Danang, Vietnam: Patience proved a virtue for Hong Su-min as the Korean teenager claimed the half-way lead in the seventh edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) Championship.
Battling blustery winds, the 18-year-old took justifiable pride in the way she negotiated her way around the Hoiana Shores Golf Club’s links-style layout in four-under-par 67.
With a 36-hole aggregate of 10-under 132, Hong holds a two-stroke lead from Malaysian Jeneath Wong and Australian Jazy Roberts, who both benefitted from morning starts when conditions were less intimidating than those faced by players who teed-off in the afternoon.
World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) number nine Oh Soo-min is alone in fourth place on 135 after an eventful round of 67 that included eight birdies against four bogeys.
Chinese Taipei’s Lin Jie-en (69) is fifth on 136 with Australian Lion Higo (72) in joint sixth on 137 alongside the Korean duo of Park Seojin (69) and Yang Yunseo, whose five-under 66 was the best round of the day and the only bogey-free return.
Among four players in a share of ninth place on 138 is another Korean, Park Seo Jin, the first-round leader whose 74 was 10 strokes higher than her opening-day effort.
In windswept conditions, controlling ball flight, capitalising on birdie opportunities and minimising mistakes was the order of the day.
The degree of difficulty was evident from the fact that just 20 players from the 93-strong field from 24 countries bettered par, as opposed to 34 on day one.
It was Hong, 221st in the WAGR, who did that better than most, birdies at the third and eighth seeing her reach the turn in two-under 34.
Despite dropping shots at two of the par-threes on the back nine – the 12th and 17th – Hong picked up strokes at 10, 15, 16 and 18 to put herself in pole position to become the first Korean winner of the region’s most prestigious women’s amateur championship.
Reflecting on her round, Hong said: “Right now, I’m really happy and satisfied with how I played and stayed patient. I'm leading at the moment, but I try not to think about the final goal and result. I just want to enjoy this with my peers, team-mates and friends from other countries.”
While the afternoon drama was unfolding, Roberts and Wong were in relaxed mood having long returned to the sanctuary of the clubhouse.
Among four players to enjoy bogey-free performances on Thursday, the two 20-year-olds both dropped shots on their opening hole of round two before recovering to post scores of 68 and 69 respectively.
Roberts, 144th in the WAGR, said: “It was pretty solid again. I hit a few shots in close and rolled some putts in. I had a bit of trouble down the last few holes. It was getting really windy, but I managed to get through. It's what you expect when you come to a course that's next to the ocean. You have to play smart.”
With her work done for the day, she retired to her nearby hotel to recharge her batteries ahead of what she hopes will be an historic weekend as she bids to improve on the previous best WAAP display from an Australian, Kelsey Bennett’s joint runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
“I’ll maybe scroll through TikTok – just get my mind off golf and restart tomorrow. Anything can happen on a course like this. I'm honestly not too fazed,” added Roberts.
Wong’s second round began ignominiously with a double-bogey seven at the long 10th – her first hole of the day.
“I was in the fairway bunker and had two shots to get out of there, so I was a bit flustered. But I kept composed and just waited for pars and birdies,” said Wong, who moved to Australia when she was 10.
With birdies at three of her last four holes, she remains on course for the best finish in the championship by a Malaysian, currently belonging to Ashley Lau, who placed sixth in 2021.
Oh had five birdies in her first eight holes to tie for top spot before dropping back. “With the wind blowing, you have to think about course management. That made me more focused on my game,” said the 16-year-old, who nonetheless adopted an aggressive approach that resulted in an abundance of birdie chances but also avoidable bogeys, most glaringly at the 18th where she hit a hybrid from close to the lip of a bunker and failed to extract her ball.
Chuc An Le produced a courageous comeback to maintain her standing as the leading Vietnamese. She had two double-bogeys in an outward 42. Her response was back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 on her way to a 76. “I’m happy to make the cut. That was my first target,” said Chuc, tied for 30th with a 36-hole total of one-over 143.
Although the five other contestants from the host nation failed to progress, the experience they’ve gained will be invaluable in their golfing development.
There were similar sentiments for Margaret Lavaki, the first player from Papua New Guinea to compete in the WAAP.
In unfamiliar conditions, Lavaki found the going tough, carding rounds of 90 and 88. “I went through a lot this week, firstly, just to get here. And the course itself is very difficult for me. But having come this far, I did my best and it’s been a great experience. I've been speaking to my family, my husband, and my kids especially, and some of my friends back home. They’re very supportive and I'm very grateful for them.”
The half-way cut for the leading 50 players and ties fell at four-over-par 146.
Among the notable players to miss out on qualifying for the final 36 holes were Japan’s Mamika Shinchi (72-75) and Australian Nadene Gole (75-81).
Shinichi, 32nd in the WAGR, never fully recovered from an untimely bout of food poisoning the day after arriving in Vietnam that saw her spend a few hours on a drip in a local hospital. Rather than rest up over the weekend, Shinchi is planning to act as caddie for her compatriot Sakura Torii, who’s tied for 19th on 140.
Gole, winner of The R&A Women’s Senior Amateur and US Senior Women’s Amateur last year and the eldest player in the field at the age of 56, battled gamely but was left to rue three double-bogeys in an 81 although she signed off in style with a birdie at the 18th.