ROGERS — Even on another day when the temperatures approached 100 degrees, Veronica Felibert didn’t show any signs of feeling the heat.
Felibert celebrated her 27th birthday by seizing a four-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA’s NW Arkansas Championship on Saturday at Pinnacle Country Club. Felibert, a rookie playing in her fifth LPGA event, shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 66 for a two day total of 11-under 131.
In the first two rounds, played in brutal heat, Felibert has made 12 birdies and one bogey. Before Friday, she had never broken 70 in an LPGA round.
It continued a surprising tournament for Felibert, who was so unknown the LPGA’s website wasn’t up-to-date on the Venezuelan’s paltry statistics. Felibert, who got into the tournament as the second alternate, has played in four tournaments, made one cut and earned $2,489.
She is in line for a much bigger payday at Pinnacle, where the first-place check is $300,000. The seven players within five shots have won 11 tournaments and more than $17 million.
“There’s feelings I cannot express right now because it’s what I’ve dreamt all my life for,” Felibert said. “It’s pretty cool to see my name up there, but at the same time, I have been trying not to think too much about it. I’m having a lot of fun and I like it.”
Felibert’s play has caught many by surprise, but she said she expected to succeed on the LPGA Tour, maybe not as a rookie but at some point. Felibert played the past two years on the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s feeder tour, after playing at Southern California.
“I work really hard, and that’s what I work for,” Felibert said. “I wouldn’t expect like maybe on the rookie year but, yeah, I expect it to come sometime soon.”
Felibert said she was nervous Saturday, although it didn’t show in her play. She expects to be nervous for today’s final round but isn’t thinking about that yet.
“I’m calm, I’m relaxed,” Felibert said. “I’m nervous and excited because it’s something different, a position that I haven’t been in lately.”
Felibert has hit 23 of 26fairways and 30 of 36 greens in regulation during her first two rounds and needed just 56 putts. She made clutch par saving putts on 11 and 14 and then sank a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 15th.
“The course fits my eye really good, I really like it,” Felibert said. “But yeah, I’ve been playing good, too.”
World No. 1 Yani Tseng, the tournament’s two-time defending champion, failed to make the 36-hole cut after shooting a two-day total of 5 over par. Tseng hadn’t missed a cut in 26 consecutive tournaments.
“This is not my week,” Tseng said. “Maybe next week is my week.”
Former Arkansas star Stacy Lewis did better than Tseng, posting a 2-under 69 Saturday and is 3 under for the tournament, eight shots out of the lead.
“I didn’t score as well as I would have liked,” said Lewis, who is second on the money list and No. 2 in the world rankings. “It was just solid. It wasn’t anything great.”
Other well-known names fared better than the top two. Mika Miyazato (22nd on the money list) and Inbee Park (25th) were at 7 under, poised to strike if Felibert stumbles.
“I think it’s very important for everybody to make birdies [today], so I will try to make as many birdies as I can in the final round,” said Miyazato, who shot 65 Saturday. “So maybe try to focus more on one shot at a time. I think that’s the most important thing.”
Brittany Lang, who won last week’s Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, shot an 8-under 63 to jump from 76th place to fourth, where she is tied with four golfers, including Shanshan Feng, ranked third in the world, and No. 6 Ai Miyazato.
Lang, ranked 24th in the world, bogeyed her first hole, the 10th, Saturday and made the turn at 1 under before she and playing partner Suzann Pettersen decided to liven up the final nine holes with a $20 per birdie bet. Lang then made five birdies and an eagle on her last nine holes.
“Suzann told me she’s not playing the money game ever again because she made three birdies and lost $80,” Lang said.
Stacy Prammanasudh (Conway) will not play today after a 2-over 73 put her a shot above the cut line.
Arkansas sophomore Emily Tubert, playing on a sponsor’s exemption as an amateur, missed the cut with a two round total of 3 over, as did former Arkansas State golfer Karen Stupples at 5 over.
“I didn’t play anywhere near my ability,” Tubert said. “I know I can hang now.”
Sports, Pages 24 on 07/01/2012