Michelle Kim Shoots 69, Leads Akari Hayashi By Three Shots At British Columbia Junior Girls At Cordova Bay
Michelle Kim (Above) Leads A British Columbia Golf Event For The Fifth Straight Round After Her (-4) Round Of 69 Has Her Three Shots Clear Of 12-Year-Old Akari Hayashi - Image Credit Alfie Lau
by Alfie Lau
It’s no surprise that reigning British Columbia Women’s Amateur Champion Michelle Kim of Surrey shot the low score of (-4) 69 during the opening round of the British Columbia Golf Junior Girls Championship at Cordova Bay Golf Course on Tuesday.
But the biggest surprise came from one of the smallest and youngest players in the field. Twelve-year-old Akari Hayashi of Uplands Golf Club was the only other player in the 52-golfer field to break par, as her 1-under par round of 72 included a front nine of four birdies and only one bogey.
Wee in size, so much so that her belt flapped behind her as she made her first swing at Cordova Bay on Tuesday, Akari just missed making the cut at last week’s BC Women’s Amateur.
She got off to a hot start, but couldn’t keep up the momentum on the back nine, as Akari would make three bogeys, with just one birdie, on the par-4 16th.
“My shots were really good and mostly my putting was really good,” said the youngster, who won’t turn 13 until October. “I had a lot of fun playing with Ji Na (Choi) and Jennifer (Kell). It was really relaxing. I talk a lot on the golf course and I talked a lot with Ji Na and Jennifer.”
Akari is so dedicated to her game that even after her sterling round, she was out on the putting green, working on her stroke. And she also stopped by the pro shop to ask a very important question. “I’m out early tomorrow so I wanted to know how early the driving range opens,” said Akari. “I want to have a lot of fun tomorrow.”
image credit alfie lau
Akari Hayashi Shot A 1-Under Round Of 72 At Cordova Bay During The Opening Round Of The British Columbia Golf Junior Girls Championship
As great a story as Akari Hayashi is, Michelle Kim continues to write an unparalleled story of her own. The wire-to-wire winner of the Women’s Amateur, Kim leads a British Columbia Golf event for the fifth straight round.
Kim made four birdies on the front nine and one more on the 10th hole before making her only bogey on the par-5 14th. “I think I only missed one green in regulation all day and it was really fun playing with Euna (Han) and Avril (Li),” said Kim. “We’ve known each other for a while and it was relaxing for me to play with the two of them.”
It was so relaxing that while Kim leads, Han sits in third place, at even par 73, while Li is sixth, at (+3) 76. The only other players with better rounds than Li were Alisha Lau at (+1) 74 and Esther Lee at (+2) 75.
Kim said she took some time to relax after her Amateur win in Duncan and hasn’t practiced much since. It’s hard to tell because it seems like what worked for her up-island works just as well in Victoria. “I think I’m a good front runner,” said Kim. “I’m playing with a lot of confidence. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and I think I’ll be fine.”
The second round of the British Columbia Junior Girls Championship at Cordova Bay starts at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Spectators are welcome to attend this free event and cheer on the next wave of great British Columbia golfers. The cut to low 30 and ties won’t be made until after 54 holes on Thursday.
BEST BALL COMPETITION
There’s a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard in the two-player Best Ball Competition. All shooting (-5) rounds of 68 are the teams of: Akari and Mirai Hayashi; Gloria Choi and Michelle Kim; Cecile Kwon and Esther Lee; and Melody and Belinda Lin.
ZONE TEAM COMPETITION
In the 36-hole Zone Team competition, the Zone 5 team of the Hayashi sisters is tied with the Zone 6 team of Shirin Anjarwalla and Abigail Rigsby at (+9) 155.
For full results from Cordova Bay, please click here