This result led not only to a solid share of the prize fund but also to an impressive leap in the Olympic “Rolex” ranking.
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The “Greater Toledo Classic” tournament this year became exceptional due to difficult weather conditions. Ohio borders Canada, and the massive forest fires that broke out in that country led to extremely heavy smoke, which also reached the competition venue. The concentration of micro-dust and particulate matter in the region had reached a dangerous level, so training did not take place on Thursday, and the first round was canceled on Friday.
With the situation slightly improved, the competition began on Saturday, and the athletes had to play two rounds instead of three in total.
G. B. Starkutė played the first round impressively – she completed 18 holes with 66 strokes (PAR -5). Together with two other athletes, the Lithuanian shared the leading position among 130 players after the first day.
Such an impressive performance also caught the attention of the “Epson” tour organizers. The Lithuanian athlete said in a video report that the lost day caused some concern, as the players lost the opportunity to train more on this course, but the Lithuanian did not idle and maintained her form in gyms.
“At that moment, I realized that I could only control what depended on me. We found an opportunity to train indoors, so I remained active. I started the competition calmly because all the players were in the same situation,” said G. B. Starkutė. “I saw that strong winds were forecast for the first day, but when you have a clear strategy and know your shot distances, you just need to focus on that and not let the wind throw you off rhythm.”
The second day was not as successful. G. B. Starkutė finished the round with 71 strokes, which is equal to the course PAR. However, the final two-day result of PAR -5 allowed her to finish in a high fourth position.
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“The first day was not bad. All parts of the game were good – shots to the greens, accurate putting. On the second day, mistakes began. There were many missed shots on the green. Although the short approach shots and putting were good, the overall finish was poor, especially compared to the successful first day,” said G. B. Starkutė.
The athlete did not hide that the wind had calmed down somewhat on the second day of the competition, but at the same time, smoke returned from Canada. However, the resulting smog was not very dangerous and did not affect the game.
Better results in the Ohio tournament were recorded by American Annabelle Pancake-Webb (PAR -9), Mexican Lauren Olivares (PAR -7), and American Mariel Galdano (PAR -7).
Fourth place in the tournament allowed G. B. Starkutė to return to her record 29th position in the “Epson” tour ranking. The top 15 players from this ranking will receive direct entries to the most prestigious LPGA tour. Athletes ranked 16-35 will advance to the final LPGA qualification stage.
In the latest Olympic world “Rolex” ranking, G. B. Starkutė climbed from 704th place to 621st. This is a new record position for the Lithuanian and one of the biggest jumps among all players.
The next stage of the “Epson” tour – “Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship presented by Munich Re” – will start on July 23 in Avon, Connecticut.
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