Altomare beats top-seeded Lee in LPGA Match-Play
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brittany Altomare rallied to beat top-seeded Minjee Lee 2 and 1 on Thursday in hot conditions at Shadow Creek in the second round of group play in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play.
Three down after five holes and again after seven in triple-digit heat, Altomare cut her deficit to one at the turn with a birdie on No. 8 and an eagle on the par-5 ninth. The American pulled even with a par on the par-4 12th and took a 2-up lead with birdies on 13 and 14. She halved the next three with pars to end the match.
“I didn’t start off the way that I wanted to but, if I’ve learned anything from Solheim the last couple years, it’s you just can’t give up because you never know what’s going to happen in match play,” Altomare said.
The winners of the 16 four-player groups will advance to single elimination at the conclusion of round-robin play Friday. Altomare (1-1) will face Youngin Chun (0-2) on Friday, and Lee (1-1) will play Caroline Masson (2-0). Masson beat Chun 2 and 1.