Cassie Porter came down with the flu the night before the first round of the Blue Bay LPGA. The LPGA rookie considered withdrawing but forged on to finish fourth in only her second career LPGA start. The Aussie jumped from 103rd to 29th on the CME points list.
“There is a lot of emotions right now,” said Porter, who finished 10 shots behind winner Rio Takeda, a fellow rookie. “Yeah, from Bradenton obviously having a rough week and then coming out here and doing well, just shows how crazy this game is; also like how awesome it can be as well.”
The 22-year-old earned her LPGA card via a 10th-place finish on the Epson Tour Race for the Card list and made her LPGA debut at the Founders Cup in Bradenton, Florida, where she shot 74-81 to miss the cut. Porter made only one birdie over the course of 36 holes that week.
“The first week in Bradenton I think it was all new and getting used to playing against people that you see on TV and all that kind of stuff,” said Porter. “That’s kind of a shock to the system as much as I didn’t really want to admit it.”
Porter had longtime coach Dan Morrison on the bag at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course and said he was vital in helping her stay calm in windy conditions.
“I started working with him when I was 13,” said Porter, “so he knows me better than I know myself.”
Porter, who earned $129,249 for the week, will have her work cut out in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year Race. Three of the four players currently ranked ahead of her in points are in the top 30 in the world. Takeda moved up to No. 15 in the Rolex Rankings after her victory at Blue Bay while Miyu Yamashita stayed at 14th. Akie Iwai is currently 26th.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Cassie Porter nearly withdrew in at Blue Bay but rallied to top 5
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