Suwannapura tops contingent of Razorbacks on crowded NW Arkansas leaderboard

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Jasmine Suwannapura birdied the final two holes for an 8-under 63 and the top spot Friday on a leaderboard crowded with Arkansas Razorbacks in the LPGA Tour's Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

Opening in gusty morning conditions at Pinnacle Country Club, Suwannapura played the back nine in 5-under 30, closing with the birdies on the par-3 17th and par-5 18th.

“We just have fun out there,” said Suwannapura, the 31-year-old Thai player with two career LPGA Tour victories. “Keep the momentum going. We literally play with the wind today. Got pretty gusty, too.”

Former University of Arkansas star Maria Fassi was a shot back with Liqi Zeng, Carlota Ciganda and Ashleigh Buhai. Fassi, from Mexico, capped her college career with the 2019 NCAA individual title.

“To have some of the current Razorbacks be on the tee there in the morning was very special,” Fassi said. “For me, it was a great day.”

One of those current Arkansas players on the tee with Fassi — Maria Marin of Colombia — found herself on the leaderboard near Fassi, too, after a 65.

“For me to be here is like a privilege,” Marin said. “Of course, I work really, really hard all season last year to be here and to get the exemption. It’s just great.”

Suwannapura is 110th in the world ranking. She won her last tour title in 2019, teaming with Cydney Clanton in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

“I think it’s everybody's game tomorrow,” Suwannapura said. “I know a lot of girls out here going to go low. I hope I can go low the next two days. We’ll see what happens.”

The 18-year-old Zeng, from China, had five straight birdies on Nos. 14-18 on her first nine. Yu Liu and Dottie Ardina matched Marin at 65.

Gaby Lopez, another former Arkansas star from Mexico, topped the group at 66.

“Everyone is here for the Razorback Nation,” Lopez said.

Victorious Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis, yet another former Arkansas player, was at 69. She won the 2014 event.

Defending champion Haeran Ryu shot 69. Lilia Vu, the No. 2 player in the world ranking, had a double bogey and three bogeys in a 71.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Liqi Zeng, of China, watches her tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Lexi Thompson hits onto the 16th green during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Nasa Hataoka, of Japan, watches her shot off the first tee during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Haeran Ryu, of South Korea, watches her shot off the first tee during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Carlota Ciganda, of Spain, shoots from the ninth fairway during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Lexi Thompson watches her shot off the first tree during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Gaby Lopez, of Mexico, just misses her putt on the 16th hole during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Liqi Zeng, of China, lines up her shot on the seventh hole during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Gaby Lopez, from Mexico, watches her shot off the first tee during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Maria Marin watches her shot off the 11th tee during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Maria Fassi, of Mexico, watches her shot off the 11th tee during the first round of the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Rogers, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns finds himself in an unusual situation this weekend as he returns to American Family Field for the first time since leaving the Milwaukee Brewers.

His current team is trying to clinch a postseason berth by beating the annual playoff contender he helped build.

“I think at this point I have enough distance for it,” Stearns said before the Mets began a three-game series with the Brewers on Friday night. “That roster has turned over pretty considerably since I’ve been in the seat here. I certainly know a lot of the people over there, I know a lot of the players over there, but I think there’s been enough distance at this point.”

Stearns joined the Brewers in October 2015 as general manager and was promoted to president of baseball operations before the 2019 season. He stepped down after the 2022 season and remained with the Brewers in an advisory role while Matt Arnold — his former right-hand man — took over as president of baseball operations. Stearns left Milwaukee entirely last fall to run baseball operations for the team he rooted for as a kid growing up in New York City.

He believed this was his first time back at American Family Field since August 2023. The Brewers opened the season by sweeping the Mets in New York, but the teams hadn’t faced each other since.

Now they’re meeting again with the Mets’ season on the line. New York entered Friday just ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second of three National League wild cards, with the Atlanta Braves one game behind both.

As Stearns noted, the Brewers’ roster has changed quite a bit since he departed. Milwaukee's starting lineup Friday included only four players — second baseman Brice Turang, right fielder Sal Frelick, left fielder Jackson Chourio and shortstop Willy Adames — who joined the organization when Stearns was in charge.

Even so, Stearns played a major role in helping the Brewers put together the longest sustained run of success in franchise history. Milwaukee clinched the NL Central title last week and will be making its sixth playoff appearance in the last seven years. That run of postseason bids came shortly after Stearns engineered the blockbuster acquisition of Christian Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP.

Milwaukee had made the playoffs just twice in a 35-year stretch from 1983-2017.

“It’s fun being back here,” Stearns said. “I’m glad I’m back here when games really matter for us. We’re playing for something that’s really important, so we have to go out and have a good series.”

Stearns is now trying to get back in the playoffs with the Mets, which could result in a return to Milwaukee next month. But that path just got quite a bit more complicated.

The Mets face the possibility of playing a doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday — the day after the scheduled end of the regular season — for the right to begin a Wild Card Series on Tuesday. That scenario developed because New York's scheduled Wednesday and Thursday games in Atlanta were rained out.

“Nobody wants to play a doubleheader on Monday,” Stearns said. “The Braves didn’t want that outcome, MLB didn’t want that outcome and certainly we didn’t want that outcome. I think it’s easy in retrospect to say that we could have done things differently to get there. It’s also really tough in the moment to predict exactly what the weather is going to do. There are a whole host of considerations that everyone is working through in order to make the best decision possible.

"The reality is we may have to play a doubleheader on Monday, and if we do, we’ll do the best that we can.”

Stearns was asked if he believed the start of a Wild Card Series should be pushed back a day if that Monday doubleheader takes place. The twinbill would only happen if the Mets’ and Braves’ playoff fates aren’t settled by then.

“That’s not my decision, and so I’m not really thinking about it,” Stearns said. “Whenever we play, we play.”

If New York ends up as the third NL wild card, Stearns would be seeing his former team again with even more at stake as the Mets and Brewers square off in a best-of-three series.

“Our focus is on to get into the playoffs,” Stearns said. “If we get into the playoffs, we’ll play whoever we need to play.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso came back out onto the field to take pictures with his family after a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets' Jesse Winker, left, and Brandon Nimmo celebrate Nimmo's home run in the sixth inning during a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) reacts after striking out Kody Clemens for the final out of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

A tarp covers the infield as rain comes down at Truist Park after the baseball game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves as postponed, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Atlanta. The Mets-Braves games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday are postponed and will be made up as a doubleheader Monday, Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

FILE - New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns responds to questions during a news conference about MLB trade deadline deals, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)