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She was destined for major championship glory but no one ever imagined it would come like this.
Minjee Lee earned her breakthrough major in her 36th attempt at the Aumundi Evian Championship in France, needing a final round of 7-under 64 to force a playoff and then firing a 6-iron to six feet at the first playoff hole to defeat Jeongeun Lee6 and join the greats of Australian golf.
Ever since winning the US Junior Girls championship nine years ago Lee’s upward trajectory always pointed towards major glory yet with each near miss the question of when loomed ever larger.
A third-place finish at the 2020 Women’s Open was the best of her five top-10 finishes in majors to date and at the halfway point at Evian Resort Golf Club an improvement on that record seemed unlikely.
A round of 10-under 61 had given Lee6 a 10-stroke advantage heading into the weekend but Lee began chipping away at the deficit with a 6-under 65 in the third round.
That gave her a record seven shots to make up in the final round and the 25-year-old left her extraordinary run to the last minute, making four birdies in her final five holes to post an 18-under par total.
After a difficult front nine Lee6 needed three closing birdies in succession to match Lee’s total but the West Australian had all the momentum when the pair returned to the 18th tee for the playoff, a tee shot that found the fairway setting up a brilliant approach under pressure for a two-putt birdie and forever bring to an end the question of when.
“I’m speechless. I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” Lee admitted as she came to terms with rewriting history with the greatest comeback in a major in the women’s game.
“I hear so many people say, ‘We really want to you win a major’ and, ‘A major is just around the corner’.
“It’s easier said than done; everybody is so good out here.
“It just feels unreal to have won. Just even in the playoff, and all throughout today, I played really well to get myself in that position and I’m just really happy.
“It’s just really nice to have a major title under my belt.”
In winning her first major Lee joins Jan Stephenson, Karrie Webb and Hannah Green as Australian women to have claimed the game’s most prestigious events and it didn’t take long for the 2006 champion at Evian to pass on her congratulations.
“Actually, she did message me straightaway,” Lee said of Webb, who was on the 18th green to celebrate with Green when she triumphed at the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship.
“Over the years she’s been so supportive of my golf and just me as a person, so it’s just been really nice to have her in my corner.”
Two weeks after younger brother Min Woo Lee’s victory at the Scottish Open, Lee said it was a timely message from her caddie Jason Gilroyed and an astute club choice in the playoff that proved to be the difference.
“Going down the 12th fairway, ‘Gilly’, my caddie was like, ‘You know, you have a chance to win your first major championship, so why don’t you just give it a go?’” said Lee, who was 3-under through 13 holes of her final round.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m trying.’
“I just tried to give myself as many birdie opportunities as I could on that back nine. Because it was warm out it was playing quite short so I had a lot of short clubs in.
“Off the tee (in the playoff) I didn’t hit the best tee shot, but it was good enough because it was on the fairway.
“The second shot I hit 6-iron in but initially the yardage was for 5-iron. But with adrenaline and everything ‘Gilly’ was like, ‘Let’s go 6-iron.’
“Hit a good 6-iron and it was six feet from the hole so it worked out.”
Next for Lee is a quick trip back to Texas in the US to see her brother and then to Tokyo to link with Green as a fellow major winner and a second attempt at an Olympic gold medal.
The senior leadership structure of the PGA of Australia has been confirmed through until 2024 with Australian golf legend Rodger Davis to remain on as Chair and Gavin Kirkman to continue as Chief Executive Officer.
Davis was re-elected unopposed for a second term at the recent Annual General Meeting where the Board also endorsed Kirkman’s contract to continue in his role as CEO for a further three years.
At a time when golf’s popularity is booming yet the ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic makes forward planning challenging, Davis said that it was a positive that the PGA could provide a sense of certainty around its leadership team.
“The past 15 months have been obviously very challenging for everyone but golf in Australia has experienced a massive surge in interest and popularity,” said Davis.
“There have been logistical challenges in terms of staging golf tournaments yet our PGA Professionals around the country have gone above and beyond to make golf available in a COVID-safe environment at a time when many sports were unable to continue.
“Like everyone we are hoping that the worst is behind us and that we will return to a full summer of golf featuring both the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open at the end of the year.
“I’m delighted to serve again as Chair for a second term and hope that myself and the Board of Directors can do our part to build on this surge in interest into another golden period for Australian golf.”
