Pace psyched for British Women’s Open

Pace was determined to take her recent run of good form to the season’s third Major, which tees off at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.

“It’s really nice that I am back in the top 10, but my focus this year is on retaining my LPGA Tour card and the Majors, and who knows, this might just be my week,” Pace said on Monday.

She fired a closing four-under-par 68 to tie for third on 11 under 277, to finish seven shots behind winner IK Kim from South Korea.

The three-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner attributed her recent performances to a stint in the US and her new bagman Dylan Vallequette, as well as some valuable putting advice from fellow South African pro, Nicole Bekker, last week.

“When you play against some of the best golfers in the world on the LPGA Tour week in and out, it lifts your game and it pushes you to do better,” she said.

“Shortly after I got the US, my caddie and I split and some friends recommended Dylan, who was just back from a spell in Korea. We hooked up and this was his fourth event on the bag.”

Pace and Ashleigh Simon, who was forced to withdraw with severe back spasms at the weekend, would get their first look at Royal Birkdale in Monday’s practice round.

Simon said having to withdraw was not the preparation she had planned.

“It was not the week I was looking for before the tournament. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I withdrew after 12 holes on Saturday and got treatment. Better safe than sorry,” Simon said.

Fellow South African Stacy Bregman tied for sixth at 10 under, while compatriot Connie Chen claimed her third successive top 30 finish with a tie for 27th on one-under-par 287. Rookie Nobuhle Dlamini from Swaziland celebrated her second cut made with a joint 64th finish on seven over 295.

Pace, the former Ladies European Tour number one, missed a number of European events this season to ply her trade on the LPGA Tour, but thanks to a pay day worth €27,733 (approximately R400 000), she vaulted to ninth in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Sunshine Ladies Tour regulars Kim Williams and Nicole Garcia would be fighting for a spot in the Final Qualifying at Southport & Ainsdale Golf Course on Monday in the hope of joining Pace, Bregman, Simon, Chen and Dlamini in the African line-up.