Cheyenne Woods Tops Australian Masters Board
American Cheyenne Woods was able to overcome her nerves to fire a two-under-par 71 and take the outright lead heading into the final round of the Volvik RACV Ladies Masters on the Gold Coast.
The Rolex Ranked No. 363 Woods, who sits atop the leaderboard at 12-under-par, will be looking to capture her first major professional tournament on the RACV Royal Pines layout. However, South African Stacy Lee Bregman (72) and Australian Amateur champion Minjee Lee (69) will be trying to spoil the party as they are just one and two shots back respectively.
Not out of the tournament are England’s Trish Johnson and Swede Camilla Lennarth who are both at nine-under-par and trailing Woods by two shots.
On Top & In The Lead!
Cheyenne Woods. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
On a sunny and windy afternoon Woods’ round was up and down. She got off to a rocky start, her opening five holes included three bogeys and one birdie before she birdied the 8th and 9th holes to go out in even par. Another two bogeys saw her once again fall back at 8-under-par before she stormed home with four birdies in her last five holes.
Nerves certainly were in play with Woods. Much like LPGA rookie Anya Alvarez at the New Zealand Women’s Open, Woods hadn’t been at the top of a pro event leaderboard until the 3rd round at the Australian Masters..
"It was definitely rough getting started but once I was through half the front and towards the back I really got settled in and I played really well. . . . I was able to pull myself together and really fight through that back nine. I really grinded it out today . . .Cheyenne Woods"
Beyond the Spotlight
Jessica Korda, Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic champion, and Katie Burnett shared the first round lead at the Australian Masters, but both have fallen back.
Burnett, who missed the cut at the Pure Silk-Bahamas and is looking for her first pro win or top-10 finished, has a good chance of ending in the top-10 at the Australian Masters. Rolex Ranked No. 215, Burnett had a rough 3rd round (75), but she’s going into the final round five shots under par and a share of 8th place on the board. Now’s the moment for her to bear down and focus.
Jessica Korda. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Jessica Korda came into the Australian Masters with high hopes for a second early-season victory. That’s not likely to happen. Following her first round 68, Korda carded 73 and then 74 and is going into the final round four shots under par and eight shots off Woods’ lead. She needs a string of birdies just to pull herself back up into a top-10 finish.
Amelia Lewis, like Katie Burnett, is still hunting her first professional top-10 finish, but she isn’t going to find it at the Australian Masters. She again started strong, finished the 1st round 3 shots off the lead and playing inside the top-10, and then gradually dropped down the board. Her 3rd round 76 puts her at even par going into the final round, 12 shots off the lead.
Everyone who has ever teed it up eventually confronts the fact that golf is a capricious and humbling sport. Karrie Webb has been there. Tiger Woods has been there. Inbee Park may be there still. And Yani Tseng remains there. Like Amelia Lewis, Tseng is going into the final round at even par, still trying to play her way out of her long slump and recapture the magic that catapulted her to the top of the rankings and kept her there for so long.
Media Coverage
You may be able to LIVE stream the final round of the Volvik RACV Ladies Masters directly on your PC, Laptop or Mobile at YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/ladieseuropeantour
Live Streaming WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE in the following countries where it will be shown on TV: Korea (JGolf); USA and Canada (Golf Channel); France (AB Golf); Bosnia, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia (IKO Sport Club); Portugal (Sport TV); Thailand (GMM Sport Thailand); Australia & New Zealand (Host broadcasters). Check local schedules for specific air times.