Korean duo So-Young Lee and Eun Jeong Seong have secured the top two seeds for the women’s Australian Amateur Championship matchplay phase.
Only 11 of the 32 who advanced to tomorrow’s second phase are from Australia, but Sydneysider Elizabeth Elmassian threw down the gauntlet to the Koreans with a three-under 71 at The Lakes today to surge into third.
And with the matchplay back at her home course, The Australian, she’s well placed to keep the title on home shores.
Mandurah’s Hayley Bettencourt also fired a quality 71 today to surge into a tie for seventh, but Concord’s Shelly Shin reached that mark with a relatively flat 75.
At the other end of the top 32, Kiwi Wenyung Keh edged Japan’s Minami Katsu in a two-woman playoff for the final matchplay berth with a par on the second hole.
Seong appeared to have the medallist honours sewn up until bogeys on the 8th and 9th, her closing holes, today.
“I was happy … but didn’t finish very good,” Seong said.
“Still happy to be in matchplay, I like matchplay,” said the finalist of the 2014 US Public Links Championship, an event played in the same format as this week’s tournament.
Live scores: http://www.golf.org.au/australian-amateur