KirkwoodGolf

Friday, February 19, 2016

Catriona Matthew sharing lead, Kylie Walker 

T12 in Aussie Women's Open

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
With just a few players still on the course, Catriona Matthew, who scored her first pro win in this tournament in 1996, is sharing the lead in the Handa Australian Women's Open over the Grange Course at Adelaide.
A great day for Scotland especially with Kylie Walker also up there in joint 12th place on 140.
Catriona, now in her 47th year and the Ricoh Women's British champion at Royal Lytham in 2009, has had rounds of 67 and 69 for eight-under-par 136. Sharing the lead at the time of writing is England's Holly Clyburn from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.
Matthew, Edinburgh-born but a resident of North Berwick with her husband and two daughters, started her second round with an eagle 3 at the par-5 hole. A bogey at the second was shrugged off as she birdied the third and the short fourth on her way to the turn in three-under 33.
A 4 at the par-5 10th had her nine under for the tournament but she dropped a shot at the 17th for a 69.

Matthew, who will be 47 in August, keeps playing because she loves competing. "I think that's the beauty of golf, you can play, it doesn't matter what your age is as long as you can hit the golf ball and still get it in the hole. Age isn't a barrier.''
She said she did not think about her age, even though many of her competitors are half her age, even less. "I would say my game is getting better actually, I mean it has to, the standard's improved so much over the 20 years. You're always working on something, you're never happy as a golfer.''
The Scot said she would be "at home with the kids'' if she could not compete. She has two girls Katie and Sophie who are in school and at home in North Berwick with family, but her husband Graeme is on the bag this week.
"It's nice, he caddied for 15 or 16 years, now he doesn't come out much,'' she said. "I have a brother  who lives in Sydney and he's down and my mother (Joan) who's visiting him, so it's a little family reunion.''
She hit 16 greens today and the highlight was an eagle three at the first, arguing that her ability to hit greens (16 of 18 today) was key. 
 "I'm delighted. When I played my practice round on Tuesday I thought it was a tricky course. Some of the fairways are quite generous but you've really got to try and hit the greens, and that's what I've done the first few days.''
Holly Clyburn had a magnificent second round of seven-under 65Bogey-free, she stormed to the turn in only 30 shots with an eagle 3 at the par-5 first followed by birdies at the second, short fourth, long fifth and ninth. Her only deviation from par on the inward half was a birdie at the 18th in 35 home.
Kylie Walker, who has had a pair of 70s for 140, birdied the par-5 first but wobbled for a spell after that with back-to-back bogeys at the long fifth and sixth as she turned in 37 and dropped another shot at the 14th.
But what a grandstand finish b the flame-haired Glasgow girl - birdie at 15, birdie at 16 and an eagle 2 at the 380yd 18th.
She had an eagle 2 at a 364yd hole in her first round. Some shooting!

SECOND ROUND LEADERBOARD
Before end of play
Par 144 (2x72)
136 Catriona Matthew (Sco) 67 69, Holly Clyburn (Eng) 71 65
137 Caroline Masson (Ger) 66 71, Jenny Shin (SKor) 67 70, Haru Nomura (Jap) 69 69, Lin Xi Yu (China) 70 67
138 Karrie Webb (Aus) 67 71

SELECTED SCORES
140 Kylie Walker (Sco) 70 70, Charley Hull (Eng) 70 70, Lydia Ko (NZ) 70 70 (T12)

144 Georgia Hall (Eng) 71 73, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (Eng) 71 73 (T43)
145 Florentyna Parker (Eng) 72 73 (T58)

LIKELY TO MISS CUT
148 Melissa Reid 77 71 (T93) 
149 Amy Boulden (Wal), Hannah Burke (Eng) (T102)
151 Felicity Johnson (Eng) 73 78 (T118)
154 Laura Davies (Eng) 78 76
155 Trish Johnson (Eng) 77 78 

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

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