CME Group Tour Championship notebook: Kaufman battles mononucleosis while sharing lead
Kim Kaufman will have a strong excuse if she falters in the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday.
The slender South Dakota native has been battling mononucleosis for the past six weeks and arrived at the Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort on Monday thinking she wasn't going to miss an opportunity at a big-money, no-cut event.
Kaufman proceeded to open with 70-72, and then Saturday fashioned an 8-under-par 64 to reach 10 under and share the third-round lead with Michelle Wie, Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen.
“I played the first three events in Asia and I was just sick, with no appetite,” Kaufman said. “I got to a point where I didn’t warm up, I was so tired and I would go take a nap.”
Kaufman’s ill-fated journey started in Malaysia with tiredness and diagnosis, treatment and rest in tiny Clark, South Dakota, and now one round away from fame in Naples.
The spotlight is not something Kaufman is accustomed to handling. She has never won and has eight career top-10s including a tie for sixth in Toledo this summer. She is 63rd on the LPGA money list with $273,374 after finishing 53rd a year ago.
“I planned to play at Blue Bay in China but I found out the night before I had mono so I went home and rested for two weeks,” she said. “I feel great, but I’m a little bit shaky actually, which isn’t great out there.
“I was unable to hit balls in South Dakota, it was like 20 degrees up there. I was definitely rusty at the start of the week but we’re getting it back. You know, with mono you just need rest and that’s all I’ve been doing. Nap, eat dinner and go to bed.”
Kaufman never paid attention to the leaderboard until the final hole Saturday.
“It’s nice to start the day in the middle of the pack and then put yourself in the hunt,” she said. “Sometimes your best weeks when you play are when you get in late, don’t practice and just get out there and play.”
The key to Kaufman’s round was a birdie on No. 15 from the far left in the pine straw and sand.
“I hit it to about a foot for a birdie and it kept me going,” she said. “Then I birdied 17, kept me going for sure.”
More good TV ratings: Friday's overnight ratings on Golf Channel were the highest for a second round since the tournament in Indianapolis in September and 33 percent higher than last year's second-round ratings.
Martin struggles: The scorecard says Naples resident Mo Martin, who plays out of The Club Pelican Bay, had a 1-over 73 on Saturday. She didn't feel like it, though, again with some putts that simply wouldn't fall.
"It's tough," said Martin, who made two birdies and three bogeys and is tied for 36th at 4 under. "A lot of tough hole locations today. I just got on the funny sides of them."
PNC Family Clinic: LPGA-USGA Girls Golf had over 100 junior golfers on the driving range for the clinic Saturday afternoon.
There were five stations focusing on the "E's" of girls golf -- Engage, Energize, Empower, Exercise, and Enrich.
PNC Bank made a $5,000 donation to the organization.
“The PNC Family Clinic hosted by LPGA-USGA girls golf brought together over 100 youth golfers from the Southwest Florida community for a fun engaging afternoon of golf," tournament director Matt Hilliker said.
LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan and tour player Madelene Sagstrom also appeared at the clinic.
CME Group Cares Weekends: The season-long charitable giving program that turns eagles into donations -- with the amount increasing from $1,000 per eagle during the season to $5,000 this weekend.
Austin Ernst eagled No. 17, So Yeon Ryu eagled No. 14, and In-Kyung Kim did it in style, making an ace on No. 12 for an eagle.
The money raised will go towards a charitable pool and be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project and Bright Pink.
Ernst closes strong: South Carolina’s Austin Ernst is among the group of seven players in second at 9 under par and she figures the final round will be crazy.
“It will be how today was where you need to make a lot of birdies,” Ernst said. “It’s anyone’s game at this point.”
Ernst finished with a 3-under-par 69 but the story of her round was a quadruple-bogey on the 12th hole.
“It was one bad swing with the driver and the ball was right up against the lip of a bunker,” Ernst said. “So I banked it off the lip and it plugged somehow. Then chunked it from there, chunked it again, got on the green and two-putted.”
But Ernst came back. She eagled No. 17, hitting a 5-iron to six feet, and drained a 25-foot par putt on No. 18.
"I was really good coming in," she said.
How Swede it is: Pernilla Lindberg and rookie Madeline Sagstrom of Sweden played together for the first time and both remained in a strong position, tied for second and 23rd, respectively.
Lindberg shot a 71 after opening with 69-67 to join the group at 9 under par with a final-hole bogey while Sagstrom shot a 74 Saturday to drop to 6 under par after opening with 68-68.
“One bad swing on No. 18 with the ball in the water was tough but I was happy to get up and down from there for bogey,” Lindberg said
“I’m not happy with the round, no flow to it and I hit my irons bad,” Sagstrom said. “But it was fun playing with Pernilla for the first time after a few practice rounds together.”
Sports Editor Greg Hardwig contributed to this article.
