The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GEORGETTE Rolle, playing as the Bahamas' exempted player for the fifth time, will tee off at 12:53pm today in the first round of the 2018 Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Golf Club on Paradise Island.

Rolle, 32, will play in the last of 35 threesomes that include PK Kongkraphan of KhonKaen, Thailand, and Katelyn Dambaugh of Charleston, South Carolina, from the 10th hole.

Rolle's group will follow the No. 33 threesome that features American Cheyenne Woods, the niece of legendary PGA golfer Tiger Woods. Also in Woods' group are Belen Mozo of Cadiz, Spain and Robynn Haiyuny Ree of Redondo Beach, California.

A total of 35 groups each will tee off from 7:10am to 12:53pm on tee one and 10.

In the second round on Friday, Rolle and her threesome will tee off from the first hole in group 17 at 8:38am.

They will follow Woods and her threesome in group 15 and just ahead of the No. 19 threesome of Jackie Stoelting of Vero Beach, Florida, Thidapa Suwannapura of Bangkok, Thailand and Amy Olson of Oxbow, North Dakota.

Rolle is hoping that at the end of the two days of competition, she will make the final cut to play in the final two days of competition on Saturday and Sunday to earn a portion of the $1.4 million cash purse where the winner will pocket $210.000.

Last year, Brittany Lincicome earned the hefty prize when she beat out Lexi Thompson on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.

The annual Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic is just one of four professional golf events to be played in the Bahamas in a two-month period.

It follows the Hero World Challenge, hosted by Tiger Woods in November at the Albany Golf Club and the two Web.com Tour tournaments - the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic that was held at Sandals Emerald Bay-Emerald Reef Course in Exuma January 13-16 and Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at the Abaco Club in Winding Bay, Abaco, from January 21-24.