THAI NUMA LEADS SANYA LADIES OPEN WITH ONE ROUND TO GO

NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
REPORT By BETHAN CUTLER

SANYA, CHINA – Thailand’s Numa Gulyanamitta shot five birdies and two bogeys at Yalong Bay Golf Club on Saturday to take charge going into the final round of the Sanya Ladies Open in China.

The 23-year-old LPGA rookie’s round of three-under 69 took her to five under par in total and one clear of Cassandra Kirkland of France.  

Gulyanamitta recovered from a bogey on the second to birdie the third and eighth before further birdies on the 10^th and 13^th put her at five under par.

She bogeyed the 565-yard par-five 16^th after going for the green and hitting her second into the water, but made a 15 foot birdie putt at the 17^th.

“I putted well and a couple that I didn’t expect to go in fell in. I made a couple of really good up and downs and impressed myself. It just happened to be a good day today,” said Gulyanamitta, who is the younger sister of fellow golf professional Russamee.

“The wind was a lot softer than yesterday which made the course a little easier. The wind still affected you but only a club more.”

The Purdue University graduate won the LPGA’s qualifying school at the end of 2011 and has tied for 15^th and 21^st at the US Women’s Open in 2011 and 2012 respectively. However she said:  “Winning this would be the biggest thing so far but there is one more round tomorrow so we’ll see.”

Kirkland had a bogey-free round of 67 containing five birdies to get into contention for her first Ladies European Tour title.

“I hit the ball really well today and made a couple of good putts. I was a little frustrated because I don’t have my six-iron. My caddie lost it last week so I had to be super creative on the golf course because I needed it about five times today. I played last Sunday in Suzhou without it too,” Kirkland said.

Kirkland is lying 90^th on the LET order of merit, so a strong finish would push her significantly up the ranking securing her tour card for next season.

“I had a bad period during the summer and it’s coming back slowly. I’ve had a couple of good rounds and yesterday it was really windy so one over was a decent score. I’m quite excited; I feel good and if I can make another good round it will be great,” she said.

England’s Holly Aitchison (69) and Australian Sarah Kemp (70) are tied third, two shots off the lead, while seven further players are a stroke further back in a tie for fifth.

Kemp was tied for the lead after 15 holes but dropped shots at the last two holes, while overnight leader Joanna Klatten was four under with three to play but bogeyed the seventh and eighth.

Klatten said: “I hit a cold top off the seventh tee straight into the water which I’ve never done before but I made birdie with my second ball which is pretty good. I’m going to have to go low tomorrow.”

Last week’s Suzhou Taihu Open winner Carlota Ciganda is also poised to strike sitting just three shots off the lead after a 70. Ciganda had a level par front nine and bogeyed 11 but picked up four shots in five holes before dropping one at the 17^th.

She eagled the par-five 13^th after hitting her approach shot to within a metre of the flag from 170 metres using a 5-iron and said: “I’m happy because I was one over after 11 but have mixed feelings after being three under after 16. Tomorrow I need a good day.”

It was a fine day for Laura Davies, who struck back from an opening 77 with a 69 to sit two over and comfortably make the cut, which fell at six over par. Carly Booth (75-71) is also on 146.

Meanwhile Germany’s Caroline Masson, who is trying to make up ground against Ciganda on the LET’s year-ending order of merit, is down in a share of 17th on level par.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
139 Numa Gulyanamitta (THA) 70 69
140 Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 73 67
141 Holly Aitchison (ENG) 72 69, Sarah Kemp (AUS) 71 70
142 Felicity Johnson (ENG) 71 71, Yue Xia Lu (CHN) 72 70, Beth Allen (USA) 74 68, Joanna Klatten (FRA) 69 73, Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 72 70, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 72 70, Belen Mozo (ESP) 74 68
143 Patcharajutar Kongkrapan (THA)  73 70, Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 71 72, Jaruporn Palakawong Na Ayutthaya (THA)  73 70, Jia Yun Li (CHN)  73 70, Mei Hao Huang (CHN)  72 71

144 Xi Yu Lin (CHN)  72 72, Stacey Keating (AUS)  72 72, Caroline Masson (DEU)  71 73, Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (THA)  72 72, Becky Brewerton (WAL)  71 73, Trish Johnson (ENG)  75 69, Pernilla Lindberg (SWE)  73 71, Rebecca Codd (IRL)  72 72

