It’s official. 13-year LPGA Tour member, American Cristie Kerr is the first two-time winner at Kingsmill with a winning score of 69-63-66-70 Total 268 (16-under-par). This week’s victory is Kerr’s 12th. Finishing two strokes back from Kerr was runner-up In-Kyung Kim, who finished up the week 14-under-par 270 to pick up her second runner-up finish in her career.
LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, role model to many of our Team VTech team members celebrated Mother’s Day with a share of 11th-place on Sunday at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill.
Congrats to Team VTech’s Becky Morgan who finished T20 (73-69-70-68 Total 280), Diana D’Alessio, T39 (69-72-72-71 Total 284), and Alena Sharp, T55 (73-69-72-74 Total 288).
This week Team VTech moves on from the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Virginia to the Sybase Classic Presented by ShopRite in Upper Montclair C.C. in Clifton, N.J.
On May 14th-17th, Three time winner and 2008 Champion Lorena Ochoa, along with 143 of the top female golfers in the world vie for $2 million and the title, Champion.
Grand Prize Winner will receive Roundtrip arifare for four, hotel accommodations, transportation and a meet-and-greet with several Team VTech LPGA Golfers.
Disclaimer: VTech can provide tickets to ALL LPGA events, excluding USGA events (i.e., The U.S. Open)
As the Michelob ULTRA Open slowly winds to a close with Lindsey Wright and Cristie Kerr both on top of the leaderboard tied for first (Lorena Ochoa has slipped to 5th place ) as we head into the final round of competition, Team VTech finds three of its members still in play. Becky Morgan T39 (73-69-70 Total 212), Diana D’Aleesio T48 (69-72-72 Total 213) and Alena Sharp T51 (73,69,72 Total 214). Alena Sharp has also sunk her second hole in one in competition.
And though their razor sharp focus is always on golf! Team VTech takes time out today to wish their mother’s a Happy Mother’s Day with a special thank you to their female role models.
ALENA SHARP:
Alena didn’t really have a female role model growing up. Looking back she realizes how great and hard working her mom was. ” She would work all day and then come home and put dinner on the table.We didn’t eat out a lot like most people do now a days.I respect her for that.” In the world of golf, she looked up and wanted to be like Annika Sorenstam. “She was so dominate on the LPGA and she looked like she was having fun doing it.”
Her favorite LPGA golfer is Juli Inkster. Having played with Juli quite a few times, Alena remarks on how friendly and sarcastic she always is with her. ”She makes me laugh. She is not only a fierce competitor but she is a legend.” But it’s not only her golfing prowess that makes her so great. “She is also a very hip and cool mom.Check out her belts and her outfits off the golf course!”
For Mom:
I love my mom because she is supportive no matter what.She will always be there.She would do anything for my sisters and me.She gave up a lot to get me started on the right track to become a professional golfer.She is my biggest fan.I will never forget when she caddied for me in 2005 at the BMO Tour Championship.She gave up time from work and carried my bag around the Peterborough golf club.On the last hole I asked for her advice on a chip and she looked shocked, didn’t know what to say but of course she was positive and confident with my club selection, needless to say I bogied the hole but we won the tournament!
I just want to say thank you mom for always being there for me thru my successes and failures.It means a lot to me to have your support and love.Even though I am far away in Arizona most of the time, I constantly think about you and miss you.
I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan holds a special meaning for Alena and her mom. “When I went away to college she said that everytime she heard this song it reminded her of me being away as I went to school in New Mexico.”
There weren’t many sports highlighting female athletes on TV when Karen was growing up, so she didn’t really have a role model growing up. But she does recall going to an England women’s field hockey match and thinking “wow there is more to sports than what we do in school.” Now she looks up to women like Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher, both who are strong, highly intelligent and accomplished women, succeeding in a man’s world. “It doesn’t matter what their political views are, just the fact they were driven enough to do it.”
Her favorite LPGA golfer mirrors that of her teammate Alena.”My favourite LPGA golfer has to be Julie Inkster, she succeeded with both being a great champion and a mother.”