In reappointing Kirkman to the position of CEO, Davis and the PGA of Australia Board believe they have both rewarded his leadership in a difficult time and provided a much-needed sense of stability within the organisation.
It comes during an exciting time in Australian golf, with the PGA and Golf Australia set to move into a shared facility, the Australian Golf Centre, located opposite Royal Melbourne in Sandringham, and promises to reshape how golf is administered.
The alignment of Australia’s two biggest golf bodies will create efficiencies that will benefit the growth of the game at grassroots and professional level.
“Gavin has a long and distinguished history of working within the PGA and he and his team have navigated the past 18 months as well as could be expected,” Davis added.
“He is a proud promoter of our Vocational Members, is working closely with Golf Australia on creating a better overall environment for Australian golf and is actively engaged in the Australian Golf Industry Council.
“Gavin’s global golf relationships with the PGAs and Tours have put our association in a strong position and to think globally and act locally is key for our sport in Australia.
“We’re delighted that Gavin will be leading the PGA of Australia for the next four years.”
Executive of PGA Queensland from 2002-2007, Kirkman spent six years as the PGA’s National Chief Membership Officer before stepping into the role as CEO in March 2017 and was thrilled to have his contract extended.
“I’m a great believer in the important role that PGA Professionals play in the health of golf in this country and overseas and I’m thrilled to continue as CEO of the PGA of Australia for a further three years,” Kirkman said.
“We have a host of outstanding young players ready to take their games to the world and our Vocational Members are working hard at the grassroots level and across all areas in golf to provide new and established golfers with a wonderful experience every time that they visit a golf facility.
“Our close collaboration with the WPGA Tour of Australasia is an exciting initiative with benefits at a number of different levels and we continue to work together and align with Golf Australia on a national strategy for the betterment of the game in Australia.
“Collectively we’re working on a number of industry projects, including engaging more women to play our game and improved opportunities to have careers in golf, strengthening our Tour opportunities for aspiring and existing professional golfers, and building on the success of non-traditional golf, such as driving range, mini golf and simulator golf facilities.
“I have no doubt that we are on the verge of a very exciting and critical time for the game in Australia and I am delighted that I will get to play a part in that.”
Australian legend Robert Allenby has taken no time to adjust to life on the over-50s circuit, firing an opening round of 3-under 67 to sit two shots off the lead at The Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale Golf Club in England.
It was a strong start for a number of Aussies in Europe overnight with Bryden Macpherson sitting in a tie for fifth in his first round on the European Tour in Europe in more than seven years while a change of caddie did the trick for Sarah Kemp at The Aumundi Evian Championship in France, two shots off the lead in a tie for eighth.
Although it has been 20 years since he was last at the venue, Allenby’s history at Sunningdale came in handy for his Champions Tour debut, an eagle at the par-5 14th the highlight as he trails 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke and South African James Kingston by two strokes.
Level with Allenby at 3-under and in a share of sixth place is fellow Australian Peter Fowler who began his opening round with two straight birdies, picking up shots at nine, 14 and 17 to go with bogeys at eight and 15.
One stroke back is Victorian David McKenzie who was fighting for top spot on the leaderboard until a double bogey at the par-4 17th saw him finish the day at 2-under 70 and in a share of 14th.
The Evian Championship is the fourth of the women’s major of the year and some improved results with the putter and a familiar face on the bag has Sarah Kemp well placed to record her best finish in a major.
The 35-year-old’s best result in a major to date is a tie for 37th at the 2014 Women’s PGA Championship but an opening round of 4-under 67 puts her two strokes off the lead and in a tie for eighth.
With her regular caddie unavailable, Kemp enlisted the services of her wife Lisa Cornwell and the pair proved to be a potent combination, combining for three birdies, one bogey and an eagle at the par-5 ninth, her final hole of the day.
“She caddied for me in a couple US Open qualifiers, a couple of tournaments in Australia and an LET event in France so it’s not our first rodeo, which is nice,” said Kemp.
“She knows how I work. She’s really just trying to keep me calm.
“She got the carry bag, so I made it easy for her. I did scare her with how hilly the place was, but to my surprise she said, ‘It’s actually not as bad as you made out.’ I was like, All right, I should have brought the big bag.”
West Australian Minjee Lee and Kiwi Lydia Ko are one shot back of Kemp in a tie for 11th at 3-under with Katherine Kirk, Su Oh and Stephanie Kyriacou all in need of a good second round after posting 2-over 73 in Round 1.
