Sluggish start for Australia at World Amateur
IN: News | Amateur Golf | World Amateur Team Championships (2006) | Round One | by Anthony Powter | 19 Oct 2006
Japan will take a two shot lead into the second round from defending champion Sweden in the Women's World Amateur Team Championship being played at Stellenbosh, South Africa. The Australian team returned a 1 under team score, six shots from the lead, to be in seventh position in a day that was all Japan's.
The Japanese score of 7 under tied the lowest first round start in the Championship, a result of a superb individual performance of 7 under 65 by 16-year-old, Rikako Morita. Since 1998, Japan has finished in the top 10 in all three occasions, but is yet to claim the Espirito Santo Trophy.
With three rounds left in the Championship, the Australian Team cannot afford to slip any further down the leaderboard if they are to be a strong force at this Championship. All three members of the Australian team have the international experience to tough it out with Francis Bondad having recently won the Hong Kong International Ladies, Kate Combes' win in The Pleasington Putter in the UK and Emma Bennett's performance in the British Amateur.
If it is any consolation for the Australian team, one of the Championship favorites, the United States, found themselves in 8th position behind the Australians. The Americans would obviously be disappointed with their opening team score of even par, seven shots behind Japan.
It will be interesting to follow Kimberly Kim from Hawaii as she represents America. Kim, 14, became the youngest U.S Women's Amateur champion in history in winning the 2006 Championship in August and also finished runners up in the U.S Women's Amateur Public Links championship as well as made the cut at the 2006 U.S Women's Open. No doubt the Americans will be calling upon her to produce something extra ordinary to move up the leaderboard.
Whilst three more rounds are to be determined in the Championship, the defending Champions Sweden remains in striking distance in T2 with South Africa and Chinese Taipei.
"Our attitude was to sit back, relax and enjoy the fight," said Swedish coach Katarina Vagdal after the first round; however, too much relaxation may see a first timer holding the Espirito Santo Trophy come Saturday.
