Photo: Leader Sydnee MichealsKINGSVILLE, Ont. — West Coast girls are stealing the show at the 2010 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Golf Championships at Kingsville Golf and Country Club.
Three California golfers are at the top of the leaderboard following Wednesday’s weather-interrupted second round.
First-round leader Sydnee Michaels, of Temecula, Calif., didn’t fire as low as Tuesday’s 66 but she stayed under par with a 71 that kept her four shots clear of the field at seven-under 137.
Fourteen-year-old Casie Cathrea, of Livermore, Calif., had the place buzzing with a four-under 68 to grab a share of second at three-under 141 with Danielle Kang of Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Kang, a 17-year-old sophomore at Pepperdine, had a one-under 71.
The leaders were safely in the clubhouse when severe weather forced RCGA officials to clear the course for a two-hour and two-minute delay.
Players were shuttled back into position by car and play resumed late in the afternoon.
You have to go four deep to find a Canadian on the leaderboard.
Stratford, Ont.’s Natalie Gleadall shot a second straight 71 to earn a share of fourth with American Jaclyn Sweeney.
National team member Sara Maude Juneau, from Fossambault, Que., is in seventh spot at even-par 144 on rounds of 71-73.
At least Canada can lay some claim to Cathrea whose father, Harry, grew up in Edmonton, Alta.
“I’ve played the course three times now and I like it better now than I did,” said Cathrea who opened with a one-over 73.
“I like the gold better than the red. I play better on hilly courses.”
The 2009 California amateur champion had seven birdies and three bogeys on her card. She birdied No. 1, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 16.
“My putting and ball striking were good today,” said Cathrea, who closed out by sinking a 20-footer for birdie at No. 9 gold.
While this is her first Canadian Am, Cathrea already has an impressive resume that includes being the youngest qualifier for the LPGA’s CVS Challenge and the youngest player to ever reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. women’s amateur, which she did last year.
Already this year, she’s played in an LPGA event in May and she was part of Team USA at the Evian Masters Junior Cup in France earlier this month.
Michaels, a UCLA senior, relied on her putter to keep her in the red.
“My round was a little rough today,” she said.
“It wasn’t the prettiest but it was still under par. The course was playing quite a few more shots harder than yesterday. The pins were tougher and the wind was all over. My putter really saved me today. I hit a few poor shots on the back nine but I made some good par saves.”
She made her first bogeys of the tournament at No. 1 and 5 to go with birdies at No. 6, 10, 14 and 17. She lipped out for birdie on her last hole, No. 9 gold.
Kang stayed in the red despite two three-putts and a double bogey at the par-four 13th.
“I had a lot of birdies (five) but I made a lot of mistakes out there,” Kang said.
“I doubled from the middle of the fairway and I smacked a downhill putt, I don’t know why. Just simple stuff that I did wrong.”
The field was pared to low 70 and ties following the conclusion of Wednesday’s play in the fading daylight.
