Pornanong Phatlum off to firm start on back nine at Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship
Thai Pornanong Phatlum looked more than thrilled on the first day of Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2012 as she shot a 33 on her first nine holes on Thursday.
The Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2012 is being staged at the Sunrise Golf & Country Club, Yang Mei, Taoyuan, Taiwan, with a strong lineup featuring key 78 players from the LPGA (Ladies
Professional Golf Association).
Phatlum, despite the fact that she was dwarfed by the presence of big names like current world number one Yani Tseng and South Korean Inbee Park in the roster, displayed a much better performance,
rattling off four birdies on the first nine holes.
Starting her round on the back nine, the Thai star looked confident right from the start as she launched four straight birdies on the 10th, 11th, 12th and
13th hole to make a fiery start.
She played a much cautious game following the birdie binge as her biggest aim was to avoid bogeys after making a solid start. She held her nerve on most of the holes and adjusted to the course
and weather conditions quickly.
Phatlum parred the next four holes to remain in contention, but a lapse on the greens of 18th hole set her back with a bogey.
Commentators said that a good performance on the back nine gave Phatlum much-needed confidence and she is determined to continue her fiery form in the next three rounds as well.
South Korean Inbee Park displayed a good performance on the front nine as she posted four birdies to make a fast start. Park is one of the favourites for the 72-hole tournament, but it remains
to be seen how she fares against rivals in the next three rounds.
On the other hand, American Nicole Castrale completed her first round by carding a 68. Castrale registered five birdies and one bogey.
American Michelle Wie, who vowed to do her best this week, got off to a rough start on the back nine as she registered two bogeys and two birdies.
“I love it here so far. The warm welcome at the airport. I played 18 holes today and the golf course looks great. It’s in great conditions and really windy. This is my first time in Taiwan
and I’m excited to see the town today,” Wie told during her pre-tournament interview on Tuesday.
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