Golf: Better round, but women drop to 17th

KUALA LUMPUR - Yesterday was supposed to be moving day for New Zealand at the world women's amateur teams championships on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

New Zealand desperately needed to shoot a low score to challenge for a top-10 position entering the fourth and final round today.

Instead, Brenda Ormsby, Wendy Hawkes and Tina Howard largely walked around in circles, despite posting their best combined effort of the Espirito Santo tournament.

Starting the day with an early tee time and sitting in a share of 15th place, the New Zealanders entered the air-conditioned comfort of the clubhouse in 17th position after carding an even-par 146 for a three-round total of seven-over 445.

Ormsby, still angered by her five-over 78 in the opening round, led by example yesterday to become the first member of the team to break par at the championships.

She signed for a one-under 72, while Hawkes contributed a 74 and Howard a non-counting 76.

Ormsby could have gone much lower but for a series of narrow misses on the back nine which meant she had to settle for a round she described as "pretty steady".

She was left lamenting a number of misses after she made the turn even with the card.

After bogeying the 333m par-four 10th when finding a short but steep bank to the right of the green with her approach, Ormsby, in her seventh world championships, watched as a swinging, downhill birdie putt from 4.5m all but dropped in the hole on the next.

She got her own back on the short 388m par-five 12th before birdie attempts missed their target from reasonable length on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes.

It all left the Rotorua 44-year-old frustrated at the vagaries of the game.

"I didn't three-putt and I didn't miss anything that I shouldn't have, but that's the nature of the game," she said.

"I had some pretty good chances out there but those greens are just so hard to read. It's quite hard to get your speed right."

Hawkes, 25, could feel well pleased with providing her second counting score at her maiden world championships.

But even she was left kicking the grass after hooking a fairway wood on the uphill par-five 18th which left her in a bunker well short of the green.

- NZPA