday. She bounced right back at the very next hole and made birdie, also as was the case in the opening round.

She then parred the next three holes before recording back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th holes to get to 11-under for the tournament.

“I’m happy with the way I played,” Ko said. “I know there’s still a lot of golf to be played, so I’ve just got to stay positive and confident out there and just continue playing my game and not worry about what everyone else is doing.” One stroke behind her is Friday’s leader, Jessica Korda, who had a tougher start to her third round than was the case in the previous two. She birdied the first hole but bogeyed two of the next three before getting some ground back with a birdie at the seventh.

Korda was also victimized by the 10th hole, as she came away with a bogey but rallied with birdies at the 13th and the 15th to turn in a one-under card of 71.

“Today was definitely tough, the wind was picking up in the afternoon,” Korda said. “I’m not sure what golf course Lydia was playing, but she played great. I’m excited for tomorrow.” “Today I was trying to be a little bit aggressive, and it got in my way a little bit.”

The two will be paired together for Sunday’s final round, but only three strokes behind is Minjee Lee, who fired a four-under 68 on Saturday. She exchanged a bogey for a birdie on the front side, but she went on a tear on the back nine.

She made five birdies against only one bogey for the final nine holes to give herself a realistic chance to win as well.

“I don’t know what the conditions will be like tomorrow, but I’m sure either way it’s going to be an exciting finish,” Lee said. “I think I’m in a great position.

“I go into every week thinking I’m going to post a great score. If I keep putting myself in contention and in position, then the win will come eventually.”

LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship: Korda takes lead, Kerr makes cut on miracle chip-in

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By Jeremy Harness

DALY CITY, Calif. – Friday’s second round was full of low scores and breathtaking, edge-of-your-seat shots, to take the overall lead as well to just make the cut in order to stick around for the weekend.

Jessica Korda used a blistering front nine to shoot out to the outright lead after two rounds at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club.

Korda, who turned pro eight years ago and whose last win came at the 2015 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, recorded four birdies on the front side with no bogeys. Her only setback of the day came at the par-four 11th hole, where she missed the green and could not get up and down to drop a shot.

However, she had two birdies on the back side to minimize the damage, and she made her way to the clubhouse with a one-shot lead after a round of 67.

“I knew I was going to get certain bounces that weren’t going to be favorable as the greens got firmer during the afternoon, (but I) stayed patient and stayed with the process, and here we are,” Korda said. “It’s only Friday. Still two more days to go. Out here, you just never know.”

Annie Park, who fired a six-under 66 on Friday, is one shot behind Korda at eight-under for the tournament, while Lydia Ko is only two shots behind at six-under after shooting a two-under round of 70.

Cristie Kerr is not near the leaderboard, but she did make the cut – set at two-over par – in a quite-spectacular way.

As she approached the 18th green, things appeared to be coming to a frustrating close for Kerr. After reaching the par-5 15th green in two shots, she three-putted the green to settle for a par, and after rallying for a birdie at the 16th, she found the greenside bunker at the next hole and bogeyed after failing to get up and down.

Kerr found herself between two greenside bunkers on the right side of the 18th green after pushing her second shot. Only able to see the top of the flag from where her ball sat, her pitch shot rolled until the ball found itself into the hole for an eagle to make the cut on the number.

She could not see the ball once it landed on the green, but the loud roar of the crowd – as well as her caddie telling her that it went in – prompted Kerr, who is also an accomplished winemaker to lay flat on the ground and throw her hands onto her head in a measure of exhalation of the moment.

That seemed to have residual effect for Ko, her Friday playing partner. Although she fell out of the lead on Friday, she still showed every sign of having fun playing the game – her trademark – and quickly followed up Kerr’s heroics with a chip-in of her own for a birdie.

“Cristie’s obviously the top example of just never giving up until the very end,” Ko said. “I think I was more pumped for Cristie’s eagle that I was like, ‘Man, you need to focus, you have a tough chip here.’”

LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship: Ko gets re-acquainted with Lake Merced, shares lead

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Photo credit: @USGA

By Jeremy Harness

DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko really likes this course, apparently.

Ko, who won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in each of the first two years that it was held here–2014 and 2015-prior to the event being relocated to Taiwan, got out to a strong start on Thursday, posting a four-under round of 68 to open the MEDIHEAL Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club.

That was good enough to get her into a five-way tie for the lead with players such as Jessica Korda and Caroline Hedwall.

“It’s a golf course where nobody goes super low, so you just have to (continue) to play solid and be patient out there, and sometimes par’s not a bad score,” said Ko, who celebrated her 21st birthday on Tuesday. “I think I hit a lot of greens, so I think I’m giving myself as many opportunities for birdies (as possible).

“I don’t think I feel a huge difference, but I know turning 21 is a huge thing in the U.S.,” she said. “So I’m legal, and I can do some fun things now.”

To be exact, Ko hit 16 of the possible 18 greens on Thursday–including each of the first nine that saw her go four-under on the front side–to go along with 11 of 14 fairways.

