Hey everyone, listen up! There are these stories only golf can write. And LPGA rookie Camille Boyd is currently delivering one of them. After three missed cuts in her first starts, the 23-year-old University of Washington alumna just scored a T-5 finish at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles. What a comeback, that's seriously impressive!
The turnaround was no coincidence. This season, Boyd has been diligently refining her swing, especially with her wedges and her green-reading. It's paying off: Her Strokes Gained: Putting skyrocketed from -0.42 to a solid +0.88, and her Proximity from 50-100 yards (46-91 meters) improved from 18.3 feet (5.58 meters) to 11.7 feet (3.57 meters). This means she was Top-10 on Tour in this category over the last five rounds. If that doesn't sound like finding her rhythm!
From Rookie to Standout?
Her current stats are leaving the competition in the dust. With a scoring average of 69.8, she easily leaves the LPGA rookie average (72.1) behind. She's also significantly better than average in scrambling (78.6%) and fairways hit (61.5%). The T-5 is already her second Top-10 finish in her young career. Something's happening here, golfers! This isn't just 'finding her rhythm,' this is a clear statement towards the Rookie of the Year title.
The West Coast Advantage
The JM Eagle LA Championship, which boasted a prize purse of $3.75M (500 CME points), featured a strong field of 144 players, including 24 rookies and defending champion Ingrid Lindblad. Boyd showed nerves of steel, for instance with a birdie on the 17th in Round 1. By the way: Chizzy Iwai carded a round of 63, and Yu Liu achieved a hole-in-one. West Coast courses demand precision, and that's exactly where Camille Boyd seems to have found her strength. We're excited to see what else she serves up this season.
