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Thailand’s Nontaya Srisawang will head into Sunday’s final round of the 2014 TLPGA & Royal Open with a one-shot lead at 140, after a poor finish from Taiwan’s Phoebe Yao (姚宣榆), who went on a roll and led by three strokes, until two double-bogeys in a row through holes 16 and 17 spent it all up.
It seemed like Yao couldn’t asked for a better day. Starting with a birdie drained from 50 feet away on Hole 2, she fired already six birdies standing onto the 14th tee, and looked all set to rewrite the 64 lowest-round record at the Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club, which could win her a bonus NT$30,000 award.
However, as nerves crept in, and the gusty weather conditions did not help, Yao struggled to keep up the rhythm, spraying her shots left and right, ended with a loose 4-over par on the last three holes as the more consistent Srisawang took away the lead.
“With the wind, especially on the back nine, it was hard to sit the balls on the greens,” said Yao, whose over-hit tee shot on the par-3 17th found the water hazard that cost her the second consecutive double-bogey.
Despite failing to improve the score on the final seven holes and had a bogey herself as well, Srisawang kept cooled to close out with the low round of the day at 3-under 69. “The greens were the tough parts. And it’s so windy that makes it even more difficult,” said Srisawang, who said her strategy on the back nine was to focus on the second shots and just try to save pars.
Out of the 95 swinging on the windy Saturday, Srisawang and Yao were the lone golfers to complete at under-par.
Teen star and two-time TLPGA Tour winning amateur Cheng Ssu-Chia (程思嘉) posted a 1-over 73 second-round to finish four shots off Srisawang at 144.
In the three-way tie for fourth, Malaysia’s Ainil Johani Abu Bakar, the 2012 KENDA Tires TLPGA Open winner, is still within striking distance at 145 as were Taiwanese youngsters Tsai Pei Ying (蔡佩穎) and Lin Tzu-Chi (林子麒).
Defending champion Titiya Plucksataporn of Thailand quietly put herself back into decent position after a 1-over 73 to wrap up the day tying with a group of seven at 13th at 149; while first-round leader and 2012 winner Shih Huei-Ju (石惠如) had a major letdown because of illness, shooting a 9-over 81 to drop in a tie for 20th at 150.
This is the twelfth edition of the TLPGA Tour event. Winner will get to receive an NT$1.2 million prize check. |