Playing the Cazoo Open at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales on a sponsor’s invitation, two-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner Bryden Macpherson made a triumphant return to mainland Europe with a round of 4-under 68 to sit three shots off the lead.
Not since the 2014 Open Championship has Macpherson played a European Tour event in Europe and hopes a strong performance this week will continue a career resurgence that has seen him climb almost 900 places in the Official World Golf Rankings this year.
“It’s been a little bit up and down ever since,” said Macpherson of his progression since winning the 2011 British Amateur.
“I’ve shown some flashes of showing up as a real golfer but now I’m a bit more set in my ways, I know what I’m doing a little bit more.
“Hopefully this will be the start of something nice.”
South Australian Wade Ormsby brushed off the disappointment of just missing out on his first Open Championship to match Macpherson’s 67 to share fifth place with Maverick Antcliff (69), Brad Kennedy (70), Scott Hend (71) and Deyen Lawson sitting inside the cut-line after one round.
On a day of hot scoring in the US Jamie Arnold’s opening round of 6-under 66 was only good enough for a share of 15th after one round at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship while Lucas Herbert is tied for 17th after Round 1 of the PGA TOUR’s 3M Open in Minnesota.
Cameron Smith is ready to attack the weekend of The Open Championship after a second-round surge moved him to T17 at Royal St George’s.
Overnight leader Louis Oosthuizen (-11) has a two stroke lead after shooting a five-under 65 on Friday, followed closely by 2020 PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa (-9) and the 2017 Open champion Jordan Spieth (-8).
It was a historic day for the South African who broke the 36-hole scoring record at The Open with a 64-65 start.
The record, and the lead, was set up by a scintillating birdie-birdie-eagle run on 12, 13 and 14 and the 2010 Open champion acknowledged was humbled to achieve such a feat.
“Yeah, to have any record at the Open or part of any record at the Open is always very special,” Oosthuizen said.
“I probably played a bit better yesterday in the conditions we were playing in, but today we got really – I would say lucky sort of the last nine holes. It was as good a weather as you can get playing this golf course.
“All of us took advantage of that. I think in our three-ball we had a 64 and two 65s, which you don’t really see around a links golf course.”
While the afternoon was Oosthuizen’s, the morning belonged to Morikawa.
The American threatened to equal the Royal St George’s course record (63) as four birdies from 8 through 12 propelled him to the lead in his first appearance at The Open.
Par on 18 meant he had to settle for a six-under round of 64, but the world number four is not too phased by numbers.
“I did not know 63 was the low out here. I just kind of came out and played golf,” Morikawa said.
“For me, hopefully we can just create memories and create lifetime memories that hopefully Sunday comes along and we can talk again.”
Argentine Emiliano Grillo (-6) also threatened the course record as he birdied five of the last seven holes to match Morikawa’s 64.
“I think I’ll take 64 for any round in a major. I think I’ll take 64 any day even playing with my friends,” Grillo said.
Smith (-4) enjoyed the opportunity to play in the morning, as he spent less time in the rough and more time capitalising on birdie chances.
The Queenslander had a shaky start with a birdie at 2 in between bogeys at 1 and 3.
However, he quickly settled and back-to-back birdies on 8 and 9 gave him momentum heading into the back-nine.
Despite bogeys at 15 and 18, birdies at 11, 14, 16 and 17 made sure that the Australian number one has the leaders within reach.
“It was a bit the same I guess as yesterday. Bit of a rusty start. Couple bogeys there at the start. Just hung in there,” Smith said.
“That wind for me, every time I get that left wind I seem to miss the fairway or put myself out of position. Something I have to work on.
“No, it was really solid. Lots of good iron shots today. Couple of close ones which was nice to see. Obviously the putter was pretty decent as well.”
Birthday boy Adam Scott was the only other Australian to make the cut after his bogey-free round.
The 2013 Masters champion began the day at 3-over par, but quickly found himself above the cut line with birdies on 4, 6 and 7 before knocking in a long birdie putt at 17 turned the number next to his name red.
“I just played better today. I didn’t execute [yesterday]. I had the same game plan,” Scott said.
“I basically hit the same clubs off all the tees today, but it was a strong 20 mile an hour wind yesterday and I was a little bit off so I looked pretty average.
“You know, today was much easier wind and I was swinging a little better. Once you hit a few fairways the confidence comes and frees you up.