For Mom:
With regards to my mum, I feel amazingly blessed that I am her daughter, for allowing my sister and I to do anything we wanted to whether it was dance class, playing a musical Instrument, or sport. Mum always found a way to make it happen. Even when money was tight she saved and made sacrifice for us. I am immensely proud or my mum as she put on hold her dreams for our dreams but when the time was right she got her degree from the open university while working full time. Now that took a lot of hard work and determination.
So thank you mum for letting me grow to be the woman I am now. And thank you for being the best Nanna any daughter could have.
Love Karen and Logan
DIANA D’ALESSIO:
Betsy King was an awesome golfer and when Diana was growing up, she epitomized all that Dee wanted to be. “Successful at her job yet extremely humble.” These are qualities that she still admires. She looks up to people who are passionate and driven to be the best. “I want to know how they get up everyday and work at their craft so diligently. There are some days I just like to be lazy and those people don’t seem to have those days!” Currently she finds LPGA’s Rolex Ranked Number 1 golfer Lorena Ochoa to be a great role model. “She’s so generous and humble. She’s built a bunch of schools in Mexico to help the children of her country… she’s unbelievable.”
For Mom:
I love my mom cause she loves me unconditionally. And she has always supported me throughout my life. Whether it was a high school basketball game or a singing concert, she was always there. And it hasn’t stopped. She doesn’t get to as many tournaments as she’d like, but she’s my biggest supporter.
My mom has always had a lot on her plate. She has a full time job, she also teaches at a local college and she goes to school herself cause she loves to learn (crazy woman). She does all this while coping with the loss of my father in 2003. My mom is extremely courageous because I can only imagine how difficult it is to lose the person you love, but she lives each day to the fullest.
I love you so much. I’m so proud of you for taking everything in stride. I’ll see you Mother’s Day night!!
Love you, Diana
BECKY MORGAN:
There are those who are fortunate to have siblings and there are those who have siblings to look up to. Becky Morgan was the latter, having a twin sister who lead the way and taught her the ropes. “It was really fun growing up together.”
For Mom:
Unfortunately Becky’s mother passed away in 2000 after battling cancer, but notes that she was extremely strong and resilient. “ I was really proud of how she coped.”
Please have you and your loved ones checked today for any signs of cancer. Visit the American Cancer Society for more details.
Grand Prize Winner will receive Roundtrip arifare for four, hotel accommodations, transportation and a meet-and-greet with several Team VTech LPGA Golfers. Maybe you could take your mom??
Disclaimer: VTech can provide tickets to ALL LPGA events, excluding USGA events (i.e., The U.S. Open)
Off to a good start, the first round of the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill is now in the books. 144 of the world’s best female golfers have teed off at the River Course, including nine of the top-10 players in the current Rolex Rankings in this week’s stacked field. Four of the tournament’s six past champions are competing for a second trophy here.
WIth eight birdies and one bogey, Lorena Ochoa placed herself atop of the scoreboard at seven-under-par 64 after the first round. The 27-year-old is just one stroke shy of the tournament record score of 63. Sitting one stroke back is Australian native Lindsey Wright who carded a bogey free 6-under-par 65, matching her career-best-under-par.
The threesome in third place, Hee-Won Han, Sarah Lee and Minea Blomqvist, all turned in 5-under-par 66s.
Our Team VTechrankings after the first round are currently: Diana D’Alessio T41, Becky Morgan and Alena Sharp T52, Amy Hung T109, and Karen Stupples T133.
Check back to see you advances to the final round as the Michelob ULTRA Open continues.
With several weeks to rest and recover from her emergency appendectomy she had in March during the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, Team VTech’s Karen Stupples will make her return to competition at the 2009 Michelob ULTRA Open. And not a moment too soon as players vie for a chance at $2.2 million, one of the richest purses on the tour! We’ll watch in anticipation as last year’s champion Annika Sorenstam attempts to fend off world class competitors to once again capture another championship and the winner’s share of $330,000.
The Michelob ULTRA Open at the Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, VA (May 4-10th) has held the distinction of hosting one of the strongest player fields on the LPGA Tour over the past 7 years. In 2008, they hosted 50 of the top 50 players from the 2007 LPGA Official Money List and have been voted “Best Overall Event” and “Best Family Hospitality” on Tour by the LPGA players.