Jessica Korda also got out to a hot start to shoot four-under, which included an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole. Her only blemish came at the 10th, where she missed the green and ended up with a bogey.

She rebounded quickly, however, parring the ensuing four holes before birdieing two of the last three.

“I didn’t hit a ton of great shots, but I always left myself in a good position,” said Korda, whose younger sister, Nelly, played in one of the late groups along with So Yeon Ryu and Lexi Thompson. “It was really cold out there, so it was good that I stuck to my process.

“Obviously the score says one thing, and my hands say another.”

Speaking of Thompson, she birdied two of the last four holes to finish with a three-under round of 69, which has her tied for second with three others. To make her round more impressive, she was one of the last ones to play on Thursday, meaning that she had to endure the cold, consistent wind that this area is well known for late in the day.

“This course is very challenging, especially when the wind picks up,” said Thompson, who had two LPGA Tour wins last year. “It’s chilly out (there), so it’s a little longer of a course.

“Some of the par-5’s are reachable, so you try to take advantage of that, but pars were good, and just take the birdie chances as you can get them.”

Belt homers, but Giants fall to Diamondbacks 3-1

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By Jeremy Harness

Brandon Belt picked up where he left off on Thursday. Unfortunately, the rest of his teammates did not.

The San Francisco Giants could not follow up on their dramatic extra-innings win from the night before, and the Arizona Diamondbacks came back to claim the three-game series with a 3-1 win over the Giants inside of Chase Field Thursday night.

The solo home run that Belt hit in the top of the second inning would be the only real mistake that Arizona starter Zack Greinke made. The right-hander gave up only that one on three hits over seven solid innings.

Meanwhile, Ty Blach had a solid outing himself, but it was not enough to offset Greinke’s. The lefty went six innings and surrendered a pair of run on six runs, walking three and striking out four.

The Diamondbacks tied the game when Davis Peralta’s single scored Jeff Mathis in the third, and then they took the lead for good three innings later, when A.J. Pollock launched a solo homer into the stands in left-center off Blach.

After Blach exited the game, Ketel Marte took reliever Reyes Moronta deep with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.

The Giants’ bullpen was otherwise solid, as Moronta and Sam Dyson combined to give up only that one hit over two innings. Unfortunately, the G9iants could not come through at the plate, as Arizona’s bullpen picked up where Greinke left off.

Two Diamondbacks relievers gave up only a pair of hits over the last two innings and struck out four hitters.

The Giants begin a new three-game set Friday night. Game 1 between the Giants and Angels is scheduled for 7:07 pm PT.

Giants hold on for 4-3 win over Diamondbacks

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By Jeremy Harness

Say one thing about the Giants: They certainly have resilience about them.

They survived a blown save in the bottom of the ninth, rallying in the very next inning to down the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3, at Chase Field Wednesday to even this three-game series at a game apiece.

With the win, the Giants snapped a four-game losing streak and collected their first win of the season inside of Chase Field.

“That was a hard-fought game,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Our bats were a lot better tonight. I thought we were a lot more selective and didn’t chase (bad pitches). The guys did a great job of battling up there.

Brandon Belt, who has been moved up and down the lineup this season as Bochy has searched for answers, hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning to put the Giants ahead, before they held on and withstood an Arizona rally in the bottom of the inning to get the much-needed win.

Another bright spot has been Evan Longoria, who had a miserable start to the season at the plate. He has since worked his batting average to a respectable .241 and tagged starter Robbie Ray for a two-run homer in the sixth inning to give the Giants a 2-0 lead while also going 3-for-4 on Wednesday.

Starter Chris Stratton had one of his finest outings of the year, going seven innings and giving up only a run on five hits, collective eight strikeouts and did not walk a single batter.

“He did a terrific job,” Bochy said. “He was throwing very well. With Stratton, the way he’s throwing the ball, not just this year but (also) the end of last year, he’s one of our (starters).

Andrew McCutchen also had a multi-hit game for the Giants, going 2-for-5 while stealing a base and also scoring a run.

The Giants and Dbacks conclude the three-game set Thursday night at 6:40 pm PT.

Suddenly surging Giants to face Dodgers again

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By Jeremy Harness

The last time the San Francisco Giants saw the Los Angeles Dodgers, Joe Panik was the only one in a Giants uniform to generate any offense.

The second baseman accomplished a rare feat by hitting solo home runs in consecutive 1-0 wins to start the 2018 season, but the lack of offense caught up to the Giants last Saturday and Sunday, and the Dodgers were able to rally and get a split of the four-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Lefty Derek Holland will take the hill for Friday night’s series opener at AT&T Park opposite Dodgers righty Kenta Maeda, who shut out the Giants over five innings in a 5-0 win Saturday night.

Holland, meanwhile, was on the wrong side of that contest, as he gave up five runs – three earned – on three hits, walking three hitters and striking out four of them.

One thing that is drastically different for the Giants, which was nonexistent in the opening series of the season, is the offense. The Giants split a two-game series at home against Seattle, during which they scored 14 runs.

