/ 19 January 2008

SA trailing at Women’s Golf World Cup

South Africa’s Ashleigh Simon and Laurette Maritz were seven shots behind leaders Korea after the first day’s play of betterball at the Women’s World Cup of Golf at Sun City on Friday.

Korea’s Ji-Yai Shin and Eun-Hee Ji carded a bogey-free, 11-under-par 61 to lead France by one stroke with Canada in third at eight-under. The United States, Philippines and tournament favourites Sweden were tied in fourth position at seven-under. Defending champions Paraguay were grouped with Japan and Taiwan a further stroke adrift.

South Africa had a solid start and were three-under through 12 holes with birdies at holes three, five and seven when play was suspended due to a thunderstorm. After a two-hour delay, Simon and Maritz played holes 10 to 16 in par before picking up their solitary birdie on the inward nine at the par-four 17th for a round of 68.

The Koreans had a blistering start with three straight birdies and then, with one-unders at holes five, eight and nine, decided to change their approach.

”At the start we were aiming at being seven or eight under at the end,” said Ji-Yai. ”But after nine holes we changed our plan.”

And their key to success was simple, according to Ji-Yai who had experienced the hazardous rough at the Gary Player layout last year.

”We just kept it on the fairway,” she said. ”And then, of course, starting with birdies at one, two and three and then again at eight and nine also helped.”

The two also had firm ideas of where they wanted to be after Saturday’s crucial foursomes and how they were going to go about it. ”Our target tomorrow will be three-under and hopefully we can just play like today with me putting well and Eun-Hee playing the fairway shots well,” said Ji-Yai.

France’s Gwladys Nocera and Virginie Lagoutte-Clement had no real target in mind at the start of play, but with 10 birdies and no drops they had no complaints other than the state of Nocera’s game.

”If it was offered, we would have signed for 10-under yesterday,” quipped Nocera.

With her partner firing most of the birdies — six in all — Nocera was highly relieved to hear the siren when play was suspended.

”We were on the 15th and I was not feeling strong,” she said. ”But I had a cup of coffee during the break and came back and made birdies on 16 and 18.”

Simon had predicted that the Saturday’s foursomes would be the turning point of the tournament and the South Africans would have to play scintillating golf if they were to make inroads on the leaders. — Sapa