IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon
Beaumont, California
February 18, 2016
Thursday Pre-Tournament Notes

BEAUMONT, Calif., February 18, 2016 - The Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA, kicks off the 2016 season this week with the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon from February 19-21. This is the first of 23 events in a season that will culminate with the Epson Tour Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. October 13-16.

First round play begins at 7:15 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 19. All three rounds will begin at 7:15 a.m. Final round play will conclude at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 with the trophy ceremony to follow on the 18th green. Tickets are free to the public all three rounds. On Sunday, the first 100 fans will receive a free Taylormade adjustable hat.

USC’S SOPHIA POPOV HOPING FOR BIG YEAR: Sophia Popov (Heidelberg, Germany) was so eager to begin her rookie season on the LPGA Tour in 2015 after a T11 finish at 2014 Qualifying Tournament. Unfortunately, she suffers from chronic lower abdominal and stomach issues and was only about 60-70 percent at the start of the year and for much of the season.

Tour veteran Natalie Gulbis even urged Popov to consider a medical at the start of the season.

“With every doctor I went to, I thought I would get better and better, but lower abdominal and stomach issues are not something to mess with,” said Popov, who played on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tour and estimates travelling to over 10 countries in 2015. “I went from tournament to tournament and I never got better. In the end, it wasn’t good, but I learned my lesson.”

The good news is that Popov had a really good winter break and was able to figure some things out with her doctor back in Germany.

“I feel how I did in 2014 when I went to Q-School,” said the former USC All-American. “Swing wise I feel good and now it is just about getting it together between my ears. I feel confident that I can shoot low again and have a good year.”

She anticipates playing a full schedule on the Epson Tour and is excited about less international travel. She may play a few LET events towards the end of the season.

The best news for Popov is that she gets to open the year in her home away from home, Southern California.

“I’ve realized that the west coast is the best coast and I love being back,” said Popov. “I saw my coach, I saw my teammates for a few practice rounds the last couple weeks and I’m moving to Phoenix, which puts me closer to my swing coach Jim Gormley out of Los Angeles. I feel like I’m shifting away from Germany, but I want to settle down somewhere. Last year was a little crazy, I have never flown that many miles in my life.”

Popov played in ten events on the LPGA and seven events on the LET last year.

In order to manage her condition, Popov has eliminated several things from her diet.

“I’m being really strict right now, I have to leave out chocolate, which is killer,” said Popov half jokingly. “There are like six or seven things that I really have to leave out. I can’t have tomatoes and I love pasta and sauces. It’s really anything that is acidic. I also have to go easy on salad dressings.”

Popov joked that she is eating five avocados a day trying to maintain weight while not being able to eat what she wants.

She is also working with a doctor out of Arizona that practices with homeopathic medicine.

“I’m not a huge fan of antibiotic medication from the results I saw last year, I don’t trust that path anymore,” said the 23-year-old Popov. “I’m trying to help my whole system recover from the surgery I had on my appendix in April. It didn’t get rid of all the pain. When I was flying all over the country, it was hard to recover.”

Now, with the 2016 here, Popov is excited to be healthy, aware of her issue and back on the course.

“I want to figure out who I am as a player and do my own thing on the Epson Tour,” said Popov. “This is going to be fun because I see a lot of girls out here that I know from college. It will be good to just travel the states.”

Her best moment of 2015 might have been the opportunity to be part of the Solheim Cup broadcast team on German television. She was a communications major at USC and hopes to one day work as a commentator.

“I was commentating while they were playing with two other guys,” said the very well-spoken and charismatic Popov. “They needed a golf expert that was decent at talking and they picked me. I did some interviewing of the players too and it was really fun. I had the time of my life and I know now what I want to do after golf.”

FROM SCRUBS TO CLUBS: Sarah Hoffman (Ann Arbor, Mich.) grew up across the street from Travis Pointe Country Club, the home of the new LPGA Volvik Championship. She used to ride her bike to the course and has been a member since she was five. Hoffman first met Volvik President Don Shin at the press conference to announce the new tournament. That’s just the beginning of the story.

On February 3, Hoffman decided to quick her job at University of Michigan hospital as a nurse in the orthopedic trauma unit, which she has done for two years since graduating from Grand Valley State University.

“I had already begun to regret not playing professionally,” said Hoffman, who was still playing in amateur events. “I was doing well in amateur events and I was wondering what if. I knew that ten to 15 years from now I was totally going to regret it (not turning pro). I had been working and saving money so I just decided to do it.”

Hoffman quit her job and moved to Orlando to begin playing in a warmer climate. A week or so later, she was playing at Waldorf Astoria Golf Course by herself and the foursome in front called her to come join their group. As fate would have it, the group happened to be Don Shin’s and they were playing with LPGA legend Se Ri Pak, but she had to leave. The first approach shot Hoffman hit was perfect, five feet from the cup. She played the last eight holes with Shin and his group from the back tees and shot even.

“They invited me out to Isleworth the next day and then Don and I sent up a meeting,” said Hoffman. “He’s like ‘we got to make this happen’ and he gave me some golf balls to try. Out of all the courses in Orlando, to meet up with him was a total god thing. It has been a whirlwind.”

Then, this Monday, Shin called Hoffman, who is now wearing the Volvik hat, at 4:45 p.m. and said that he had an exemption into the IOA Championship and if she wanted it she needed to turn in the paperwork at 5:00 p.m.

“Without hesitation, I said absolutely,” explained Hoffman. “I’m still getting a little of the rust off but I feel great.”

Hoffman, who just purchased a yardage book on Thursday afternoon, woke up at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday and was on flight to Los Angeles by 6:00 a.m. She arrived at Morongo Golf Club at 3:00 p.m. and hit a few range balls. She was able to play in the pro-am on Thursday morning to see the course.

“It has been absolutely crazy, everything has just worked out so far,” said Hoffman. “It has been awesome.”

Hoffman used to work 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. three days a week as a nurse and then drive straight to the course. When she finally quit her job, co-workers said she was turning in the scrubs for clubs.

The turning point came at the Michigan Open in 2015. She worked three long days before the first round and then slept in her car to be at the course on time. She played a practice round with friends and then the next day carded a 66.

“I told myself that I have to give this a shot,” said Hoffman. “If I give myself good conditions I wanted to know what would happen.”

With no LPGA or Epson Tour status because she has never gone to Qualifying Tournament, Hoffman has a great opportunity to measure her game this week.

“This is a huge opportunity for me,” said the 25-year-old Hoffman. “To be able to play in a Epson Tour event before you have proven yourself is such a blessing.”

Quick Hits

• There are four former LSU women’s golfers in the field this week: Megan McChrystal, Lindsay Gahm, Tessa Teachman and Madelene Sagstrom, who is the only rookie of the bunch. She was the 2015 SEC Player of the Year.

Pre-Tournament Notes Thursday: IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa

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