Sweden, Korea on top of the world

Sweden, Korea on top of the world

Sweden, Korea on top of the world
by Michael Vlismas

SUN CITY (20 January 2006) – Korea and Sweden confirmed their status as favourites for the Women’s World Cup of Golf when they finished the opening day of betterball matches tied for the lead on seven under and two strokes clear of the field at the Gary Player Country Club on Friday.

Korea’s Bo Bae Song and Meena Lee broke free of first a four-way tie for the lead on the front nine and then battled for the sole lead with Sweden on the back nine, which they took with a run of four birdies in seven holes from the turn on their way to a solid 65.

But playing behind them, world number one Annika Sorenstam rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt on the par-three 16th to earn Sweden a share of the lead at the end of a long day on the fairways.

“It was tough to keep focused because we were out there for a very long time,” said Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann. “Whenever we got to a tee box the group ahead had just walked off. So it was a day spent looking for shade. But we’re very happy with our performance and we’re obviously in a good position.”

Both countries combined superbly in the betterball to distance themselves from the other 18 countries.

Sorenstam and Neumann made four birdies apiece and suffered only one bogey, although Neumann carried the team on the front nine.

“For the first 12 holes I was really on top of my game. I think the only slip-up was a birdie putt I missed from five feet on the 10th hole. I kept the ball in play off the tee and it was generally a good ball-striking day for me.”

The Koreans, who finished second in the inaugural event last year, were also remarkably consistent and did not drop a single shot.

“Both of us played really well today,” said Song.

And it was the ability of both to limit their time spent in the notorious Gary Player Country Club rough that proved to be the key to their positions at the top of the leaderboard.

“The rough was very difficult and we tried to go for accuracy rather than distance off the tee,” said Lee.

Taiwan finished as the nearest challenger to the lead on five under, with America at four under.

The popular American pairing of Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis were amongst the leaders following Gulbis’s 45-foot putt for eagle on the par-five ninth, which she described as a “tap-in eagle”.

But they failed to make anything happen on the back nine as they leaders went away from them.

“We had a ton of birdie opportunities but struggled on the back nine,” said Creamer.

South Africa finished the opening day at three under, while defending champions Japan opened with a disappointing one over 73.

Saturday’s foursomes will tee off an hour earlier than originally scheduled and at 10:15.

20 Jan 2006

Source: Women's World Cup Of Golf