Jutanugarn rides wind into LPGA Lotte field

Close to a year after a record performance at Ko Olina, Ariya Jutanugarn played her way back into the Lotte Championship on Sunday.

Jutanugarn took advantage of relatively calm conditions to fire a 64 in the first round of last year’s tournament. The winds whipped through Ko Olina at full ferocity in Sunday’s qualifying round and her 2-over-par 74 was good enough to secure a tee time for Wednesday’s opening round of the LPGA’s stop in Hawaii.

"It’s crazy windy," Jutanugarn said. "It was really hard to play today.

"I wanted to play even. …Today, 2 over is pretty good for me. I had a one really bad hole, two birdies and (played) really consistent today."

Rachel Rohanna, a second-year pro from Pennsylvania, matched Jutanugarn’s 74 to secure one of the two berths available in the qualifier.

The qualifier drew 14 entrants and three local golfers — Mariel Galdiano, Mari Chun and Brittany Fan — were in contention but finished their rounds at 76.

Jutanugarn qualified for last year’s Lotte Championship as a 17-year-old and led after the first round with her then-tournament record. The teenager from Thailand followed with a 75 and closed with two rounds in the 60s to place third at 15 under. Jutanugarn’s record was eclipsed in the final round by a 62 shot by Lizette Salas, who then lost to Suzann Pettersen in a playoff.

Jutanugarn’s showing in Hawaii was the third of her five top-four finishes in 2013, but her season ended abruptly when she injured her shoulder during a practice round in June. She had surgery in July and worked back gradually, taking only half swings for about seven months. Her recovery kept her from finishing LPGA Q-school and she’s adjusted her swing to compensate for her shoulder.

Jutanugarn said she’s "getting more and more comfortable. But it’s still not normal like last year."

Rohanna, 23, also managed her way through Sunday’s gusts to extend her first visit to Hawaii.

"You have to be patient and that’s the hardest thing in golf, regardless of the weather," said Rohanna, a second-year pro who played her college golf at Ohio State and is a member of the Symetra Tour. "I did that very well today. I wasn’t making any long putts, but I was making a lot of short putts, which kept my confidence up."

Rohanna finished her round with her lone birdie of the day, rolling in a 20-foot putt from the back of the green on No. 18.

"I was thinking just give it a chance because I don’t want to look back and regret leaving it short or not giving it my full effort," Rohanna said. "I said it’s probably all or nothing on this putt."

Chun, a Kamehameha and Stanford graduate now based in Georgia, finished her round with an even longer birdie putt. Her last stroke travelled over 60 feet from just off the front of the green and fell into the cup to cap her round.

Chun, winner of last year’s Hawaii State Women’s Open, has been playing events on the Canadian Tour and on mini-tours and flew home to take a shot at qualifying this week.

"This is a special treat for me," she said.