Contributed by Lorna Campbell
Singapore Island Country Club, Saturday, November 29, 2008 – In the closest result of a Lexus Cup to date, both teams are preparing for the final showdown in the singles matches tomorrow after racking up three wins each today to keep the scores tied at six points a piece.
The first two matches of the Fourball went in Team International's favour with Captain Annika Sorenstam making an eagle putt on the 18th to claim the first victory for her and partner Suzann Pettersen this week. Pettersen sank a total of eight birdies in her round but their Asian opponents fought hard all the way with Eun Hee Ji making seven in her round.
Pettersen said, "I got it going out there. Having Annika on your side helps me to be a bit more aggressive and I had the putter hot out there today. You got to grind so hard on every putt but it was a great finish to a great match."
Cristie earned her second win of the competition when she paired up with Helen Alfredsson and they also ended their match on the 18th as Seon Hwa Lee recorded her first loss in her three years on Team Asia.
"I played not too good today, I still have jet-lag and my condition is not good. Se Ri played well but I did not help out there today," said Lee after her round.
Crowds once again packed the Singapore Island Country Club to watch the stars in action in the blistering heat which provides a tough test on the undulating Bukit Course. Na Yeon Choi and Jeong Jang played solidly despite their nerves and overcame Paula Creamer and Nicole Castrale who were victorious in Day One but just fell short today.
Jeong Jang said, "We had a tough beginning and were losing the first hole but we kept saying, ´we can do it' and we did it. We were both so nervous. We were watching every single score and that was making us more nervous."
Match four and five went to Asia finishing well short of the 18th green but the fans and players surrounded the final hole to bring home Nikki Campbell and Katherine Hull against Namika Omata and crowd favourite Yani Tseng. Squaring the hole gave Team International a win by one point which tied the day at three wins for each.
Campbell commented after her second win this week, "It's great to have the support out there and the Aussie calls were pretty appropriate. I am looking forward to tomorrow but disappointed I don't have Katherine to carry me along."
The final 12 singles matches will begin at 9.55am as the Team Captains face off for the first time in the Lexus Cup. Se Ri was unable to take part in the final day last year due to injury so will be keen to make a strong start for the reigning champions.
"Our team did well today. A tough match in every group. We did our best to catch up to International. Results-wise, I'm happy and look forward to tomorrow," said Pak
Both captains seem happy with the draw for today with the top ranked players for Team International heading out first in a bid to take the lead. Annika looked at the draw and explained, "I think it looks great. We put together our own pairings. I'm not kidding you that seven of them are exactly what we wanted."
The first team to reach 12 and a half points will win the Lexus Cup. In the event of a tied result, both captains will appoint one player to play in a sudden-death format.
Leave A Comment