Held in historic Williamsburg, VA, on the River Course designed by Pete Dye, the 2009 Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill marks their seventh year as an LPGA Tour event and Kingsmill’s twenty-ninth year as a host to a professional golf tournament.(It served as a popular PGA Tour site for 22 years.)
Be sure to check back with Team VTech as competition commences.
Top ranked Lorena Ochoa earns her 26th career win as she defends her title at the Corona Championship at the Tres Marias Residential Golf Club in Mexico.
The final round saw Ochoa hold onto a one-stroke win over five-time LPGA Tour winner Suzann Pettersen. She held off Pettersen on Sunday to finish at 25-under-par 267, as the two slugged it out, never gaining more than a two-stoke lead over each other all day.
Ochoa’s walks away with $195,000 and her third victory at the Corona Championship.
Team VTech’sAlena Sharp finished tied for 26th place. Her final score was 7-under-par 285 (72-68-73-72).
Next up: Team VTech at the 6th Annual Michelob ULTRA Open on May 4-10th at Kingsmill Resort & Spa, River Course in Williamsburg, Virginia. With the now retired Annika Sorenstam unavailable to defend her title and her stake in the $2,200,000 purse, its anyone’s game.
*VTech’s Karen Stupples will make her anticipated return to the green.
A few weeks ago, we reported that Team VTech member Karen “Stups” Stupples was admitted to the hospital during the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International with an emergency appendectomy, which caused her to withdraw from competition.
We recently checked in to see how her recovery was going.
VTech: Hi Karen, how are you feeling?
Stups: Went to the doctor’s yesterday and everything went great! I’ve been given the all clear to practice. My plan is to start slowly with putting and chipping, progressing to pitching by the end of this week. I then plan to build up to drivers by the middle of next week. This is the plan but it is subject to change depending on how I feel with the work.
VTech: Can you tell us what happened back in March during the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International? When did you realize that something was wrong and you weren’t feeling well?
Stups:I started to feel ill on the Friday of J Golf in Phoenix. It started out as a feeling of being sick in the pit of my stomach. It was a dull ache at first and after a while, it didn’t feel any better. Then overnight the condition got worse. It became so severe that on Saturday morning, I could hardly hold a conversation with anyone. Anyone who knows me realized something was wrong when I couldn’t chat.
The pain had moved lower, past my stomach and I experienced some sharp pain. My husband Bobby suggested that I go to the hospital. He wasn’t sure that the pain I was experiencing should have been as bad as it was or lasted as long as it did.
VTech:What happened when you arrived at the hospital?
Stups: I had a cat scan and a few other tests but nothing showed up. I left the hospital hoping it was just some bad salsa. But the pain continued to worsen and eventually I developed a fever and had uncontrollable shaking. I immediately returned to the ER and this time there was no doubt that it was my appendix.
VTech:What did you think when they told you it was your appendix?
Stups: I don’t think I ever really believed it was my appendix until the first hospital suggested it might be, but the tests were inconclusive. In the middle of the Saturday night, when I was pacing around the house in pain, I decided to investigate and look it up on the Internet. I had all the signs and symptoms.
VTech:How did you feel about having the surgery? Were you nervous?
Stups:This was my first surgery and to be honest, it went really well. All I have to show for it are three little puncture wounds. How they got my appendix out through the little holes I will never know. The wonders of modern medicine!
VTech:How did you feel afterwards?
Stups: I felt better right away and I didn’t even need to take any pain med’s afterwards. I felt very lucky to have had the surgery before it burst.
VTech:How’s the recovery process been like?
Stups:My recovery’s been really fast. I don’t have any more bruises and my wounds are looking great.
VTech:How did you feel about missing your first tournament after the surgery?
Stups: It was tough to watch the Kraft Nabisco Championship. I felt I should have been playing. I love that course; it’s in such good condition. But, perhaps I needed the time to get myself together and spend a bit more time on my short game. I hope this downtime will yield good results in the future.
Team VTech is counting down the days till Karen Stupples returns to the green. She’ll be back in the swing of things on May 7th at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, VA.