145 Virginie Lagoutte-clement (FRA)  73 72, Minea Blomqvist (FIN)  71 74, Celine Palomar (FRA)  70 75, Connie Chen (ZAF)  75 70, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  74 71, Lucie Andre (FRA)  74 71

146 Laura Davies (ENG)  77 69, Linda Wessberg (SWE)  73 73, Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  75 71, Wannasiri Sirisampant (THA)  73 73, Rebecca Hudson (ENG)  71 75, Carly Booth (SCO)  75 71, Hong Mei Yang (CHN)  77 69, Caroline Afonso (FRA)  72 74, Ajira Nualraksa (THA)  72 74

147 Ya Lan Shi (CHN)  73 74, Kylie Walker (SCO)  72 75, Charlotte Ellis (ENG)  74 73, Yu Yang Zhang (CHN)  80 67

148 Tzu Chi Lin (TPE)  76 72, Frances Bondad (AUS)  73 75, Sahra Hassan (WAL)  72 76, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA)  76 72, Yu Ting Shi (CHN)  72 76

149 Georgina Simpson (ENG)  76 73, Shuang Gao (CHN)  75 74, Samantha Richdale (CAN)  72 77, Wei Li (CHN)  76 73, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)  73 76, Louise Larsson (SWE)  77 72, Klara Spilkova (CZE)  76 73, Stefanie Michl (AUT)  76 73

150 Lydia Hall (WAL)  76 74, Tania Elosegui (ESP)  72 78, Julie Greciet (FRA)  74 76, Rachel Jennings (ENG)  75 75, Janya Morrakotphan (THA)  76 74, Ashleigh Simon (ZAF)  75 75, Nikki Garrett (AUS)  77 73, Jing Yan (CHN)  77 73, Cai Zhu Guo (CHN)  74 76, Smriti Mehra (IND)  74 76, Tao Li Yang (CHN)  76 74

MISSED THE CUT

151 Bree Arthur (AUS)  80 71, Tiffany Tavee (USA)  76 75, Tiranan Yoopan (THA)  76 75, Qi Feng Xiao (CHN)  79 72, Jin Cui Yang (CHN)  76 75, Stacy Lee Bregman (ZAF)  77 74, Chang Yu Qiao (CHN)  76 75, Nontaya Srisawang (THA)  77 74

152 Anais Maggetti (CHE)  76 76, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA)  77 75, Narisara Kerdrit (THA)  77 75, Ying Yu (CHN)  74 78, Malene Jorgensen (DNK)  81 71, Panuma Vitayakonkomol (THA)  78 74

153 Thidapa Suwannapura (THA)  76 77, Danielle Montgomery (ENG)  76 77, Xin Wang (CHN)  74 79, Saruttaya Ngam-usawan (THA)  77 76, Liebelei Lawrence (LUX)  78 75

154 Amolkan Phalajivin (THA)  82 72, Pinrath Loomboonruang (THA)  81 73, Noon Huachai (THA)  77 77

155 Yun Yan Bai (CHN)  76 79, Karen Lunn (AUS)  79 76

156 Rebecca Artis (AUS)  76 80, Zheng Lv (CHN)  79 77, Dan Ting Cai (CHN)  80 76

157 Praewnapa Phol-uayporn (THA)  83 74, Walailak Satarak (USA)  78 79, Xin Ying Wang (CHN)  78 79, Kym Larratt (ENG)  81 76, Katherine Kempter (USA)  77 80

158 Li Qing Chen (CHN)  75 83

159 Elin Emanuelsson (SWE)  77 82, Wei Wei Zhang (CHN)  82 77, Hai Ying Zhang (CHN)  79 80

160 Jin Xiang Zheng (CHN)  81 79

161 Peng Hui Tan (CHN)  79 82, Valerie Tan (BRN)  79 82

162 Pennapa Pulsawath (THA)  79 83

164 Guo Yan Gu (CHN)  86 78

165 Qi Fang Gao (CHN)  82 83

166 Qiu Feng Pan (CHN)  79 87, Xin Xia (CHN)  82 84

168 Xue Rong Su (CHN)  82 86, Elizabeth Smith (USA)  85 83