Mami! Mami! Japanese girl's
hopes go west on the wind
A wild west wind blew Japan's Mami Fukuda out of the overall lead on the second day of the R&A Junior Open at Hesketh Golf Club, Southport today.
Mami, bidding to become the first girl ever to beat the boys and win the R&A Junior Open championship trophy over 54 holes in this biennial event, came to grief in the second round. A first-day two-under-par 70, achieved late on Monday evening, had hoisted her two shots clear of the boy leaders but it was a different story today.
Mami, who plays off +2, had an 80 for a 36-hole tally of 150, which even cost her the lead in the girls' category. Miss Fukuda speaks virtually no English but through sign language she got the message across that she did not like playing in the wind whipping in from the sea.
Given that almost all the scores were rising, Mami was not doing too badly at one over par after five holes, having birdied the third and bogeyed the first and fifth, but in an eight-hole stretch from the seventh to the 14th she had a double bogey (at the eighth) and five bogeys. She was able to par the tough finishing stretch, but the damage had been done in halves of 40.
Even American Jordan Spieth from Dallas, well used to playing in high winds in Texas, did not feel in command as he returned a four-over-par 76 - four more than on Monday - for 148 "I'm not blaming the wind," said 14-year-old Jordan, who plays off +4. "It was the putting that killed me today. I just can't read the greens over here in England."
Steven Lam, a 15-year-old scratch golfer from Hong Kong, took up the running with his second 73 for 146.
"I don't mind a wind like this. I play over two courses back home. One is by the sea and the other is on the top of a mountain so you can imagine how windy that can be," said Steven who was four over par after six holes but retrieved the situation with birdies at the eighth, 11th, 16th and 17th.
England's Harry Whittle (Woburn) had a 75 for a creditable 36-hole tally of 151. Harry made life difficult for himself with bogeys at four of the first five holes but he settled to birdie the long seventh and he covered the remaining holes in par with a bogey at the 10th being cancelled out by a birdie at the 12th.
hopes go west on the wind
A wild west wind blew Japan's Mami Fukuda out of the overall lead on the second day of the R&A Junior Open at Hesketh Golf Club, Southport today.
Mami, bidding to become the first girl ever to beat the boys and win the R&A Junior Open championship trophy over 54 holes in this biennial event, came to grief in the second round. A first-day two-under-par 70, achieved late on Monday evening, had hoisted her two shots clear of the boy leaders but it was a different story today.
Mami, who plays off +2, had an 80 for a 36-hole tally of 150, which even cost her the lead in the girls' category. Miss Fukuda speaks virtually no English but through sign language she got the message across that she did not like playing in the wind whipping in from the sea.
Given that almost all the scores were rising, Mami was not doing too badly at one over par after five holes, having birdied the third and bogeyed the first and fifth, but in an eight-hole stretch from the seventh to the 14th she had a double bogey (at the eighth) and five bogeys. She was able to par the tough finishing stretch, but the damage had been done in halves of 40.
Even American Jordan Spieth from Dallas, well used to playing in high winds in Texas, did not feel in command as he returned a four-over-par 76 - four more than on Monday - for 148 "I'm not blaming the wind," said 14-year-old Jordan, who plays off +4. "It was the putting that killed me today. I just can't read the greens over here in England."
Steven Lam, a 15-year-old scratch golfer from Hong Kong, took up the running with his second 73 for 146.
"I don't mind a wind like this. I play over two courses back home. One is by the sea and the other is on the top of a mountain so you can imagine how windy that can be," said Steven who was four over par after six holes but retrieved the situation with birdies at the eighth, 11th, 16th and 17th.
England's Harry Whittle (Woburn) had a 75 for a creditable 36-hole tally of 151. Harry made life difficult for himself with bogeys at four of the first five holes but he settled to birdie the long seventh and he covered the remaining holes in par with a bogey at the 10th being cancelled out by a birdie at the 12th.
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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