Sara Byrne birdied her final hole for a one-under 71 in round two of the Final Qualifying Stage at LPGA Q-School to get within one shot of the qualifying mark in Mobile, Alabama.
The Dromoland Castle professional was taking on the Falls Course at Mangolia Grove on day two having stuttered somewhat over the closing stages on the Crossings Course on day one, and it was a case of one step forward, one step back for most of the day as birdies at 10 – her opening hole – 13 and 16 were given back at 12, 15 and 17 and she made the turn at level par.
It was the same story on the front side with further birdies at one and four followed by bogeys at three and seven, but she signed off with another birdie on the ninth to card a round in red figures that leaves her tied for 30th on level-par, one shot above the top-25 and ties mark required for an LPGA Tour card.
Lauren Walsh is going to have to do it the hard way if she’s to earn full LPGA status. Playing the Crossings Course in round two and starting the day at +3, four bogeys with just the one birdie on the way out left her on +6 at the turn.
Three birdies in the first five holes on the front side saw her claw her way back to level for the day, but a disastrous bogey-double bogey finish dropped her back to +6 and she’ll need to put in two good rounds to make the 72-hole cut and have a chance at earning a Tour card in the fifth and final round.
China’s Yu Liu is making light work of the challenge thus far and followed her opening 62 with a 67 to move to -14 and open up a seven-stroke lead at the top over Mexico’s Maria Fassi, Frenchwoman Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Belgian Manon de Roey and Japanese Chisato Iwai.
But it’s further down the board where the interest really lies and there are currently seven players tied for 23rd at -1 and they are the last players on course to qualify.
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