News
Bradley, Moxness Lead Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open
For Immediate Release
May 3, 2022
Media Contact:
David Bataller, Director of Communications
(602) 944-3035 | [email protected]
PAT BRADLEY, BARB MOXNESS (-11) TAKE FIRST ROUND LEAD AT INAUGURAL MARILYNN SMITH ARIZONA WOMEN’S OPEN
18th hole eagle puts duo one stroke up on Pat Hurst and Wendy Ward heading into final round
MESA – World Golf Hall of Famer Pat Bradley and partner Barb Moxness posted a -11 (61) in the first round of the inaugural Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open’s Senior Division Tuesday at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa. Playing a two-person Scramble format, Bradley and Moxness eagled the closing 18th hole to take a one-shot lead over Pat Hurst and Wendy Ward into the final round.
“Barb hit a great drive, and she hit a great second shot in to about 20-25 feet,” said Bradley, the Team USA Solheim Cup Captain in 2000. “I stood over it and I told Barb, ‘I’m not going to be short on this.’ And I found the right speed and the right line and it went into the hole for eagle.”
Hurst and Ward recorded five birdies on each side to go out and come back in matching 31’s. Birdies on 17 and 18 gave the team solo second place and positive vibes heading into Wednesday’s play.
“Wendy and I definitely ham and egged it pretty well out there,” said Hurst, last year’s Team USA Solheim Cup Captain in Ohio. “We both hit it well, we both putted well, and if we were out on one hole the other one was in. We played pretty well together.”
The team of Brandie Burton and Sandra Palmer is currently tied for third with Lisa DePaulo and Rosie Jones at -8 (64). Burton and Palmer recorded back-to-back birdies to close out the round, giving the duo momentum going into tomorrow’s Four-Ball portion of the event. DePaulo and Jones made four birdies on each side on a clean scorecard for their 64.
But no one could keep up with the white-hot duo of Bradley and Moxness, a 10-year member of the LPGA Tour. They birdied holes five through nine to go out in 29, and then played the last four holes of their round in -4, capped by the eagle on 18. Building momentum and sustaining it was key to the standout round.
“I think we jelled really well – we stayed in the game together and gave ourselves choices, gave ourselves chances,” said Bradley, who has 36 professional wins in her illustrious career. “Barb made some beautiful putts on the front side, and then we got hot on the back with the last four holes.”
Named for LPGA Co-Founder Marilynn Smith, the Arizona Women’s Open’s Senior Division brought out 48 of the country’s best professional and amateur players, competing for a $10,000 first prize and $30,000 total purse. Bradley spoke for many of the players in detailing what brought her to Mesa for the inaugural event.
“Marilynn is one of our role models that we looked up to on the LPGA Tour,” said Bradley, a six-time major winner on the LPGA Tour. “She’s a Founder. If it wasn’t for Marilynn Smith and her friends, we would not have the careers that we had. So, we are grateful that the Arizona Golf Association put this together and put Marilynn Smith’s name upon it. We are both honored to be here in honor of Marilynn.”
“She’s one of our Founders and she has this vision for giving back to the game like we all do,” said Ward, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour. “She’s taken it to a whole other level and raising money for scholarships for girls to get to have the same opportunities that we did, it just brings it full circle to be able to give back.”
The public is invited out to Longbow Golf Club to watch tomorrow’s final round free of charge. Click Here for a live leaderboard and final round pairings.
About Longbow Golf Club
Longbow Business Park and Golf Club is a 330-acre, mixed-use development, being developed by Daedalus Real Estate Advisors, that incorporates office, light industrial, retail, hotel and residential uses surrounded by desert vegetation, a main street transportation design and features the award-winning Longbow Golf Club. Troon managed Longbow Golf Club was originally designed by Ken Kavanaugh in 1997. In 2003, Daedalus commissioned Kavanaugh to execute a complete redesign of the golf course creating a complete refresh layout. For more information on Longbow Golf Club, visit longbowgolf.com or call (480) 807-5400.
About Arizona Golf Association
The Arizona Golf Association has been serving amateur golfers in Arizona since 1923 when it held the first State Amateur Championship. Today, it is licensed by the United States Golf Association to provide handicapping and course rating services to member clubs, to provide tournament and rules expertise and to oversee the application of amateur status.