SPRINGFIELD – Marina Alex is still searching for that week where she finds the groove and posts one good score after another.
“Four good rounds at a tournament anywhere would be great,” Alex said after missing the cut by one shot at the 69th KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “I haven’t done it yet this year.”
The New Jersey native shot 4-over-par 75 during Friday’s second round on the Lower Course of storied Baltusrol Golf Club. That left her at 6-over 148, one measly shot shy of the low 70 and ties advancing to the weekend of this LPGA major championship.
Alex, 32, is the most successful golfer to come out of the Garden State in the 21st centurySt century. Missing her first cut of the season didn’t cut it for someone with major expectations and ranked 55th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
“Disappointment,” was the first word out of her mouth. “There’s really nothing else to say. I played terrible.”
Baltusrol, arguably New Jersey’s most renowned venue, is a major step up in class for the LPGA Tour. Alex said, “It’s great for the Tour, and it’s great for women’s golf,” but it just wasn’t so great for her on Friday.
“It’s a really good major test, probably one of the best courses we’ve played in a while,” said Alex, who turned pro in 2012 and has more than $4.2 million in career earnings. “And it’s great that we’re here. I’m just really not happy with the result.”
She had five bogeys and only one birdie during Friday’s afternoon wave on a course that, due to rain, played even longer than its lengthy 6,575 yardage. She said bluntly, “I putt terrible,” after enduring five three-putts, including a pair of lip outs.
“Nothing has really gone all that great, if I’m being honest,” said Alex, a two-time New Jersey high school champion for Wayne Hills and two-time All-American at Vanderbilt. “This was the first big step for the rest of the season, and it was pretty much a letdown.”
Alex downplayed that she made the cut at her first 10 events this season. She has eight top-40 finishes, but only one top 20, a tie for 12th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic on June 11 at Seaview Resort in Galloway. She entered this week 47th on the Official Money list at $160,747.
“This year has not been very encouraging, if I’m being honest,” said the 5-foot-4 Alex, who won LPGA titles in 2018 and 2022. “A lot of cuts made, but not really all that great golf. “
Her performance this month at the Mizuho Americas Open underscored her inconsistency. After opening with an 8-over 80, she followed with an 8-under 64. She tied for 39th at 1-over 289 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City.
This KPMG Women’s PGA Championship marked her third event this month in the Garden State, so she got to see family and friends. Still, her focus was, and is, on golf, and finding greater day-to-day consistency.
“It’s been cool with my friends and family, but it’s tough,” said Alex, a 2008 Wayne Hills graduate. “They’re tournament weeks, so you are kind of out here just trying to make it as consistent as all the other weeks.”
The LPGA schedule features back-to-back majors, so Alex’s next tournament won’t get any easier. The US Women’s Open is July 6-9 at another major venue, Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.
“I have to figure it out,” Alex said. “A lot of things I have to fix before next week.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey’s Marina Alex at Women’s PGA Championship: ‘Disappointment’