Son shines, but bees trouble du Toit in Germany
Gauteng junior Woo-Ju Son finished within striking distance of pacesetter Nina Lang after first round action wrapped up in the RB German Junior in Germany on Tuesday.
The 14-year-old Eagle Canyon player carded an opening two-over-par 74 at Golfclub Heidelberg to tie for third with Alice Gotbring from Sweden and Norway’s Michelle Forsland.
The trio lag two shots behind local favourite Lang, who cancelled four bogeys with a quartet of birdies to take pole position on even par.
“Woo-Ju started well with two pars and a birdie at the third, but lost two shots with back-to-back bogeys at four and five,” said Womens Golf South Africa vice-president, Sally Greasley.
“She steadied herself with pars at six and seven and sunk a huge putt at the eighth for a birdie to get back to one over.
“Woo-Ju played solidly for the next four holes, but missed a short par-putt at 12 and had a lip-out for par at 18 for two more bogeys.”
Fellow South Africans Danielle du Toit from Gauteng North and Altin van der Merwe carded respective rounds of 85 and 77.
“The heavens opened with torrential rain just as Danielle teed off and the heavy downpour made the first six holes really difficult to navigate,” Greasley said.
“She never really got her game under control and had a tough day at the office. During the practice round on Monday, Danielle was stung by a bee at the 10th hole and today, a wasp stung her on her neck.
“It was really painful and I am sure this influenced her performance. She struggled with the putter and had just too many wayward drives. She remained upbeat, though, and she is determined to do better on Wednesday.
“All three players are really enjoying the course, which is absolutely stunning. It has a very hilly layout and the holes wind through a huge forest, with long walks through the trees between greens and tees.”
Van der Merwe dropped eight shots, but stemmed the bleeding with a hat-trick of birdies to finish in a tie for 17th. The 19-year-old Durbanville player qualified for the Global Junior Golf Tour event by way of winning the Boys Division in the Curro South African Juniors International (SAJI) in March.
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of Womens Golf South Africa.