The Japanese trio of Mizuki Hashimoto, Tezuka Ayaka and Ueta Miku continued to put their country on top of the team standings after Day Three of competition at the Queen Sirikit Cup on Thursday.
With their combined gross score of 15-under-par, the Japanese hold a slender one-shot lead over New Zealand in the 13-team competition. Korea are in third place on eight-under-par, followed by Singapore in fourth position, with Shannon Tan playing a vital role in ensuring the host nation keeps pace with the leaders at Laguna National Golf and Country Club.
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The Indian trio of Sneha Singh, Avani Prashanth and Janniya Dassani struggled, posting cards of 74, 78, 78 respectively. Sneha was the best-placed at 17th with a cumulative score of 5-over 221 (75, 72, 74). Avani lay 25th at 10-over 226 (75, 73, 78) and Janniya 36th at 24-over 240 (80, 82, 78). In team standings, India, overnight 7th, slipped to 9th.
Hashimoto, the reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship (WAAP) champion, could not repeat her heroics from Wednesday’s performance, where she returned with a 64.
Instead, the 19-year-old mixed her card with two bogeys and two birdies for a 72, which was still enough to ensure her country maintains their prime position atop the leaderboard after teammates Tezuka and Ueta signed for a 73 and 76, respectively.
“Today, I just could not get my putting right. Most of my putts fell short of the hole, and I really need to work on that. Hopefully, things can be better tomorrow, and we can continue to make Japan proud,” said Hashimoto.
New Zealand’s Vivian Lu, who started playing golf at the age of nine under the influence of her father, matched her second round effort with another 68 by mixing her card with seven birdies and three bogeys on holes six, nine and 16.
“I had a slow start in my front nine, but it was good to see the putts dropping in the back-nine. The aim is to win, and we are trying our best to do that, knowing we have a good chance heading into the final day tomorrow,” said Lu.
Tan, meanwhile, posted her best round score yet as she enjoyed a bogey-free round of 68, highlighted by birdies on holes two, 14, 15 and 17.
“My ball-striking has been rather consistent, but I felt I putted really well today. I’m happy with Singapore’s position so far, but we are not done yet, and there’s still another round of golf to play tomorrow. We will continue to do our best,” said Tan.
