Stephanie Meadow got off to a flying start in the Kia Classic at Aviara Golf Club to keep her hopes alive of qualifying for next week’s opening major of the season.

Back on the LPGA Tour after graduating from the Symetra Tour last year, she fired five birdies in bogey-free 67 to lie solo second, just two shots behind leader Chella Choi of Korea. Scores

The Jordanstown star (27) is just $9,000 shy of Germany's Isa Gabsa in the race for 15 spots for non-exempt players in next week's ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills.

But with a top 20 finish worth at least $20,000 in California this week, Meadow is off to an encouraging start.

“Just hit a bunch fairways and a bunch of greens and rolled some putts in,” said Meadow.. “Pretty stress-free golf, which is always nice.”

She’s pleased to be back on the biggest stage after suffering a stress fracture of the L5 vertebrae in her lower back in July 2017 — an injury that went misdiagnosed for 10 weeks.

That season saw Meadow miss 14 of 17 cuts and after she failed to better her status at Q School, Meadow spent 2018 rehabilitating both her back and her game on the Symetra Tour.

She returned to the LPGA Tour after finishing sixth in the 2018 Volvik Race for the Card, which awards LPGA status to the Symetra Tour’s top 10 money winners.

“It was definitely hard in the beginning. Obviously, it's a different kind of feeling when you go to tournaments, so it was kind of swallow your pride,” said Meadow, who won the 2018 IOA Championship, being held concurrently with the Kia Classic just 90 miles away in Beaumont with Leona Maguire in the field for today’s first round.

“But you know what? There are some really awesome girls out there that are really good players. I kept saying to people, If you win on Symetra and you can Top 5 every week, you're going to be able to compete out here, too. The Tour has gotten so much better in the last five years.”

The LPGA wrote:

This is not the first time that the University of Alabama alumna has had to battle back from adversity. In early 2015, her father Robert was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Meadow took three months off from competition to help care for him before his death in May 2015, returning to the Tour later that month.

At the end of the season, her fellow players selected Meadow as the recipient of the Heather Farr Perseverance Award, which honors an LPGA player who, through her hard work, dedication and love of the game of golf, has demonstrated determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player.

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