Mizuki Hashimoto and Ueta Miku fired Japan to the top of the leaderboard after returning with an eight-under-par 64 and four-under-par 68, respectively, in the second round of the Queen Sirikit Cup on Wednesday.
Japan leads the team standings with its combined gross score of 16-under-par while Korea trails by five shots in second place on 11-under-par. New Zealand is in third place at nine-under-par while host nation Singapore is in fourth position at two-under in the 13-team competition.
Reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship (WAAP) champion, Hashimoto continued to underline her growing potential as she also leads the individual standings after rounds of 70 and 64.
The 19-year-old stormed out in 31 after marking her front nine with five birdies on holes two, three, five, six and nine. She continued her birdie blitz with another three more birdies in her next four holes after the turn before dropping her only shot of the day on the par-four 14.
She parred the next hole before the sirens went off to signal the suspension of play due to inclement weather at 1310h (local time). When play resumed more than three hours later, the young Japanese returned to par the next two holes before closing with a birdie on 18.
“It was a good day. I enjoyed myself out there. During the play suspension, I went to the restaurant to relax for a while before heading to the gym to do some light workouts. There are still two more rounds to go, but my teammates and I remain confident of doing well,” said Hashimoto.
17-year-old Fiona Xu of New Zealand, who is making her maiden appearance at the Queen Sirikit Cup, improved on her opening round 70 with a 69. She traded five birdies against two bogeys, returning to the clubhouse before tropical storms suspended play.
“I’ve been playing quite consistently over the last two days, but I felt it was slightly better today because the weather’s not as hot as yesterday, and that really helped. I was among the first few groups to tee off today, and it was cooler too,” said Xu.
Despite being stung by a bee before she could tee off, Singapore’s Shannon Tan still gave a good account of herself by marking her bogey-free card with a 70.
“My thumb swelled, and it was numb for about five holes. It was really unfortunate, and I tried to hang in there for as long as possible. I’m feeling better now, and I’m just going to ice it, and hopefully, the swelling will subside,” said Tan.
Malaysia’s Zulaikah Nurziana Nasser posted a one-under-par 71 for a two-day total of even-par 144 for 10th spot in the individual category. Liyana Durisic carded an even-par score of 72 for 16th spot with her two-day score of three-over-par 147. Junior golfer Ng Jing Xuen posted a 4-over-par 76 for total 14-over-par 158. She lies in 34th place. Team Malaysia currently lies in sixth position finishing the second round in one-under-par 143 for a two-day total of 291.
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