After missing playoff by a shot, Gabi Ruffels posts 64 in LPGA tournament
She missed out on a playoff five days ago by a stroke. She posted her career-low round on the LPGA on Thursday.
Gabi Ruffels’ game is rounding into form in her 26th start in the big leagues.
Ruffels shot an 8-under 64 at Seville Golf and Country Club, host venue for the inaugural Ford Championship, to tie for the clubhouse lead after the early wave in the first round on a sunny day in Gilbert. Ruffels rebounded nicely from her lone bogey on No. 7 with three straight birdies on Nos. 8 through 10. Her eagle came on the par-5 fifth hole.
“I wish I knew, because I would want to take it every week with me,” the Aussie said when asked about how she’s maintaining momentum. “Just having that confidence knowing that I played well last week and everything in my game felt really well and then just doing the same things, not thinking too much about it and riding with the confidence.”
The 2019 U.S. Amateur champ shot a 65 last Saturday near Los Angeles but a closing 70 kept her one shot shy of a playoff with Nelly Korda and Ryann O’Toole. Korda, in the field this week and back in the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, won the event on the first playoff hole.
Swinging on the west coast
As for Ruffels, the West Coast swing seems to be suiting her just fine this season.
“My parents live in Palm Springs and I spend a lot of time there. It’s very similar climate-wise and the feel, that dry weather,” she said. “I’ve played probably a lot of my golf in the past five or six years in Palm Springs, so, yeah, I love Phoenix. Kind of the same feel and feels like home I guess.”
Ruffels’ lone professional win came 11 months ago on the Epson Tour at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa.
Azahara Munoz of Spain, who played collegiately at Arizona State, was the first in with a 64. She also eagled the fifth hole.
“It’s been a while,” she said of her low round. “I’ve had a few 5-, 6-under, but not 8-under, which is really, really nice. Yeah, makes me happy to know that I can still do it.”
Germany’s Isi Gabsa later made it a three-way tie for the lead when she posted 64, including four straight birdies on holes 14-18.
Mom time
The last mom to win on the LPGA was Stacy Lewis at the 2020 Scottish Open. This week, there are nine mothers teeing it up in the seventh tournament on the LPGA’s 2024 schedule.
That includes Lindsey Weaver-Wright, who played high school golf in Cave Creek Cactus Shadows and completed her college career at Arizona.
Weaver-Wright is playing in her first LPGA event since she became a mom to son Crew on Dec. 17. She opened her week with a bogey-free, 4-under 68.
“I didn’t really know what to expect, so I just went into the whole week with very little expectation,” she said. “Got a lot going on in my mind right now. Yeah, Crew was just, it’s so funny just getting his texts from daycare, updates after the round. I just love it. My husband is updating me and he gets all the notifications, too.”
Her last shot in her last tournament before taking leave last October was a hole-out eagle.
There are 10 moms in all, including Munoz, whose son just turned two, as well as Sophia Popov and Caroline Masson, who each played as a parent for the first time a week ago. Also: Brittany Lincicome, Stacy Lewis, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Mel Reid and Hee Young Park.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gabi Ruffels shoots career-low 64 on Gilbert course at LPGA tournament
