Homegrown Duo Grace Kim and Kelsey Bennett are in the mix within striking distance of the leaders in the rain-shortened Australian Women’s Classic opening round at Coffs Harbour Golf Club today.
The Golf NSW co-sanctioned event between the Ladies European Tour and WPGA is heating up a week after Cyclone Alfred did his best to wash out the entire event.
Unable to practice on the beautiful 27-hole layout in the lead-up, and with the pro-am also cancelled, Kim and Bennett shifted into gear when given the opportunity to shoot matching four-under rounds of 66, with Bennett’s round punctuated by a lengthy eagle putt which produced the loudest roar of the day.
RELATED LINKS:Australian Women’s Classic Leaderboard
Grace Kim, the 2023 Lotte Championship winner and rising star of Australian golf, displayed the skills many have come to expect of her.
The Avondale Golf Club representative replaced the driver in her bag for this event, and the decision paid immediate dividends, with long carries into some of the longer par-fours on this picturesque course set close to the city and beach.
“It felt pretty cruisy,” said Kim, reflecting on her bogey-free opening nine, which included three birdies. The only trouble the 24-year-old encountered was on the par-four 13th, where a new green has made reading putts tough.
“I knew that the putts were going to drop eventually, but in the middle, I probably tried too hard,” she said.
“I was probably forcing it a bit to get more birdies, and sometimes the contact gets out of whack. I tried to swing freely the last four, and it turned out that works.”
Mollymook’s Bennett, playing on her first full-year exemption on the LET, bogeyed the 1st and 10th holes in her round but rebounded on the back nine with two birdies and an eagle.
“This round) gives me plenty of confidence,” Bennett said.
“There’s lots on the line when you get a win on this tour—a couple of major starts, which would be unreal. But I’m feeling pretty good.
“I mean, I’ve been playing quite well this year so far, so I’m just hoping it keeps trending in the right direction.”
Two in front of Kim and Bennett and leading the tournament are Swede Moa Folke, Wales’ Darcey Harry, and Austrian Emma Spitz, who sizzled around the Coffs layout with seven birdies and a lone bogey layout late in the day in the more challenging conditions.
On her first “dream” trip to Australia, Welsh star Harry fired her lowest round of the year with a blistering opening 64. Birdies on the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 9th holes set the tone for the day, with more birdies on the 11th, 12th, and 14th holes. The 3rd hole proved tricky for the 21-year-old, where she recorded her only bogey for the day.
“It was really good,” she said of her opening round.
“I think it benefited me not having a practice round because you’re going out, you’re not worrying about certain holes.
“You’re playing it blind, so you don’t have any worries. You’re kind of just going for it. You can play aggressive. I got off a really good start out there. The greens are playing amazing. I can’t believe how dry the course is getting so quickly. It was a lovely day. I mean, the sun’s out, so it’s brilliant.”
29-year-old Swede Moa Folke, who shot a bogey-free 64, is the equal clubhouse leader with Harry and Spitz. Where Harry dominated with her putter, Folke was just as dangerous from tee to green.
“I don’t think I missed a fairway out there today,” she said, finally happy to be outside after sheltering from the rain for days.
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss many greens either. It makes such a difference.”
Also atop the leaderboard is Austrian Emma Spitz.
“I hit a lot of fairways, maybe I missed two or so,” Spitz said. “I hit some really nice iron shots and wedges. I hit a flag once, had a tap-in, had another tap-in on the par-five, and two four-footers for birdies.”
Spitz said the course’s ever-improving condition was a credit to the staff and volunteers on site.
“I think the job that (staff and greenkeepers) did here is amazing. You couldn’t tell that it rained so much on this course. I mean, the greens are fantastic.”
