Avondale’s Grace Kim has made a bright start and is the best-placed Australian in a tie for 10th place and well placed to make the all-important top 70 qualifying mark after the opening round of Stage II LPGA and Symetra Tour Qualifying in Venice, Florida.
The 20-year-old carded a three-under 69 on the Plantation Golf & Country Club Panther Course, sitting just two shots back of the leader, France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
Kim began her day solidly, with four straight pars, before making back to back birdies on the 5th and 6th. After turning at two-under, Kim added a third for the day on the par-four 10th. Another on the par-five 13th saw her get to four under and near the top of the leaderboard.
Despite a bogey on 14, she bounced back with her fifth birdie of the day on the 15th.
Within reach of the lead, another unfortunate bogey on the last sadly saw Kim drop out of a tie for second back into 10th place.
Warren in the mix:
At Stage II of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying, Picton’s Justin Warren remains in the mix to advance to November’s Final Stage.
Despite a third-round 73, Warren is in a tie for 5th place at nine-under-par, two shots inside the cut-off mark.
Looing to all but lock his spot at the final stage away, a couple of uncharacteristic double bogeys on the 5th and 17th will mean Warren still needs a solid final round to advance tonight.
Grant Booth, formerly of Blacktown who played College Golf at the University of Nevada, and a former team mate of Warren’s at The Australian Golf Club, is a shot back at eight under.
Shellharbour’s Travis Smyth also kept his chances of advancing alive, carding an impressive four-under-68 to sit just one shot out of the all-important top 20 and ties who will progress.