Mixed Emotions for Tan as Hopes of Sub-60 Round Subside
Aichi, Japan: It’s not often that a golfer fires a 64 and departs the course with mixed emotions. But Shannon Tan’s pride at carding a six-under-par score on day two of the women’s tournament at the 20th Asian Games was tinged with a hint of regret.
Kasugai, Aichi, Japan: It’s not often that a golfer fires a 64 and departs the course with mixed emotions. But Shannon Tan’s pride at carding a six-under-par score on day two of the women’s tournament at the 20th Asian Games was tinged with a hint of regret.
Leading the way after an opening 63 at the Kasugai Country Club’s East Course in Aichi Prefecture on Wednesday, the Singaporean blazed her way to nine-under through 13 holes of her second round, prompting the prospect of a 59 to enter her mind.
But with history beckoning and tension mounting, Tan dropped shots at three of her final four holes.
Despite those late lapses, the 22-year-old remains in pole position to claim Singapore’s first Asiad golfing gold medal as she holds a two-stroke lead from Indian amateur Pranavi Urs at the half-way stage.
Tan, last year’s Ladies European Tour Order of Merit champion, said: “I’ve never been disappointed with a six-under before today. But also being nine-under through 13 holes, I’ve never done that before. So, I guess it’s great that I know I can do it now.
“But, at the same time, it’s how do I manage a situation like that going forward? There are some tough pins out there and you just have to accept it (making bogeys). Overall, if you’d said to me before the round: ‘Would you take six-under’ I’d have said ‘Yes!’”
Setting off from the 10th hole, Tan birdied five of her first six holes. She picked up another stroke at 18 to reach the turn in six-under 29, extending her lead at the top to four shots.
The fireworks continued on the front nine with gains at the first, second and fourth, raising hopes and expectations of breaking 60.
Tan said: “I wanted to get to 11-under. I only found out yesterday after the round that par was 70. Yesterday I left three 10-footers (putts) short of the hole and missed a three-footer, so that would have been minus 11, a 59. So, after nine holes today, I was like: ‘Oh, I could do a 59’. It’s quite possible out here, with the greens being that soft.”
While Tan has notched no fewer than 18 birdies over the first 36 holes, she’s also had five bogeys.
In contrast, Urs has amassed 12 birdies against a solitary bogey at the 10th hole in the opening round, her very first hole of the tournament. Since then she’s gone 35 holes bogey-free.
Her seven-under 63 was the best score of day two in the 45-strong women’s field.
“My game was pretty solid from tee-to-green. I didn’t really have any bad shots. I put myself in good positions off the tee, which gave me good numbers to hit the approach shots. Just hitting fairways and greens, that’s always been my game plan,” said Urs, who set the tone for her day by holing a 20-footer for birdie at the first.
Six strokes off the pace in joint third are world number six Yin Ruoning of China and Korean Yang Yun-seo, winner of this year’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.
With Liu Yan matching Yin’s 66, China moved to the top of the leaderboard in the team event in which the best two daily scores in each team of three are counted.
With an aggregate of 12-under 268, China leads Singapore by one. There is then a four-stroke gap back to third-placed India (273) who are followed by
Hong Kong China, Chinese Taipei and Korea (all 274), the Philippines and Thailand (both 276), Japan (282), Indonesia (293), Vietnam (300), United Arab Emirates (301), Kazakhstan (325) and Mongolia (348).
Leading Women’s Individual Scores
127 – Shannon Tan (Singapore) 63-64
129 – Pranavi Urs (India) 66-63
133 – Yang Yun-seo (Korea) 68-65; Yin Ruoning (China) 67-66
136 – Rianne Malixi (Philippines) 70-66
137 – Liu Yan (China) 71-66; Sophie Han (Hong Kong China) 70-67; Virginie Ding (Hong Kong China) 70-67; Hsu Wei-ling (Chinese Taipei) 67-70
138 – Chien Pei-yun (Chinese Taipei) 69-69; Zhang Weiwei (China) 69-69
139 – Patcharajutar Kongkraphan (Thailand) 69-70;
140 – Tseng Ya-ni (Chinese Taipei) 71-69; Arianna Lau (Hong Kong China) 70-70; Aira Nagasawa (Japan) 69-71
Selected Scores
141 – Bianca Pagdanganan (Philippines) 67-74; Kim Gyu-been (Korea) 68-73; Arpichaya Yubol (Thailand) 67-74
142 – Mamika Shinchi (Japan) 71-71; Chen Xingtong (Singapore) 69-73
144 – Ai Goto (Japan) 72-72
Full Women’s Team Scores
268 – China (136-132)
269 – Singapore (132-137)
273 – India (137-136)
274 – Hong Kong China (140-134); Chinese Taipei (136-138); Korea (136-138)
276 – Philippines (137-139); Thailand (136-140)
282 – Japan (141-141)
293 – Indonesia (145-148)
300 – Vietnam (145-155)
301 – United Arab Emirates (147-154)
325 – Kazakhstan (160-165)
348 – Mongolia (169-179)
