05 Oct 2020 | Professional golf |
Consistent Kirk in cash again
by Mark Hayes
Katherine Kirk’s ultra-consistent LPGA Tour season rolled on in New Jersey, posting another top-10 finish at the ShopRite Classic today.
Kirk couldn’t maintain the hot pace of eventual champion Mel Reid, whose career-best four-round total of 265 strokes (19 under) set a new tournament record.
Reid, the Englishwoman who won the 2017 Vic Open, birdied the last for a 67 to beat young American Jennifer Kupcho by two strokes.
Kirk was a further seven shots back in a share of 10th with Christina Kim and Brittany Altomare at 10 under.
The Sunshine Coaster had six birdies in today’s closing two-under-par 69, bringing her total to an impressive 19 for the week.
Minjee Lee again finished strongly with her week’s best 67 to rise to a share of 18th at eight under, while her fellow West Australian Hannah Green fell away today with a 76, but still managed to share 66th as the only other Aussie to make the cut.
Remarkably, it’s one of the Kirk’s most consistent streaks in her 17-year professional career. After being in contention late in August’s Women’s British Open, the 38-year-old was seventh in Arkansas, in the final group at the ANA Inspiration before finishing seventh and then took a breather from Portland before picking up superbly again this week.
The result will have her back in the world’s top 80, becoming Australia’s third-ranked played behind Minjee Lee and Hannah Green when the standings are updated.
Meanwhile, on the Symetra Tour, Queenslander Robyn Choi was deprived of a shot at redemption when heavy rain in Florida forced the cancellation of the final round.
Choi had shared the halfway lead before a third-round 75 dropped her down to a share of fifth in the Symetra Classic at Daytona Beach.
Heavy overnight rain and a forecast for more shortened the event to 54 holes and left Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien declared the winner.
The result leaves Choi in ninth in the tour’s Race to the Card standings.
Perth’s Hira Naveed shared 17th three shots further back as the only other Aussie to make the cut.
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