01 Feb 2024 | Vic Open |
#VicOpen: Davidson riding the wave of good form
by Patrick Taylor
Coming off a strong rookie year on the LPGA Tour where a late surge saw her safely secure her fulltime playing rights for this season, Karis Davidson has transferred her hot form to the WPGA Tour of Australasia to lead after round one at the Vic Open.
In her first tournament for 2024, the Queenslander fired a 7-under 66 on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links, including a blistering 6-under on her opening nine holes.
Playing in one of the morning feature groups, alongside defending champion Jiyai Shin and fellow Aussie Cassie Porter, Davidson was the pick of the bunch, setting up a one-shot lead over Kelsey Bennett (NSW).
Sarah-Jane Smith (Qld), Jeongmin Cho (Korea) and Ashley Lau (Malaysia) share third at 5-under.
Davidson has come close at the Vic Open in the past, finishing runner-up to two major champions - Minjee Lee in 2018 and Hannah Green in 2022.
"I love coming down and playing these courses, I love them very much," she said.
"I've stayed with the same hosts for six years, so I've got a really good relationship with them as well."
Davidson's hosts, Peter and Janine, live alongside the second hole on the Creek Course, one of the few holes she didn't manage to birdie today.
The 25-year-old had a very positive year on the LPGA Tour, and a T8 finish at the Buick LPGA Shanghai in October made sure that she will enter 2024 with full status for the first time.
"I think just seeing that I am capable of those good scores, it really helps going into each round going forward," she said of her good form late in 2023.
Like Davidson, Bennett teed it up this morning in one of the feature groups and had eight birdies in her round.
"I was looking at the field coming into this week, and thought to be able to be up there with them would definitely be a pretty good achievement for me," she said.
"Putts were dropping which was nice.”
Defending champion Jiyai Shin opened with a 2-under 71 on the Creek Course to be five shots behind the lead, while Australian great Karrie Webb has some work to do on day two after a 2-over 75 also on the Creek Course today.
The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.