Australian golfer Grace Kim has continued her hot run with a stellar opening round at the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic.<\/p>\n
Fresh off two straight top-10 finishes, Kim is just one stroke behind Colombian leader Mariel Galdiano after the first round at the Columbia-Edgewater Country Club.<\/p>\n
Playing an all-out attack, the major champion collected seven birdies and an eagle to finish the day in a seven-way tie for second.<\/p>\n
The world number 38 also needed only 24 putts, the fewest of any player in the field.<\/p>\n
Kim started with a three-birdie stretch after starting her round on the 10th hole.<\/p>\n
“Having that three-birdie start is just a nice feeling to kick-start things,” the 25-year-old said.<\/p>\n
“A lot of us out here are pretty straight, fairways and greens.<\/p>\n
“But in terms of holing all those putts, knowing that the greens roll quite true \u2026 it’s really nice to just put a stroke on it and see where it would normally go.”<\/p>\n
Kim is in a batch at 6-under, including Augusta National women’s amateur champion Maria Jose Marin, Arpichaya Yubol and Olivia Cowan.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old Marin landed five-straight birdies on the front nine.<\/p>\n
“I reached a flow state that I haven’t reached in a while,” she said.<\/p>\n
“After the British Open I didn’t play my best golf, and I think getting that confidence back with this round is all that I needed.”<\/p>\n
One shot behind them and tied for ninth is Australian Robyn Choi (67), who sprang to life on the back nine.<\/p>\n
After going out in even par with a birdie and bogey, Choi stormed home with four consecutive birdies beginning on the 12th. She then added another on the 17th to rocket up the field.<\/p>\n