Kline Shoots 72, Is Tied for 11th

MacKinzie Kline, the 14-year-old golfer from Encinitas who was allowed to ride in a cart because of a congenital heart defect, shot an even-par 72 Monday in the first round of stroke-play qualifying for the U.S. Girls Junior golf championships at Charlotte, N.C.

Kline, who carries an oxygen tank that she uses between shots, was tied for 11th, three shots behind leader Joanne Lee, 17, of San Carlos, Calif.

“I was very nervous for my first nine holes,” Kline said.

After today’s round, the field will be reduced to the low 64 players, who will compete in match play from Wednesday through Saturday.

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Cody Gribble and Phillip Francis moved into position to easily earn match-play spots in the U.S. Junior Amateur, each shooting four-under-par 68 to top the field in the first round of stroke-play qualifying.

Gribble, a 15-year-old left-hander from Dallas, had five birdies and a bogey on the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club course. The top 64 players after the second round today will advance to match play.

Francis, a 17-year-old junior standout from Scottsdale, Ariz., also had five birdies and a bogey.

John Douglas Archibald of Simi Valley and Arnond Vongvanij of Bradenton, Fla., shot 69. Defending champion Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla., had a 73.