Sarah takes the lead in dream NSW Open

BY Liz White | ALPG Tour | 2008 Women's NSW Open | Round Two | 26 Jan 2008

Sarah Oh will take a one shot lead into the final round of the LG/Bing Lee NSW Open tomorrow and for the 19 year-old Sydneysider it is a dream come true.

Pairing up with Oh will be Katherine Hull on five under 139 and Laura Davies on four under 138 and it’s playing with the British superstar that has Oh excited.

“Oh wow,” she said when she learned of her pairing. Oh was the clubhouse leader on six under before Davies and Hull had even commenced their rounds. She was at home relaxing when she was told.

“I have dreamt of playing with her, she is my all time favourite player. She hits it so long and I don’t hit it that long, I have always wanted to hit it like her.”

Oh shot the round of the day, a solid four under 68 with a bogey on the third the only blot on her scorecard. Her confidence is sky high after winning her first tournament as a professional, last week’s Branxton pro-am, in the NSW Hunter Valley.

She said she will try to stay focussed tomorrow and concentrate on what worked well for her today.

“I hit it pretty good, my course management worked well, I just picked a target and hit it to where I wanted to,” she said.

Oh’s round is all the more impressive due to a bizarre injury in her left hip/thigh region.

“It just keeps cracking,” she said.

“I sort of have to try and hit a punch shot so I don’t turn much, because when I turn a lot it happens, it happens a lot with my three woods and drives.”

The injury is due to tight muscles in her upper thigh and Oh says it is not serious but the crack is so loud that it forces her to pull out of her shot and start her routine all over again.

“I try to think: ‘Just don’t worry about it, just hit your shot, don’t worry about it,’ I just have to say that in my mind,” she said.

Laura Davies has never played with Oh before and is looking forward to the match up.

“It doesn’t really matter who I play with as long as I hole putts,” she said.

And holing putts is what the tournament drawcard was unable to do today. The greens at the Oatlands course have tricked a few of the players this week.

“It’s not like I putted badly it was a little bit short of pace if anything but that putt at the last defied gravity, I don’t really know how it missed,” she said.

Queensland’s Katherine Hull, on five under, will be chasing Oh tomorrow and believes she will need to play well to do be lifting the trophy at day’s end.

“I would say probably three or four under would come close. The girls are all capable of shooting six, seven under, I am not sure but I would be happy with probably four under,” she said.

The 25-year-old had her chances today and at one stage had her round to seven under.

“I started okay but nothing spectacular and then two bogeys on the back nine so it was disappointing but it’s not too bad but I am looking forward to tomorrow,” she said.

Her game may be helped by the fact that she will have a caddy for her final round. For the first two rounds, Hull has hauled her own kit around the course.

“I just figured I would pull my own for two days and kind of not have to babysit anyone so to speak.

“I was a bit worried that someone would walk on Laura or Joanne’s line or maybe ask something they shouldn’t have, just a precautionary thing and I don’t mind doing it.”

Tomorrow she will have her coach, Russell Vale’s Steve McRae, on her bag.

“We are on the same page I understand what he is trying to teach me and it is working. It has taken a while to find someone that I understand. I am happy and it has made a difference,” she said.

Trailing the leaders are Ireland’s Rebecca Coakley, Germany’s Martina Eberl and Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin all on a total of three under 141, with defending champions Joanne Mills a further shot back on two under with NSW’s Jane Suckling and Sarah Kemp, UK’s Lydia Hall along with amateurs Jessica Noh and Allyce Watkinson.

The surprise overnight leader, 31-year-old Torie O’Connor had a day she would rather forget. After shooting a five under 67 yesterday, the Victorian was unable to back it up today and posted a four over 76.

O’Connor is keen to qualify for both the MFS Australian Open and the ANZ Ladies Masters. To get into the draw she needs to finish in 15th place or better at the NSW Open. She is sitting 13th.

Tomorrow’s final day is shaping up to be a white knuckle ride – and not just for Sarah Oh.