“You know, it’s that kind of course. It can – you can look like a champion when you knock it straight down the middle with driver and look like a fool when you’re laying up in the rough with a 5-iron.”
Marc Leishman (+2) made three back-nine birdies while putting with a wedge in a last-ditch effort to make the weekend, but he ultimately finished one shot below the cut line.
Irish Open champion Lucas Herbert (+3) found himself behind the eight-ball early in the afternoon with bogeys on 2 and 3 and he did not recover.
Scottish Open champion Min Woo Lee’s afternoon round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 7th, but his Open debut ended at three-over par.
Six other Australians also missed the cut.
Matt Jones (+3) and Jason Scrivener (+4) both carded three bogeys and two birdies to finish the second round one-over par.
Jason Day was in a difficult spot after a first round 75, and a double bogey on 1 and a bogey 2 left him with too much work to do.
Three-under on the back-nine clawed Day back to five-over for the tournament.
Brad Kennedy was in contention for the weekend as he began the day one-over par, but six bogeys in his round meant he finished alongside Day at five-over.
Open debutant Aaron Pike had four birdies, six bogeys and a triple-bogey on 2 in a round of five-over 75, while qualifier Deyen Lawson struggled early on his way to shooting 77.
Round 2 Leaderboard
T17 Cameron Smith -4 69 67
T40 Adam Scott -1 73 66
MC Marc Leishman +2 75 67
MC Min Woo Lee +3 74 69
MC Lucas Herbert +3 70 73
MC Matt Jones +3 72 71
MC Jason Scrivener +4 73 71
MC Jason Day +5 75 70
MC Brad Kennedy +5 71 74
MC Aaron Pike +9 74 75
MC Deyen Lawson +17 80 77
South Australian Stephanie Na has taken a big step towards a breakthrough Symetra Tour title after earning a share of the Round 1 lead at the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic in New York.
One of five players to post 4-under 66 at Brook Lea Country Club, Na was bogey-free through her first 18 holes, picking up birdies at holes two, nine, 11 and 13 to be sitting atop the leaderboard heading into Round 2.
The 2008 Australian Amateur Stroke Play champion, Na’s best finish on the secondary Symetra Tour is a tie for second at the Symetra Classic in 2019, finishing 29th on the moneylist to just miss out on promotion to the LPGA Tour.
Kiwi Julianne Alvarez also made a promising start to the tournament with a round of 2-under 68 with Hira Naveed and Julienne Soo a shot further back in a tie for 31st.
It was a difficult day for Gabi Ruffels who sits in a tie for 90th after an opening 2-over 72.
Also seeking promotion in 2022, Brett Drewitt has made a strong start to the defence of his title at the Memorial Health Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Currently 23rd on the Order of Merit, Drewitt is just one shot off the lead at Panther Creek Country Club after a round of 6-under 65. Starting from the 10th tee, Drewitt went out in 31 featuring an eagle at the par-5 16th and added a lone birdie at the par-5 sixth to sit one behind Charlie Wi, TJ Vogel and John VanDerLaan.
Kiwi Steven Alker is one shot further back after a 5-under 66 with Brett Coletta the next best of the Aussies after an opening 1-under 70.
With the big names in action at The Open Championship two veterans are leading the way for the Australians at the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship.
Greg Chalmers’ round of 6-under 66 puts him in a tie for 12th just two strokes behind leader Brian Stuard, Cameron Percy just one shot further back after a round of 5-under 67 to be tied for 21st following the opening round.
Callaway staffer Min Woo Lee won the Scottish Open with a walk off birdie on the first playoff hole. The 22-year-old Australian and rising star now has two European Tour wins, and he’s quickly climbing up the world rankings. Here’s what’s in his bag:
What’s in the Bag:
Epic Speed Driver (9°) – Fujikura Ventus Red 7X
Epic Speed Fairway Wood (15°) – Fujikura Ventus Red 8X
X Forged Utility Iron (18°) – Project X LS 7.0 Shaft
Apex TCB Irons (4-PW) – Project X LS 7.0 Shafts
JAWS MD5 Wedges (52°, 54°, 60°) – Nippon Pro Modus3 120 X Shafts
Odyssey White Hot OG #1 Putter
Chrome Soft X Golf Ball
His Driver: Lee hit clutch drives on Sunday with his Epic Speed. Our Epic Drivers continue to win on Tours around the world, and they’ve already earned three major victories in 2021.