Even more remarkable was the 10-1 explosion Wednesday afternoon, most of those runs coming against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez. The day was punctuated in the fifth inning, when Pablo Sandoval, noticeably trimmer than his days in Boston, launched a three-run homer into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field bleachers.

Things figure to be a little tougher against Dodgers pitching, as Rich Hill will take the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday, as he faces Chris Stratton. To close out the series, Ty Blach will hope to follow up his stellar effort in the season opener in beating Clayton Kershaw head-to-head, and he will be opposite Kershaw again on Sunday.

Blach outduels Kershaw; Giants take opener 1-0

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By Jeremy Harness

The Giants appeared to have the look of a team that was basically up on a tee for the Dodgers to smack around, particularly on Opening Day.

Someone apparently forgot to tell Ty Blach and the rest of the pitching staff, which combined to shut down the Dodgers Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, 1-0.

Blach went five innings and gave up only three hits to a lineup that was only one game away from winning the World Series, while also striking out three and walking three. From that point, the Giants utilized four relievers, including fill-in closer Hunter Strickland, to keep Los Angeles off the scoreboard for four more innings.

“He’s got a great makeup about him,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We were very confident that he was going to give us a chance to win, which he did. That’s why we picked him to go on Opening Day.”

In the process, Blach got the best of Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who gave up a run on eight hits, walking two and striking out seven.

Second baseman Joe Panik fired the shot that separated the two teams and provided the difference. In the fifth inning, he got an inside fastball from Kershaw and sent it into the seats beyond the short fence in right field for a solo homer.

“That’s what this game is about, it about competing,” Blach said. “I love the opportunity to go up against one of the best in the league. It’s a great opportunity, and I loved every minute of it.”

Giants’ season set to get underway in Los Angeles against the Dodgers

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By Jeremy Harness

After the Giants concluded the annual pre-season Bay Bridge series with the A’s, the Giants had a day off Wednesday and are now preparing to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles to kick off the 2018 season on Thursday.

However, one thing will be glaringly different about the way the Giants look on the field for Opening Day. Madison Bumgarner has consistently been the team’s Opening Day starter, but due to his suffering a broken metacarpal on his left hand, he will not be out there Thursday.

Instead, it will be fellow lefty Ty Blach to take the hill for the Giants opposite Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw.

Blach earned the Opening Day start almost by default, as Jeff Samardzija suffered a pectoral strain and will miss his first scheduled start of the year. However, he is reportedly expected to test out the strain on Wednesday, to gauge how much time he expects to miss.

If that’s not enough, the Giants have another injury concern on the mound, and it surrounds closer Mark Melancon. He last pitched March 23, and there is growing concern that he’s not fully back from the forearm surgery that he had in September.

The rosters need to be turned in by 8:30 a.m. Thursday, sand there is a strong possibility that Melancon will be placed on the disabled list along with Bumgarner and Samardzija.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, don’t have nearly as many injury issues, but they do have one. Third baseman Justin Turner was hit by a pitch by A’s righty Kendall Graveman about a week ago and suffered a broken wrist as a result, and he will miss significant time.

Johnny Cueto will start Friday night for the Giants, as he goes up against Dodgers lefty Alex Wood.

Giants to start 2018 season with patchwork rotation

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By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants spent a great deal of time–and money–upgrading their lineup in the field. Meanwhile, the once-vaunted rotation has begun to fall apart.

The most glaring absence is that of Madison Bumgarner, who suffered a fracture in his left hand after getting hit by a line drive Friday and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks as a result.

Enter Derek Holland, who started Monday’s game for the Giants and had his longest and overall best outing of the spring but was marred by a pair of solo home runs in a 9-2 loss to the A’s at AT&T Park.

Holland gave up only two runs on four hits over five innings and cruised through the first two innings without much issue. However, he made a huge location mistake in the third, and Matt Chapman made him pay for it immediately. He left a fastball over the plate waist-high, and Chapman drove it into the left-field seats to tie the game at 1-1.

Two innings later, he made the same mistake to Mark Canha, and the result was just as damaging. Holland could only watch as the ball disappeared into the seats in center field as the Giants fell behind, 2-1.

All in all, it has been a productive spring for Holland, who was a non-roster invitee to spring training who has been penciled in as part of the Giants’ starting rotation when the season starts. The former Ranger, who spent last season with the White Sox, had a 4.20 ERA entering Monday but showed very good command of the strike zone, which is what the Giants are looking for.

To make room for Holland on the roster, the Giants released outfielder Jarrett Parker.

He will take the mound for the Giants for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, assuming the spot originally saved for Jeff Samardjiza, who has a strained pectoral muscle and will be out for the next 10 days, thus missing his first scheduled start of the year.

As the Giants head into Opening Day, the rotation is expected to look like this: right-hander Johnny Cueto, lefty Ty Blach, Holland and righty Chris Stratton.

After trailing by a run after seven innings, the Giants rallied in their half of the eighth and tied the game when Gorkys Hernandez sprinted home on a wild pitch.

The game eventually went into extra innings, but Oakland dropped a seven-spot in the 10th to even up this annual Bay Bridge series.