Kylie Walker flew to California immediately after the women's home internationals at Irvine GC and she is pictured lining up a putt on the third green in the final day's singles against Wales. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on it to enlarge.

Kylie keeps cool and is on course to make it

to LPGA Final Qualifying School

Buchanan Castle's Kylie Walker is coping well with a heatwave in California and is within the "safety zone" with one round to play in the LPGA Tour School Sectional Qualifying Turnament at Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage.
The 23-year-old Scotland cap and 2010 Curtis Cup squad selection, runner-up in the recent European women's individual amateur championship in Sweden, has had rounds of 70, 71 and 75 for a level par aggregate of 216. She is lying joint 21st. The top 30 and ties after Sunday's fourth round will advance to the LPGA Tour School Final Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International, Daytona Beach, Florida from December 2 to 6.
Leading the field in California is US Curtis Cup player from 2008, Amanda Blumenherst from Scottsdale, Arizona. She is five shots clear of the field after firing a seven-under-par 65 in round three on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Amanda is on 14-under-par 202.
Her nearest rivals are Azahara Munoz from Spain, winner of the British women's open amateur championship at Harlech in June, and American Mallory Blackwelder. Azahara has scored 70, 66 and 71 for 207; Mallory 72, 68 and 67.
Blumenherst now looks to continue her solid play for one more day at Mission Hills Country Club.
“I played really solid golf today,” Blumenherst said. “I just hit it great all day. I also putted really, really well today too. I only mis-hit one iron shot all day, so if you do that, you’ll have a good, low score. I have to continue to play like I’m playing, and just not think about the score. I have just been trying my hardest on every hole.”
After a third-straight day of playing in triple-digit temperatures, Blumenherst said she doesn’t mind the heat wave. “I grew up in Arizona, so I am kind of used to it,” said Blumenherst, who had a stellar college career at Duke University and won the US women's amateur title last year.
The second LPGA Tour Sectional Qualifying Tournament will be Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2009, at Plantation Golf and Country Club’s Bobcat and Panther Courses in Venice, Florida. The top-30 finishers and ties from the Venice qualifier will join the top-30 players and ties from this week’s sectional qualifier at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
Making up the rest of the field in Daytona Beach will be current LPGA Tour members attempting to improve their priority standing and eligible Duramed FUTURES Tour players who automatically advanced based on their position on the 2009 season-ending money list.
HOW THEY STAND
Par 216. 6,442yd
202 Amanda Blumenherst (US) 70 67 65.
207 Mallory Blackwelder (US) 72 68 67, Azahara Munoz (Spain) 70 66 71.
208 Esther Choe (US) 69 70 69.
Selected score:
216 Kylie Walker (Scotland) 70 71 75 (jt 21st).