His Golf Ball: Lee is using a Chrome Soft X Golf Ball, which he controlled beautifully in the rainy conditions this weekend. His fellow Callaway staffer Thomas Detry also reached the playoff with a Chrome Soft X Ball. Callaway was the #2 Golf Ball Brand at The Scottish Open with 29 in play.
First was the $US40 million Colorado ranch.
Next was the $US55 million sprawling Florida estate.
Now, in the latest indicator that he is downsizing ahead of his return to Australia, Australia’s Greatest Golfer Greg Norman is auctioning off hundreds of personal items of golf equipment from his storied ‘Golf Room’ for charity.
A personally used and signed TaylorMade R11s driver is currently attracting the highest bid at $US393 and there are a multitude of items any Aussie golf fan would love to have on display in their own golf room at home or added to their golf bag.
Personalised staff Tour golf bags, a host of putters used by Norman himself, wedges and a Royal Melbourne Golf Club driver made specifically for Norman by legendary club maker and 1921 Australian Open champion Arthur Le Fevre are all part of the collection that will raise money for The First Tee program.
“I officially closed my storied Golf Room this year and decided the best option was to use memorabilia to raise money for charity,” the two-time British Open champion said in a post on Instagram.
“Happy to see that many of my clubs, golf bags and putters from my career will find happy homes.”
Only Tiger Woods has been No.1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for longer than Norman’s 331 weeks as he accumulated 88 professional victories throughout his Hall of Fame career.
To bid on any of the auction items visit www.thegolfauction.com/catalog.aspx.
Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou is headed for a final round showdown with Finland’s Sanna Nuutinen on the Ladies European Tour as fellow Australian Lucas Herbert established a two-shot lead at the halfway mark of the European Tour’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
The outright leader after day one, Kyriacou was joined at the top by Nuutinen after Round 2 and the pair put on an impressive display of scoring in the third round, both carding 7-under 65s to reach 13-under to open up a four-stroke lead with one round left to play.
Winner of the Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic at Bonville early last year, Kyriacou got off to a superb start on day three, rolling in four consecutive birdies on holes three through to six to make the turn in 32.
The 2020 LET Rookie of the Year made another four birdies on the back nine, only dropping a shot on 17 to finish the day tied at the top.
“I was having fun out there; I was holing some long putts which is always enjoyable,” Kyriacou said post-round.
“We both played really well so it was anyone’s game the whole day. It will be interesting tomorrow.
“I haven’t thought about what it would mean but it would be great to get my first professional win.”
Out in the second group of the day in the opening round, Herbert had to sit, watch and wait as the morning groups in round two moved past his day one score of 8-under par.
A birdie on the opening hole was a positive start but a double bogey after he found the water on the third hole put him three strokes behind England’s Dale Whitnell.
After a two-putt birdie on the par-5 fifth Herbert then picked up five shots in six holes from the eighth en route to a 5-under 67 to be 13-under after 36 holes and two strokes in front of England’s Andy Sullivan and Scot Grant Forrest.
“It was a little frustrating but I also felt like I did pretty well to scrap 67 out of that,” said the 25-year-old.
“I holed some really nice putts and then missed some where I probably thought that was a good chance to make.
“The double on three didn’t help as well so for a round that hopefully is not one of the better ones of the week, I felt like I did really well to get a lot out of it and put myself into a very good position going into the weekend.”
Seeking to add a second European Tour title to his Omega Dubai Desert Classic win last January, Herbert said he will think back to that week over the final two rounds.
“It’s definitely something that comes with a win, where you know you’ve proved to yourself that you can win. You can hit shots under pressure and actually win,” said Herbert, top 20 in his two most recent starts on the PGA TOUR to be ranked 91st in the world.
“I’ll be taking a lot of experience from that into the weekend and try and draw on that confidence as well.”
West Australian Min Woo Lee (68) briefly held a share of the lead on day two before ending the day tied for ninth at 8-under, Jason Scrivener (69) left to rue some missed opportunities with the putter as he too enters the weekend in a share of ninth.
For graduates of the PGA Membership Pathway Program and their indentured professionals, 2020 presented some challenges that didn’t come with a roadmap to navigate.
In Victoria in particular, various periods of lockdown meant that there was a physical disconnect between Associates and their workplace, but Director of Golf at Kingston Heath went out of his way to ensure that Lachlan Kenny and the golf operations team were actively engaged throughout.
