SYLVANIA — Caroline Powers is back home this week to compete in the LPGA Marathon Classic at Highland
Meadows Golf Club.
The Bowling Green High School product was happy with her performance in Monday’s pro-am.
“I played pretty well,” Powers said. “I made a couple putts and hit a lot of good approach shots.”
Powers was happy with the way she drove the ball, which is the part of her game that she’s been working
on the most over the past few weeks. Additionally, she recently started using a new putter.
Powers, who is participating in the Marathon Classic via one of the tournament’s two sponsor exemptions,
has been playing on the Symetra Tour over the past year.
The Symetra Tour is the LPGA’s developmental tour.
She’s 27th on the money list through 12 tournaments and must achieve a top 10 finish to receive her LPGA
card – or else she goes back to qualifying school.
“It’s going all right,” Powers said of the tour. “We still have seven tournaments left, and I’m pretty
optimistic about the rest of the season. Hopefully, I can just keep chipping away at it and get myself
into the top 10.”
In terms of what she’s improved upon, Powers said the main thing is she has gotten a little bit tighter
with most of her clubs. She’s even third on the tour in regulation greens reached at 76 percent.
“My misses are better. I’ve been working a lot on my chipping this week, so I feel good around the
greens,” she said. “The hole is looking a little bit bigger than it usually does and that’s always a
good thing.”
Powers, the 2013 Big Ten Conference player of the year at Michigan State, recently played in the U.S.
Open for a second time. She described the experience as “unbelievable.”
The 23-year-old shot rounds of 76 and 81 to miss the cut with a 157 total. The tournament was played at
the famed Pinehurst (N.C.) course.
“I was very disappointed with how I played because I just put myself in some positions that were tough to
come back from, and I didn’t make a birdie for the whole weekend,” she said. “(However), I’m very
grateful that I got there and had the experience. I hope to be back one day and get a little bit of
redemption.”
Back to this weekend’s Marathon Classic, Powers simply hopes to hit 14 fairways after missing the cut
last year.
The 72-hole tournament starts Thursday and concludes Sunday.
“That’s the biggest goal because I feel good with most of my clubs right now,” she said. “I just want to
make sure I’m giving myself ideally 18 chances for birdies every round and hope to make a few of those.”

Powers also relishes the chance to play in front of her friends and family.
She’s been playing in the area during the last week and even shot a 66 at Stone Ridge over the weekend.

“The whole Northwest Ohio feels like home. It’s pretty special to be able to play in front of as many
family and friends as I will get to,” she said. “I know I have the support even when I’m on the road,
but to see it is pretty awesome, so I’m looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully, I can put on a show
for them.”