Stephanie Meadow double-bogeyed the 18th in the Pelican’s Women’s Championship but vowed to pick herself up and keep making birdies as she bids to qualify for next week’s $7 million CME Group Tour Championship in Florida.

The Jordanstown star is 81st in the points standings, but with the top 63 set to battle for a $2 million winner’s cheque at the season finale, she was on track for the top-four finish she needs after birdies at the third, sixth, seventh, 10th and 11th left her tied seventh on five-under.

Scores

A killer double-bogey six at the 18th saw her sign for a 67 that left her five shots behind Mexico’s Maria Fassi in tied 17th and projected to move up just three spots to 78th in the Race to CME standings.

But as Leona Maguire opened with a one-over 71 to share 78th,  Meadow vowed to keep chasing birdies with a top 80 spot also valuable to her next season.

“I think it's on all of our minds for the ones not in CME next week,” Meadow said after a loose iron shot and tricky chip cost her two shots at the last. “We would all love to be there. It's going to take a big week for me, but there is a chance, so as long as there is a chance I'm still going to try.”

She was pleased with her play at Pelican Golf Club and doesn’t plan to let one bad hole stop her trying to advance to next week.

“I hit my driver a lot better,” she said. “Changed shafts this week and was able to hit more fairways and hit some really good iron shots and made some putts. And then obviously tough finish on 18 there, but loads more golf left.

“It's just one loose iron shot at the wrong time and then a really tricky chip shot. My short game has been really good the last few weeks, so I'll just put down to more bad timing than anything else and just continue on for tomorrow and Sunday.”

Fassi shot an 8-under 62 to tie the 18-hole scoring record set by Leona Maguire and Mi Hyang Lee in 2021.

“To put a round like this together you got to have every aspect of your game in line. I really did. I mean, I had two birdie looks on the first two holes and didn't make either of them and then saved a good up and down on 3. I think that kind of got me started a little bit,” Fassi said.

“I was almost getting a bit frustrated even at the beginning just because I hit a couple of poor shots, but then after that up and down I started to keep giving myself opportunities. The putter was just impeccable today off the tee. I hit it probably good as I ever have. So it was a pretty good combination.”

Maguire started with a bogey at the 10th and while she followed eight pars with a birdie at the first, she double-bogeyed the second to be two-over before getting a shot back at the par-five seventh.

On the PGA Tour, Tony Finau carded an eight-under-par 62 to lead the Cadence Bank Houston Open by four strokes from Patrick Rodgers on 13-under par while Luke Donald and Ryan Fox were two shots ahead of the chasing pack on eight under after managing just three holes in the second round of the weather-delayed Nedbank Golf Challenge.