Grace Kim has carded one of the rounds of her career, a bogey-free seven-under 64 to vault to a three-shot lead in the Texarkana Children’s Charities Open at the Northbridge Country Club in Texas overnight.
After starting the third round one stroke behind second-round leader Sofia Garcia, Kim quickly steamrolled her way to the lead, reeling off birdies on the 2nd, 4th and 6th to turn at three-under-par.
The 20-year-old dual NSW and Australian Amateur Champion didn’t let up on the back nine, adding four more birdies on the 11th, 12th, 15th and 17th holes to complete her homeward nine in just 31 strokes.
“I made the birdies when I could,” Kim said.
“No three putts either, just nice and simple.”
Kim has just begun a four-week swing of tournaments, culminating with the US Women’s Amateur in just under a month at the Westchester Country Club in upstate New York.
Already a winner on the WAPT this year, Kim will follow this week’s tournament with stops in La Prue, Mississippi, then Beaumont, Texas, before finally returning to Dallas at the end of July.
With exemptions into Symetra Tour events guaranteed to the top two placegetters at each event, the WAPT is a bit of a happy hunting ground for Kim. She has already benefitted from the spoils of victory, parlaying her maiden start on the Symetra Tour into a top-10 finish last month in Cincinnati. Her goal, however, for the next few weeks is not to grab more Symtra starts but to ensure she finishes high enough up the WAPT points list to secure her place in Stage Two of the LPGA Tour School.
*IMage: Twitter | WAPT Tour
