Bidding to make December’s five-round Q-Series final stage, the Douglas star made two birdies and three bogeys in her first five holes on the Panther Course at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Tampa.
She righted the ship with an eagle three at the ninth to get back to six-under for the tournament.
But she came home in two-over 38, sandwiching a lone birdie at the 12th between bogeys at the 10th, 11th and 13th to follow her opening 67 with a one-over 73 and share 19th on four-under.
American amateurs Zoe Antoinette Campos and Ashley Menne shot 67s on the Bobcat Course to share the lead on nine-under with Italy’s Roberta Liti, who shot 69 on the Panther Course.
The projected qualifying mark for the top 35 and ties who progress to Q-Series after four rounds is now two-under par, leaving Castlewarden’s Lauren Walsh a shot outside the mark in 39th after a level par 72 on the Bobcat Course.
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire signed for a one-over 73 in the first round of the LPGA’s Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.
The Co Cavan star was tied for 66th, ten strokes behind Japan’s Mao Saigo, whose nine-under 63 gave her a one-shot lead over South Korea’s Haeran Ryu.
Starting on the back nine on the West Course at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Maguire birdied her first two holes but double-bogeyed the par-four second and dropped another shot at the sixth.
Meanwhile, Séamus Power birdied two of his last three holes to open with a one-under 69 in the PGA Tour’s ZOZO Championship in Japan.
The West Waterford man started on the back nine at Accordia Golf but followed eight straight pars with a bogey six at the 18th to turn in one over.
He improved on the back nine, tapping in from four inches for a birdie two at the seventh before knocking in a 10-footer for another birdie at the eighth.
He was tied for 29th with defending champion Collin Morikawa, six shots behind Taylor Moore, whose seven-under 63 gave him a one-shot lead over Max Greyserman, Colombia’s Nico Echechavarria and Eric Cole.
World number two Xander Schauffele, the Open and PGA champion, made a quadruple bogey eight at the ninth in a 73, leaving him tied for 70th on three-over.