NSW Open set for exciting finish

BY Liz White | ALPG Tour | 2010 Women's NSW Open | Round Two | 06 Feb 2010

It’s anyone’s title at the Bing Lee/Samsung NSW Open with just two shots separating the top ten players heading into tomorrow’s final round.

One player smiling is the leader, Britain’s Laura Davies. Yesterday she hit off in the afternoon and was forced to endure a 40 minute weather delay. It made scoring difficult, so today she was hoping the later players would get their fair share of trying playing conditions.

And they did. The afternoon groups were slow to complete their rounds, taking around four and a half hours as the rain continued to fall and the winds squalled at the Oatlands Course in Sydney’s west.

Davies, the winner of this event in 2008 was hoping for the tough conditions, as she feared her morning round of two under 70, leaving her at 5 under, would not be enough to get her into the final group tomorrow.

“If the weather doesn’t calm down then they will have their hands full and I might be a lot closer to the lead than I think,” she said.

“If the wind keeps up all afternoon and they still get a little bit wet, then that would be fairer.”

Davies sits atop a leader board that reads like a who’s who of Australian golf.  Katherine Hull, Joanne Mills, Karen Lunn, NSW Open defending champ, Sarah Oh and Sydney’s Rachel Bailey all share equal second, one shot behind Davies on 4 under. A shot further back on 3 under includes Kristie Smith and Wendy Doolan.

For Rachel Bailey tomorrow will be the biggest day in her seven-year career.

“It is going to be tough because I am sure I have never been in that situation before,” she said.

“If I can just keep myself from getting too far forward and just stick with the pre shot routine and concentrate on everything I can control that would be good.

“I will just try and have some fun with it.”

Queenslander Katherine Hull is due for a win at Oatlands after playing in the final group at the NSW Open for the past two years.

“I hope so,” she said

“All I can do is just go out there and execute my game plan and hope that it is good enough at the end of the day.

“There are some experienced players up there that are playing well right now too, so I wish them well too, we want to see good golf out here so whoever wins, wins.”

Hull was a little bit happier with her round today of even par 72 given the conditions but, ever the perfectionist, there is still room for improvement.

“I need to be disciplined with my routine and staying in the present.

“The more I stay in the moment tomorrow the better it will be.”

Defending champ Sarah Oh, after shooting a 1 over 73, is also on 4 under and is licking her lips at the tantalising prospect of going back to back.

“I will be thinking about it tonight but I will try to get it out of my mind before I tee off tomorrow,” she said.

“I have to say I am going to be nervous but hopefully those nerves will help me stay in there and focus a bit more.

Tomorrow’s leader, Davies was not overly happy with her round today of three birdies and one sole bogey on the par 4 17th where she overshot the green with her approach.

“That was a bit of a killer because it was the only one of the day,” she said.

“It was a bit disappointing because I had loads of chances to get further under but missed a lot of them.

 "But on the other hand I putted really well without making a lot of them which is a good thing."

Just two shots from the lead at 3 under 141 is West Australia’s Kristie Smith.

The 21-year-old blitzed the field last week with a final round 9 under 64 to take her first professional title, the Actew AGL Royal Canberra Classic.

She believes she can repeat that effort to go back to back tomorrow.

“I probably am going to have to shoot quite low again just like last week and I know I can do it,” she said.

But Smith is wary of putting too much pressure on herself to win.

“I have to keep those expectations down a little bit which I think I could be struggling a little bit with,” she said.

“Especially today I kind of got a bit mad at myself but then you know you tell yourself: ’ you won last week what is there to be mad about?”

A soaked and sodden Karen Lunn, also in with a chance on 4 under, is just excited that there are so many quality players vying for the title.

“How many sports do you have where you have the leader, Laura who is 46 years old and then you have all the kids that are around 20, it is just great.”

“I just hope we get some nice weather for everyone to get out and watch because the girls are playing some great golf, anyone can win.”