/ 20 January 2008

SA almost out of Women’s Golf World Cup

South Africa’s Ashleigh Simon and Laurette Maritz have all but ruled themselves out of winning the World Cup of Women’s Golf at Sun City after carding a level par 72 in round two on Saturday for an overall score of four under par for the tournament.

Overnight leaders Korea shared the lead with the Philippines at 11-under with Taiwan (-9) ,Canada (-7) and Wales, Japan and France — all at six under — completing the top seven.

Teeing off seven shots adrift of Korea, the South Africans needed something special playing foursomes — where players alternate shots — on the tough Gary Player layout, but admitted afterwards that it was almost out of their reach now.

”Realistically, if we finish in the top five, then that will be a good result,” said Maritz with Simon adding they would have to shoot a 10-under score in Sunday’s betterball to have any chance of lifting the trophy.

Besides their obvious disappointment, they were fairly content with the way they played. ”We feel that level par today was good,” said Maritz. ”But we lost a bit of momentum on the back nine.”

In contrast to their bogey-free betterball round on Friday, they dropped shots at holes three, 12 and 13, but nullified those with birdies at five, six and 18.

”At 12, Ash hit a good drive but I pulled my wedge and then we three-putted,” explained Maritz, ”and then on 17 I should have made a 1m putt for birdie. On 18, Ash hit a fantastic half wedge to 3m and I made the putt for birdie.”

For the second day in a row, play was suspended due to rain with only the Philippines (68), Taiwan (69) and Wales (71) managing to break par. Korea might have been the fourth, had it not been for a disastrous triple-bogey seven on the par-four 17th.

At that stage, Ji-Yai Shin and Eun-Hee Ji were a comfortable four shots clear of the Philippines and embarrassingly explained through their interpreter the pending disaster thus: Ji found a hazard from the tee and Shin — confident that the shot was on — barely managed to move the ball. They then decided to take a drop and were short of the green for four and three-putted from there.

With the Philippines’ Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin grabbing birdies on the closing three holes, the Koreans missed a golden opportunity to take the advantage into Sunday’s betterball.

The Filipinos, who are probably the most relaxed team at the tournament and giggle their way through the press conferences, said they were just having a good time.

”We had a good save at the 10th for par,” said Rosales, ”and we three-putted for bogey at 13. Other than that, it was plain sailing.”

Not so for defending champions Paraguay at five-under and tournament favourites Sweden (-2), who like South Africa will have to play special golf on Sunday. — Sapa