Mount Lawley Golf Club’s Ruby Cotton leads the way at the halfway stage of the Bowra & O’Dea 72-Hole Women’s Classic.
After 36 holes at Lake Karrinyup Country Club, the 19-year-old WA state representative carded rounds of 76 and 75 to take a one-stroke lead into Tuesday’s third round at +3 for the championship.
Shaking off two early bogeys in her second round, Cotton (pictured above) found her A-Game with three consecutive birdies on the 7th, 8th and 9th holes of her round to move into a commanding position with nine holes to play.
However, Lake Karrinyup bit back on the home stretch, with Cotton mixing up one birdie with two bogeys and a double bogey before steadying the ship to close out her round.
A crucial – and rare – birdie on the par-three 8th (her 17th) saw Cotton establish a one-shot overnight advantage over the field.
“I didn’t miss a lot of fairways today and my approach play was really good too, and gave me a lot of birdie opportunities,” said Cotton, who recorded nine birdies over the course of her two rounds.
“There’s a long way to go, though. You can’t win it after 36 holes, so I’m just going to go out there and focus on the process rather than the score. I did today and it really helped me.”
Victorian Fuyu Yang is Cotton’s nearest challenger after two rounds of 76
Cotton’s nearest challenger is 13-year-old rising Victorian star Fuyu Yang, whose two rounds of 76 leave her well positioned to make a serious title bid in the next two days.
“My approach shots were dialed in on the front nine this afternoon and my putts were squared up and following the right lines, so I’m pretty happy,” the National Golf Club member told GolfWA.
As one of only a handful of competitors from the eastern states, Yang says she’s delighted to be in the mix at one of WA’s premiere amateur golf events.
“I wanted to come over because of the status of the event and because Lake Karrinyup is such a great course,” she said. “I’m excited to be here and looking forward to the next two days.”
Cottesloe Golf Club’s Katie Seol holds third position, a further stroke back on +5 for the championship, with home-club favourite Isobel Dorrington in fourth on +7.
The event also features concurrent Mid-Amateur (ages 30-49) and Senior (aged 50+) championships, each played over 54 holes.
Nadine Smith (WAGC) leads the Mid-Am after an opening 82, while Lake Karrinyup’s own Carmen Palframan is three clear in the Senior comp after an 84.
View all today’s leaderboards here.
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