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| Pan Yan Hong on the tee with her coach turned caddie, Wu Kangchun. |
China’s own Pan Yan Hong leads the way at the Sanya Ladies Open in Hainan after a three under par round of 69 maintained her one stroke lead at Yalong Bay Golf Club.
The 28-year-old professional finished at eight under par, a stroke ahead of Thailand’s Patcharajutar Kongkraphan, who also carded a steady round of 69 containing four birdies and one bogey.
If she’s able to maintain her form tomorrow, Pan could be the first Chinese winner on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and the Ladies European Tour.
Pan credited her performance to working with her Guangdong-based caddie, Wu Kangchun, who is a touring professional on the China PGA Champions tour.
“My caddie is also my coach and a huge source of inspiration. Under him my results have improved tremendously,” she said, through an interpreter.
The pressure will be on with just 18 holes to play, as 23 other players are ready to pounce within six strokes of the lead.
A trio of international players share third on six under. England’s Rachel Bell (67), Scotland’s Vikki Laing (69) and Australian Frances Bondad (70) are all in the hunt and pushing for their first professional victory.
Bell, currently 117th on the LET’s Henderson Money List after 14 starts this season, will enhance her chances of securing her tour card for 2012 if she can maintain her current position, while Laing, ranked 10th on the list last year, also needs a strong finish to avoid a return to Qualifying School in January.
Among six players on five under and just three off the pace is 15-year-old Lin Xiyu, who tied for ninth place in the 2010 event as an amateur.
She turned professional in September and is looking to earn world ranking points in order to improve her chances of representing China at The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio da Janeiro.
The impressive teen, who is a member of the Chinese national team, has a chance to become the youngest ever winner on the Ladies European Tour, aged 15 years, seven months and 27 days.
“Last year we were preparing for the Asian Games and we just trained very hard but my level was not that high. This year I improved a lot so I’m very confident because last year I kind of freaked because I shot 66. This year I feel good in every part so I believe that I can play very well,” said Lin, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this summer, where there were interruptions.
“I had 72, 81, but I played 30 holes in one day, because of the weather. The first round I didn’t hit any balls, the second day I played 30 holes and the third day I played six holes, so I just couldn’t find the feeling,” she explained.
Meanwhile South Ashleigh Simon, who won the 2007 Catalonia Ladies Masters as an 18-year-old professional, is also on five under and looking to add another title after earning this May’s Portugal Ladies Open.
She and Lin share sixth place with Thailand’s Nontaya Srisawang, Australian rookie Stacey Keating, Spain’s Tania Elosegui and Christine Song from the United States.
Finland’s Minea Blomqvist and Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura ended a shot further behind, while the 2010 champion Lee-Anne Pace of South Africa is three under and still in the hunt.
Sanya Ladies Open
Yalong Bay Golf Club, Sanya, Hainan China
21-23 October 2011
Scores at the end of round 2:
136 – Pan Yan Hong (CHN) 67 69
137 – Patcharajutar Kongkraphan (THA) 68 69
138 – Rachel Bell (ENG) 71 67, Vikki Laing (SCO) 69 69, Frances Bondad (AUS) 68 70
139 – Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 70 69, Stacey Keating (AUS) 70 69, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 70 69, Lin Xiyu (CHN) 71 68, Ashleigh Simon (SA) 69 70, Christine Song (USA) 70 69
140 – Minea Blomqvist (FIN) 70 70, Thidapa Suwannapura (THA) 73 67
141 – Nikki Garrett (AUS) 71 70, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 72 69, Guo Cai Zhu (CHN) 71 70, Li Wei (CHN) 73 68, Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 69 72, Rui Yokomine (JPN) 71 70, Russamee Gulyanamitta (THA) 71 70, Bree Arthur (AUS) 71 70
142 – Yang Hong Mei (CHN) 68 74, Line Vedel (DEN) 74 68, Melissa Reid (ENG) 71 71
143 – Pennapa Pulsawath (THA) 72 71, Kylie Walker (SCO) 70 73, Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 72 71, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 71 72, Beth Allen (USA) 73 70
144 – Narisara Kerdrit (THA) 75 69, Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 70 74, Louise Larsson (SWE) 72 72, Yan Pan Pan (CHN) 72 72, Lotta Wahlin (SWE) 71 73, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 77 67, Gao Shuang (CHN) 73 71, Lu Mei Ping (CHN) 73 71, Jeehae Lee (KOR) 72 72, Carly Booth (SCO) 74 70, Laura Davies (ENG) 70 74, Jennifer Rosales (PHI) 73 71, Smriti Mehra (IN) 73 71
145 – Lynn Kenny (SCO) 77 68, Shang Lin Yan (CHN) 72 73, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 71 74, Rebecca Codd (IRE) 74 71, Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LU) 74 71, Huang Ping (CHN) 71 74, Karen Lunn (AUS) 73 72, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 73 72, Stefanie Michl (AUT) 70 75, Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 75 70
146 – Mika Ikemura (JAP) 70 76, Huang Mei Hao (CHN) 74 72, Porani Chutichai (THA) 75 71, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 74 72, Caroline Rominger (SWI) 73 73, Laurette Maritz (SA) 75 71, Zhang Yu Yang (CHN) 69 77, Li Dan (CHN) 72 74, Sophie Walker (ENG) 75 71
Missed the cut:-
147 – Shi Hyun Park (KOR) 75 72, Ajira Nualraksa (THA) 74 73, Kristie Smith (AUS) 77 70, Walailak Satarak (USA) 74 73, Samantha Richdale (CAN) 73 74, Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (THA) 76 71, Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 73 74, Shi Xiao Ying (CHN) 71 76, Clare Queen (SCO) 74 73
148 – Tiffany Tavee (USA) 77 71, Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR) 80 68, Li Jia Yun (CHN) 72 76, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 74
149 – Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 76 73, Tandi Cuningham (SA) 79 70, Morgana Robbertze (SA) 76 73, Wang Xin (CHN) 81 68, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 73 76, Pei Lin Yu (TPE) 76 73, Benedicte Toumpsin (BEL) 75 74, Zhang Wei Wei (Am) (CHN) 74 75, Saori Ikushima (JAP) 75 74, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 78 71
150 – Ornthana Chuenarrom (THA) 71 79, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 77 73, Lu Yue Xia (CHN) 77 73, Jessica Ji (KOR) 76 74, Wang Yan Hua (CHN) 75 75
151 – Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN) 75 76, Shi Yu Ting (Am) (CHN) 77 74, Shen Yan Hua (CHN) 75 76
152 – Wang Xin Ying (Am) (CHN) 74 78, Hei-Ji Kim (KOR) 77 75, Bai Yun Yan (CHN) 77 75, Tian Hong (CHN) 76 76, Adriana Zwanck (ESP) 74 78
153 – Yu Ling Hsieh (TPE) 80 73
154 – Tan Peng Hui (CHN) 77 77, Yeh Hsinning (TPE) 75 79
155 – Valerie Tan (BRU) 77 78
156 – Gu Guo Yan (CHN) 76 80
158 – Xia Xin (CHN) 84 74
160 – Zhang Hai Ying (CHN) 79 81, Ren Xiao Zheng (CHN) 79 81
163 – Qiao Chang Yu (CHN) 84 79
164 – Heidi Chua (PHI) 83 81, Ye Zhao Ying (Am) (CHN) 80 84
