(6 January 2012 – Melbourne, Vic)
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She was scheduled to walk up the aisle tomorrow, but New South Wales Rebecca Flood will instead march into the second round of the Victorian Women’s Open as joint leader.
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Flood, who postponed her wedding to caddie Geoff Artis to play this week, made good on other plans to cash in on the par-fives at Woodlands as many of the big names fell off the pace as they struggled with the gusty south easterly winds and challenging greens.
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When the women move to Spring Valley tomorrow afternoon to join their male counterparts, Flood will join LPGA Tour player and the highest ranked player in the field Haeji Kang, the talented Victorian amateur Su-hyun Oh and West Australian Jessica Speechley in her first professional tournament as leaders at two-under-par 72.
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Flood, 23, though, put her delayed nuptials aside to skip through the field late in her round. "I could have been working down the aisle at 3.30 I suppose, but that&aposs the way it goes. But I&aposm not worried — I&aposll enjoy the day when it comes," she said.
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"Geoff and I said at the start of the day just to focus on (hitting) fairways and greens and take our chances when they come, especially on the par fives. It was hard in the wind, so we just stayed patient out there and took our chances (with birdies on each of the three front-nine par fives)."
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Speechley, in her first round as a pro, said she had limited expectations against the seasoned field.
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"I was ready (to go pro) because I had done what I could as an amateur," she said.
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"I just wanted to play like I did as an amateur, not think about money and all that, just go out and enjoy it."
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Oh, at 15 a veteran of three years in the spotlight having played the 2009 Australian Open as a 12-year-old, was equally simple in her thought process that yielded six birdies.
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"My first nine I was really steady … but the back nine I just putted them in. I hit it crisper and putted it better," she said.
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At times the winds reached 20 knots, making club selection difficult and resulting in just players finishing in red numbers. The quartet holds a slender one shot advantage over New South Wales duo of Frances Bondad and Nikki Garrett.
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Victorians Lindsey Wright, Lisa Jean, New South Wales Karen Lunn, Western Australian teenage amateur Minjee Lee and France’s Joanna Klatten all shot even-par rounds of 74. New South Wales’ trio of Rachel Bailey, Sarah Kemp, Julia Boland and recently married Victorian Kate Little (nee Combes) are a further shot adrift but well in the mix.
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The players head to Spring Valley to contest the second round on Saturday afternoon. The cut will be made at the conclusion of the round and the top 50 players and ties will compete in the final round on Sunday.
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