DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, Oct. 7, 2017 - The first round of the Epson Tour Championship resumed Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and concluded at 1:49 p.m. with Yu Liu in the lead by one stroke. Liu shot an opening round 67 on Friday, finishing with birdies on each of her final four holes.
“Fifteen was my first birdie of the day,” she said after the round. “It felt really good and I just kept it going from there.”
Liu has finished in the top 15 in each of the last six tournaments, including second place finish two weeks ago at the Guardian Championship. Liu has a new caddy on the bag and credited him for the stretch of birdies on the back nine.
“He really helped reading putts and definitely saved me a lot of strokes,” she said.
At the conclusion of the first round, Megan Osland and Emma Talley were one stroke off the lead at four under. Osland birdied her final hole to join Talley in second place.
“I just want to continue the momentum,” she said. “The birdie on my last hole gave me confidence and I just want to keep the putts rolling in.”
There were four players tied at three under par and six players at four under par.
The second round at LPGA International began at 12:50 p.m. with the same wave of players that finished their first rounds on Saturday.
Top ten update
The top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2018 season. Liu (8), Talley (10), Boutier (2), and Benyapa Niphatsophon (1) each finished the opening round in the top ten on the leaderboard for the Epson Tour Championship. Lindsay Weaver (6) Katelyn Dambaugh (9) were the only top ten players projected to miss the cut after the first round.
Yu Liu Holds Clubhouse lead of Suspended Round One of the Epson Tour Championship
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, Oct. 6, 2017 - Round one of the Epson Tour Championship resumed Friday at 2 p.m. in Daytona Beach, Fla., and was suspended at 6:46 p.m. due to darkness. The morning wave finished first-round play on Friday, with the afternoon groups still to complete the first round. No. 8 on the Volvik Race for the Card Yu Liu had a stretch of five birdies from holes 15-1 and holds the unofficial lead on Friday at 5-under par.
“Since this is our last tournament of the season, and I haven’t secured my card yet, I’m really excited and pumped to go. I think anything can happen,” Liu said on Friday evening.
The first-round of the Epson Tour Championship will resume on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 9:00 a.m.
The Epson Tour Championship has been shortened to a 54-hole tournament with a Monday finish due to significant rain and saturated course conditions at LPGA International.
While still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Irma, LPGA International received 2 1/2 inches of rain on Thursday, to total more than 6 1/2 inches of rain in the past week. Rain is also forecasted for the Daytona Beach area through the weekend and into early next week.
“Our staff is working tirelessly alongside the LPGA International crew to make the course playable,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of the Epson Tour. “We want to ensure we have a fair, competitive tournament to determine our final champion of the year, as well as the 10 players who graduate to the LPGA next season.”
The cut will be made after 36 holes with the top 60 players and ties advancing to the final round. The final two hours of play will be broadcast on Facebook Live, with specific timing to be announced.
OF NOTE:
The top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2018 season. The top 23 on the current money list have a mathematical chance to earn their LPGA card this week. There are five players - No. 1 Benyapa Niphatsophon, No. 2 Celine Boutier, No. 3 Hannah Green, No. 4 Nanna Koerstz Madsen, No. 5 Erynne Lee - who have already secured their Tour cards. There are five spots up for grabs.
Six of the current top 10 players in the Volvik Race for the Card sit inside the top-6 on the leaderboard at the end of play on Friday, including the top three players.
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