Team South Africa played to a level-par round of 72
on the Women’s World Cup of Golf’s second day Foursomes at the Gary Player
Country Club’s Golf Course at Sun City, to finish alongside Japan and South Korea with the day’s the fourth-best
round amid rainy conditions, and a heavy course.
Testament to
their improved efforts is the poor showing of highly-favoured Sweden, Australia,
Germany and Spain, all of whom finished above India
among the day’s five worst performances.
Only Wales,
Taiwan and the Philippines finished better on a troubled day, the latter
posting the best result of the day, an excellent four-under par 68 finished
with a string of three birdies to finish their round.
Maritz and Simon
will have to shoot an unlikely low 60’s on Sunday to keep hopes of a World Cup
win alive, after an opening betterball round finish at 13th place set them back
to lie in ninth place on the leaderboard after day two, a total of four under
par 140, seven shots off day two leaders Philippines and Korea.
"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 the pair was 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."
At the front
of the charge, Korea’s
Ji-Yai Shin and Eun-Hee Ji have put their country in poll position to once
again challenge for the title at the Gary Player Country Club, having never
finished outside the top five in the history of the Women’s World Cup of Golf.
After two
rounds this year, Shin and Ji share the lead with the Philippines on
11 under par 133 following their level par 72 in Saturday’s foursomes. Jennifer
Rosales and Dorothy Delasin of the Philippines shot 68.
It could
have been different for the Korean pair, though, had they not signed for a
triple bogey seven at the 17th. Before play was delayed for inclement weather
at lunch time, the Koreans had a four shot lead over the Philippines and
Taiwan, the latter carding a 69 to go into Sunday’s final round betterball in
third place on a total of nine under par 135.
After the
rain delay, the Koreans picked up a birdie at the 15th and a par at the 16th,
arriving at the par-four 17th on 14 under par and in total control of the
tournament.
But a
wayward drive from Ji landed in a water hazard, meaning that the Korean pair
would have to take a penalty shot two club lengths from where the ball had
finished in the hazard.
Playing
alternate shots, Shin hit the team’s third shot short of the green, Ji chipped
past the hole with the duo’s fourth shot before the Koreans three-putted.
"I was
pretty confused on how to hit my drive at this hole," Ji explained.
"Shin said I should be confident and hit it, so I did."
Despite this
error, Korea
were still one of only three teams to shoot under par on a day when the golf
course showed its notorious teeth. Only two teams, the Philippines and Taiwan, shot in the 60s, while most
of the pre-tournament favourites shot in the high 70s. India, on debut, ballooned to an
84.
Korea will be favourites to take the
title in Sunday’s betterball. In the inaugural World Cup in 2005 they finished
runners-up to Japan.
Two years ago they were fifth, and last year they finished third behind winners
Paraguay and the United States.
The Philippines had
a brilliant finish to their round with birdies at each of their last three
holes. After a steady 35 on their outward nine, they came back in 33.
Delasin and
Rosales are seasoned campaigners on the LPGA Tour and they said they would
approach Sunday’s final round just the same as the first two days. "We’re
really going to give it a good go," Rosales explained. "At the same
time we’re going to have fun. We haven’t stopped laughing on the course all
week. It’s been great."
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