Surrey’s Lauren Kim, Michelle Liu Of Vancouver Share Lead Heading Into Final Round Of B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship
Lauren Kim Overcame A Sore Neck Issue To Shoot 69 And Sits Tied For The Lead In The 2020 B.C. Women's Amateur - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
CAMPBELL RIVER -- Lauren Kim came close to withdrawing after injuring her neck while warming up, but decided to play hurt. And, it turns out, to play well. Beware the wounded golfer.
The 15-year-old from Surrey sucked it up and shot a one-under 69 Wednesday and shares the lead with Vancouver’s Michelle Liu heading into Thursday’s final round of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Campbell River Golf & Country Club.
“I hit my last range ball and right when I hit the ball I felt like a little pinch in my neck and I said, ‘ooh, that feels bad,’” Kim said.
“I went to my dad and he took a look at it. I decided to hit a couple balls and see how it felt. I took a swing and said I don’t think I am going to be able to play because it hurts so much. But then my dad helped me stretch a bit and put some stuff on it and it was a little better. So, I said, okay I’ll go see if I can play a couple of holes. If it hurts too much I am just going to pull out.”
She took easy swings to start her round, parred the first hole, then stuck her approach on the second hole to within six feet of the hole and made birdie. There’s nothing like a birdie to help ease the pain. By the time she finished her round, Kim was feeling quite a bit better. “It’s better than before. My neck has loosened up a little bit so now I can swing with some power. It is definitely better than it was.”
Kim impressed her playing partners with her game. She did not miss a fairway and hit 15 greens in regulation. “It has been great playing with Lauren,” said Vancouver’s Nonie Marler, who leads the Mid-Amateur competition for players 25 and older.
“She has a great game. It is awesome playing with such a nice player and a person who has such potential with her golf career. I think she hit every single fairway both days. Every single drive is in the fairway so it’s been quite cool to see. She has been very fearless. I try to emulate that.”
Kim and Liu, a 13-year-old who last week won the B.C. Bantam Girls Championship down the Island Highway in Chemainus, stand at even-par through 36 holes. Liu shot a two-under 68 on Wednesday. “My short game saved me some pars today,” Liu said. “I don’t think anything was quite perfect, but it was good enough to be good overall.”
Michelle Liu - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf
Kim and Liu will be joined in Thursday’s final group by Vancouver’s Leah John, who shot a two-over 72 Wednesday and stands at two-over through two rounds. John lost a share of the lead when she put a ball in the water on the par 3 16th hole and made double-bogey. “Felt confident about my shot, confident about the swing, sometimes these things happen,” John said of her 16th hole miscue.
She nonetheless likes her position and the fact she will be playing with the two players she must catch. “I like being on the hunt, for sure,” said John, a 20-year-old who attends the University of Nevada. “It is a fun position to be in, so I am looking forward to it. I like to have an idea of what is going on, so it will definitely be nice to be in a group with them.”
Marler shot a one-under 69 Wednesday to take control of the Mid-Amateur competition. She stands at five-over par through two rounds and has an eight-shot lead on Port Alberni’s Christina Proteau. With a low round on Thursday, Marler could also take a run at the B.C. Amateur title.
“It was much better today,” she said. “It made a difference getting two full rounds under my belt before today’s round. I felt like I knew the course a lot more. The pins were in more gettable places today, too, and the tee boxes were up somewhat. I am actually a little disappointed I wasn’t a little lower but after a 76 yesterday I will take a 69 today.”
To the surprise of almost no one, Shelly Stouffer is leading the Senior event for players 50 and over. The 50-year-old Nanoose Bay resident, who won the B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship last year, fired a three-under 67 Wednesday. She stands at even-par through 36 holes and carries a nine-shot lead over Surrey’s Diane McFarlane into Thursday’s final round.
Stouffer said she finally feels like she has figured out Campbell River’s greens. “I was pretty pleased today because I had played this course four times before this tournament and I could never putt well,” Stouffer said. “I don’t know if it was the change in my thinking, my positivity or what it was, but I was rolling it better so I’m pretty happy. I can’t complain.”
Stouffer played the front nine in three-under Wednesday, seven shots better than on Tuesday. “It was a no-stress round. I had a lot of putts that ended right around the hole, so I had a lot of tap-in pars which is nice.”
Alison Murdoch of Victoria leads the Super Senior category for players 60 and over. She stands at 13-over par, one shot better than Penny Baziuk of North Saanich.
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