Strong Asia-Pacific Contingent Primed for Match Play Phase
Tennessee, United States: A day disrupted by a nearly 2½-hour weather delay and ultimately halted by darkness at the 126th US Women’s Amateur will resume on Thursday with Japan’s Anna Iwanaga holding the clubhouse lead at six-under 138.
Ooltewah, Tennessee, United States: A day disrupted by a nearly 2½-hour weather delay and ultimately halted by darkness at the 126th US Women’s Amateur will resume on Thursday with Japan’s Anna Iwanaga holding the clubhouse lead at six-under 138.
Iwanaga completed her second-round one-under 71 shortly before play was suspended, while American Hailey Kim remains tied with her at six-under with one hole still to play.
Iwanaga, who held the round one lead after a five-under 67, got off to a tough start on Wednesday, playing her first five holes in two-over par. She rebounded with a two-under back nine to move past Anna Davis, who held the clubhouse lead for much of the afternoon.
A member of the Japan team that triumphed at the Asia-Pacific Women’s Amateur Invitational Team Championship for the Queen Sirikit Cup in Indonesia in May, Iwanaga said: “I [feel very confident in my] short iron. There are many water hazards here on the golf course, but my strength is short irons, so I can control my distance when I see a water hazard [which helps]. I like this golf course [and feel like it suits my game].”
Play was suspended at 4:40 pm for dangerous weather in the area and resumed at 7:02 pm after a two-hour and 22-minute delay.
Round two will resume at 7:15 am local time, with 31 players still needing to complete their rounds. If necessary, following the conclusion of stroke play, a sudden-death play-off will begin shortly after. Round of 64 matches will commence Thursday mid-morning. Match play continues through Sunday’s 36-hole championship match.
A strong Asia-Pacific contingent have already safely secured their places in the top 64 to progress although they will not find out their seeding or first round opponent until Thursday morning.
As things stand a minimum of 13 players from the region who have already completed their 36 holes of stroke play will line-up in the Round of 64.
Currently tied for eighth on 142 are Yurina Hiroyoshi (70-72) a team mate of Iwanaga at the Queen Sirikit Cup, Hong Kong, China’s Arianna Lau (72-70) and Australian Jazy Roberts (72-70).
Three strokes back in joint 22nd are Korean Park Seo-jin (72-73) and China’s Liu Yujie (72-73) with reigning Japan Women’s Amateur champion
Aira Nagasawa (76-70), Chinese Taipei’s Lin Jie-en (69-77) and China’s Isabella Yan (73-73) in equal 28th spot on 146.
Also through in tied 39th place on 147 are Australians Reagan Denton (77-70) and Ella Scaysbrook (74-73), along with their compatriot Rachel Lee (73-75), Japan’s Rina Kawasaki (74-74) and Rianne Malixi (77-71) of the Philippines. They are tied for 51st on 148.
Two-time USGA champion and the only US Women’s Amateur champion in the field, Malixi struggled to a five-over 77 on Tuesday but bounced back on day two, closing with two birdies in her final five holes to ensure her progression.
Also poised to qualify are Korean Oh Soo-min, Australian Amy Hodgkins and Thai Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang.
Oh is tied 18th on even-par with five holes of round two remaining, while Hodgkins is at two-over in joint 28th with two holes to go, and Pimchompoo is four-over in joint 51st with two holes remaining.
Missing out on match play are Chinese Taipei’s Liao Hsin-chun (149 – 76-73); Koreans Jen Lee (150 – 75-75) and Huh Yoon-jeong (150 – 75-75);
Japan’s Isaki Sakashita (152 – 74-78); China’s Anna Wu Ruoan (154 – 76-78), Grace Xu (155 – 74-81) and Ella Jiao (159 – 83-76); Australian Sue Wooster (173 – 86-87) and China’s Xiao Kaili and Japan’s Maiya Okazaki who have not completed their second rounds.
