Taylor Kim Takes First Round Lead

Team Canada National Development Squad member Taylor Kim of Surrey opened the 2012 British Columbia Junior Girls’ Championship with an exceptional 6-under-par 66 at the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club.

Kim (17) dismantled the par 72, 5,873 course by carding seven birdies and only one bogey, en route to a newly established women’s course record and the first round lead.

Tied for second is Michelle Kim of Surrey and Naomi Ko of Victoria who both shot even-par 72’s to sit six back of the lead. Kim, 14, is the younger sister of Taylor Kim and looks to catch her sister going into tomorrow’s second round by replicating what she accomplished today.

Ko, 14, a member at Olympic

View Golf Club, opened her round with an eagle on the par 5 431-yard 1st hole, only one of five players in the field who scored birdie or better on that hole.

Sitting in a tie for fourth are Kelowna’s Madison Kapchinsky and Port Moody’s Avril Li.

Kapchinsky (17) carded four bogeys and three birdies for a one-over-par 73. Li (15) fought back after an early double-bogey in her round on the 130-yard par 3 third hole to equal Kapchinsky at one-over-par, seven back of the lead.

In the zone gross competition, zone’s two and five are deadlocked in a tie for first at +12 going into tomorrow’s final round.

The zone championship is a 36-hole competition that is played concurrently during the first two rounds of the overall Championship.

The British Columbia Junior Girls’ Championship is a 72-hole stroke play competition between the top female golfers ages 18 and younger in the province.

A cut following the second round will be made to the low 25 players and ties.