22 Nov 2019 | Professional golf |
Oh's 69 puts her in LPGA mix
by Martin Blake
Su Oh was the best of the four Australians as she put herself into the mix at the LPGA Tour’s CME Group tour championship in Naples, Florida, today.
Victorian Oh, who has had the best of her four seasons on the tour, eagled her first hole out of the gate and then book-ended her round with consecutive birdies to shoot 69 at Tiburon Golf Club, three-under par.
She is four shots from the lead held by South Korea’s Sei Young Kim at seven-under. Kim leads by two shots from a group that includes the 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open winner, Nelly Korda of the United States. The 60 players are competing for the biggest single prize cheque in women’s golf, $US1.5 million this week.
Oh, 23, has taken her time to make her mark in professional ranks but she has won more than $US500,000 in prizemoney in 2019, a season that includes three top-10 finishes. She has never won on the LPGA Tour.
Perth’s Minjee Lee was left to rue a double bogey on the par-five 14th hole but the world No. 5 fought hard to keep her round creditable, shooting an opening 71. Lee was three-over par on the par fives but threw in five birdies to keep herself thereabouts.
Katherine Kirk (72) and Hannah Green (76) are off the pace.
Meanwhile on the US PGA Tour, Rhein Gibson gave himself a chance of a maiden victory with an opening 66 at the RSM Classic in Georgia, to be just one shot from the lead after the first round.
In Europe, Jason Scrivener is tied-21st at one-under par after the opening round of the tour championship, eight from the lead.
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