Lessons can come anywhere at any time in golf – and the Australian women were sent to school at the World Amateur Teams Championship today.
Having begun the day within touching distance of the lead and in front of the American team, the Aussies went to bed after the second of four days a staggering 17 shots adrift of the Americans, who torched the Espirito Santo record books at Carton House, near Dublin.
Though the one-over-par 74s of Becky Kay and Kirsty Hodgkins on the O’Meara Course ensured Australia finished on a respectable one-under total after round two, it effectively put paid to any title aspirations with the Americans (-18), Koreans (-17) and Japanese (-15) having kicked well clear.
The United States was given twin eight-under-par 65s by world No.1 Jennifer Kupcho and dual US Amateur champion Kristen Gillman as the team surged to a record low halfway total of 272, one better than the 273 of Korea in 2010 in Argentina.
That total was made all the more remarkable given they’d begun the day at two under in a share of eighth.
Kay fought back from two early bogeys to remain at three under overall and in share of 11th on the individual leaderboard.
Her fellow Queenslander Hodgkins mixed four birdies among her five bogeys as her impressive international debut continued. She sits T65 after round two.
Kim, of Sydney, also made her share of birdies, but couldn’t overcome a double-bogey on the par-four 8th hole as she fell to a 77 and T75 overall.
Korean Ayean Cho, a former runner-up at the Australian Amateur, is the joint individual leader after her second-round nine-under 64 took her to 13 under, alongside Australian Master of the Amateurs champion Yuka Yasuda, of Japan.
The Aussies tee off in their third rounds between 10.41am and 11.03am (local times), back on the Montgomerie Course.