Eight months on from a near-career ending injury Sarah Kemp finds herself ahead of the pack at the Australian Women’s Classic thanks to a sensational 62 (-8) on Saturday.
The 39-year-old had been sidelined from the sport since August after breaking her tibia and fibula in a freak golf cart accident. Having had subsequent surgery, Kemp has returned with a bang at Coffs Harbour Golf Club this week soaring into a two-shot lead with 18 holes remaining.
Starting the day four shots being our day one trio of leaders, Kemp got off to a tricky start bogeying the par-4 2nd. But from then on it was nothing but fantastic golf for the Aussie as Kemp rolled back the years carding nine birdies in 17 holes to move 10-under par for the tournament.
“This is my first tournament back in seven months,” the home favourite explained. “I had absolutely no expectations, so I’m really shocked! It’s 100% helped [not having any expectations].
“Honestly, the goal was to just finish this week. With my leg injury, having had a compound leg fracture seven months ago, I’ve now got some screws in there. So there’s a bit of pain, especially bending down. The goal was to just get back into tournament mode and be able to walk 18 holes.”
Putting was key for Kemp today as she rolled in notable birdies on the 6th, 11th, and 16th.
“I was able to practice at home, on the mat, so I’ve done a lot of putting,” the 12-time WPGA Tour of Australasia winner explained. “I’m sure it played a big help out there today but I’m still shocked.”
In a tie for second on eight-under par sit Belgium’s Manon De Roey and Wales’ Darcey Harry. The former had a fantastic day at the office holing several long putts en route to a round of 63 (-7).
The Olympian explained: “It was quite an easy round today, better than yesterday! Yesterday I think I was a bit nervous, it was the first round back after a while. But today I felt very comfortable. I holed a lot of putts. It was great out there.”
Darcey meanwhile, one of yesterday’s overnight leaders, posted a colourful round of 68 (-2) – one which included six birdies and four bogeys.
Competing in only her second Ladies European Tour (LET) event, the rookie said: “I definitely think I played better than I scored. So it’s a bit disappointing. But then again, I’m looking forward to going into tomorrow and doing the same as I’ve done the past two days.
“There was a lot of tricky holes out there today. [With the wind] I think I hit woods into three of the par-4s which made it a lot trickier. But I’m really excited for tomorrow. If you told me last year that I’d be here now, I probably wouldn’t have believed you! It’s all exciting and just taking it all in and enjoying it.”
One shot back from the duo in a tie for fourth are Sweden’s Moa Folke and Thailand’s Cholcheva Wongras. At just 17-years-old, the latter is proving to be one of the stories of the week in Coffs Harbour. With the local members watching on, Wongras fired a round of 64 (-6) on Saturday which included a clutch birdie finish on the par-4 18th.
Austria’s Emma Spitz, England’s Cara Gainer and Ireland’s Lauren Walsh share sixth spot on six-under par.
After 36 holes of action following a week of uncertainty in New South Wales, 76 players made the cut which fell at four-over-par. This included amateurs Rachel Lee from Australia and Hyojin Yang from South Korea.
The third and final round of the Australian Women’s Classic gets underway tomorrow morning at 8:55am local time. You can watch the final day on the LET website or find your local broadcaster.
“The Australian Women’s Classic is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.”
