Julia Lopez Ramirez, the LPGA’s longest hitter, is still working to regain her power after an emergency appendectomy in March.
The 22-year-old Spanish rookie thought she was dealing with food poisoning during the Blue Bay LPGA in China. She pushed through 36 holes before missing the cut and flying home. When she landed, she couldn’t move her right leg. A quick doctor’s visit led to surgery that same day.
Doctors told Lopez Ramirez she’d need four weeks to recover, but she had other ideas. She teed it up at the Ford Championship in Arizona just two weeks after surgery, finishing 73rd.
“Obviously still having a bit abdominal pain, but I was like, I really wanted to play, especially being a rookie,” Lopez Ramirez said. “I feel like you just want to play everything.”
This week’s JM Eagle LA Championship at El Caballero Country Club marks her second post-surgery start. She shot a solid 4-under 68 in Thursday’s first round, putting her five shots behind leader Ashleigh Buhai.
She’s still not at full strength.
Lopez Ramirez leads the LPGA in driving distance at 291.69 yards, more than 3 yards longer than fellow rookie Ingrid Lindblad. But on Thursday, she averaged just 269 off the tee.
“I’ve been struggling with distance at the moment,” Lopez Ramirez said. “I probably lost like 10 to 15 [yards] because I couldn’t go work out until last week. I lost a lot of weight because it was just all rehab, exercising. It was all abdominal pain, so anything related to that I couldn’t do. … I am starting to do things now.”