“During lockdown Justin was always very active in making sure that we had something to do or could be involved with any changes or processes made from an operational perspective and also club perspective,” explains Kenny, who completed the PGA Membership Pathway Program at the end of 2020.
“Whilst everyone was locked up so to speak, we were working quite diligently throughout that lockdown period.
“From a support point of view, he always made sure that all of us had the ability to stay connected which was a massive boost.”
The mentorship that is a feature of the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program was crucial in Kenny’s career development.
His father Andrew has been the General Manager at Pelican Waters on the Sunshine Coast and Heritage Golf and Country Club in Melbourne and his family are close friends with former ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia player Heath Reed.
When Kenny moved to Melbourne to advance his playing career he sought the counsel of Ben Bunny at Ranfurlie Golf Club and found a mentor in Burrage at Kingston Heath who would provide clarity around his career prospects within the golf industry.
“Heath always taught me to work hard and if I was going to give something a go to give it my all,” Kenny explains.
“Ben Bunny at Ranfurlie was always a shoulder to lean upon and run ideas past, especially while I was looking at playing. He was a great coach and definitely helped with my coaching to membership.
“Justin has been at Kingston Heath for 18 years and really invested his time into me, ensuring that if I had any questions or concerns to voice that to him.
“That’s where the communication side really came to life with myself. If there was an issue, rather than stewing on it, to talk it through. He was always very supportive with any ideas or challenges that we had in the workplace and how we could work through those.
“Those three as PGA Members were definitely big mentors for myself.”
Recognising that staff turnover at Kingston Heath is minimal, Kenny and Burrage began evaluating opportunities elsewhere when a twist of fate opened the way for a return to where Kenny’s traineeship had begun.
Another Melbourne lockdown delayed his start date by a week but the doors open again Kenny will be employed as the Golf Operations Manager at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club.
“Throughout the last year I worked out that I wanted to transition out of playing and into club management and golf operations,” said Kenny, who began the Member Pathway Program at Settlers Run before moving to Kingston Heath with the club’s full blessing.
“Towards the end of my traineeship I sat down with Justin and we talked through the avenues I wanted to work into and openly discussing areas that I can work into outside of Kingston Heath.
“I knew from a little way out that a move was necessary and he was fully supportive of talking through the pros and cons of each avenue that I wanted to go down.
“The opportunity came up at Settlers Run where I originally started my traineeship and I jumped at it.”
Courtesy of his mentors along the way, Kenny now understands how he wants to impact the facilities he works at throughout his career, starting at Settlers Run.
“Whatever which operation you are in, a level of attentiveness and service has no price,” says Kenny.
“It’s all down to effort and making sure that members and anyone attending the club feels welcome. “I’ll still learn how to deal with people management but it’s taking ownership of everyone’s accountability to ensure that anyone waking through the door is going to have an enjoyable experience.
“Hopefully that will help to grow the game of golf.”
Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou has taken an early lead in her quest for a second Ladies European Tour title, firing a first round of 6-under 66 to lead the Big Green Egg Open by two strokes over England’s Lily May Humphreys.
On a damp and drizzly day at Rosendaelsche Golf Club in the Netherlands, the 2020 LET Rookie of the Year got off to the best possible start when she opened her round with a birdie at the 10th hole.
After dropping a shot to take her back the level par, Kyriacou made birdies on four of her next six holes and despite dropping another shot, closed out her round with three further birdies to reach 6-under par.
Kyriacou, who won the 2020 Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic Bonville while still an amateur, was pleased with her day’s work.
“It was good. I think I had a little bit of luck but I did also hit some pretty good shots,” the 20-year-old explained.
“I had a couple of short putts, which I holed, and I managed to sink a couple of long ones, which turned out to be 6-under par.
“I like the look of the course. I think I hit a fairly straight ball, so I guess I have a little bit of an advantage but there was also a little bit of luck because if you miss the fairway, it can be like cactus there.”
Humphreys comes into the tournament fresh off the back of her maiden professional win, and sits two strokes behind Kyriacou on 4-under.
Four golfers are a shot further back on 3-under par with Spain’s Maria Hernandez, Wales’ Lydia Hall, Austria’s Christine Wolf and Netherlands’ Dewi Weber all carding a first round of 69.
The next best of the Aussies is Whitney Hillier (74) in a tie for 48th while Kristalle Blum (79) and Amy Walsh (81) have some work ahead to make the cut.
