Round-up: Leona starts well; Power struggle; Kazakhstan gold

Kazakhstan Open leader Joachim B Hansen. Picture: Phil Inglis

Evian Championship — World Amateur No 1 Leona Maguire got off to a positive start in the Evian Championship in France as she bids to maintain her Olympic Games ranking and gain valuable experience against the professionals.

A one over 72 left her tied for 40th and six shots behind leaders Lexi Thompson and Mi Hyang Lee of Korea, and while she'll have been hoping for better having finished second on her last full start in the Ladies British Masters, she's a shot inside the projected cut mark.

The Slieve Russell and Duke University star is also 54th in the Olympic Golf Rankings with LPGA professional Stephanie Meadow 40th. And the amateur star needs to make occasional appearances in professional events to maintain her points average in the Rolex rankings and secure her place in Rio de Janeiro. 

Web.com Tour Playoffs — The four event Playoffs which will see 50 players given PGA Tour rankings for the 2015-16 season teed off in Indiana but with little luck for West Waterford's Seamus Power.

The Munster man double bogeyed his final hole in the Hotel Fitness in Fort Wayne to card a two over 74 that left him eight shots behind leaders Tommy Gainey and Argentinian Emiliano Grillo. Leaderboard

The Top 25 from the regular season have already secured PGA Tour cards and are now playing for their exact ranking, which will be an odd number from 1-49 as they are "zippered" with the other 25 qualifiers from the Playoff series.

There are two rankings to count in the Playoffs, as the Web.com Tour explained:

Cumulative Regular Season & Finals Money
This money list involves only those 25 players who have already earned their 2015-16 PGA TOUR cards via the Web.com Tour Regular Season (first 21 events). These players are competing for their priority ranking position only in the Finals. Their combined Regular Season and Finals earnings will determine where they fall in the ranking. Players in this category will be “zippered” with the players from the Finals-only money list (see next note) and receive an odd-numbered ranking (1, 3, 5, 7,….45, 47, 49).
Finals Money List Only
This money list involved all other players competing in the Web.com Tour Finals (Web.com Tour Regular Season Nos. 26-75, PGA TOUR/FedExCup points list Nos. 126-200, and PGA TOUR non-members with equivalent FedExCup points Nos. 126-200, plus PGA TOUR medical exemptions). These players are competing for a second set of 25 PGA TOUR cards as well as their priority ranking position. Players in this category will receive an even-numbered ranking and be zippered with those on the cumulative list above (2, 4, 6, 8,…46, 48, 50).

Power was projected to be 57th in the rankings following an opening 74 that featured four birdies, four bogeys and that double bogey six at the 18th at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne.

Challenge Tour — Gareth Shaw and Chris Selfridge continued their push for a Grand Final place with sub-70 opening rounds in the €450,000 Kazakhstan Open in Almaty.

As 17th ranked Ruaidhri McGee shot a 70 that left him tied 24th on two under at Nurtau Golf Club, 60th ranked Shaw posted a four under 68 to share seventh with 51st ranked Selfridge tied 12th after a 69.

At the top of the leaderboard, Denmark's Joachim B Hansen tied the course record with a nine under 63 to lead by one from compatriot Mads Søgaard and American Sihwan Kim.