Parsons Builds Double-Digit Lead At Women’s Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Championship In Golden

Delta, BC's Mary Parsons Has Built Herself A Commanding 10-Shot Lead At The Halfway Point Of The 2018 B.C. Women's Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Championship - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Mary Parsons’ biggest opponent at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Championship may be complacency. Parsons fired her second straight two-under par 70 Wednesday at Golden Golf Club and carries a 10-shot lead into Wednesday’s third round of the 72-hole event.

Perhaps the only person who can beat Parsons is herself. The 19-year-old Delta resident vows not to let that happen. “I think I am not going to be as stressed out on the course because I’ve got this kind of lead, but I am still going to try and play aggressive and try to shoot another low number,” Parsons said. “That is my mindset going into the next day.”

Parsons’ round on Wednesday featured two eagles. Both came on the par 5s on the back nine at Golden. Parsons ended her round by chipping in for eagle on the 18th hole. Her first eagle came on the 12th hole, which she reached in two shots. “I had about 190 yards to the pin on No. 12 and I probably had a 15- to 18-footer for eagle and I sunk it,” she said. “I think that was probably my first round with two eagles.”

Parsons sits at four-under par 140 at the halfway point of the tournament. Victoria’s Akari Hayashi sits second at six-over 150 after firing a two-over 74 on Wednesday. Natalie Chu of Vancouver and Kathrine Chan of Surrey are tied for third at seven-over. Chan shot a 73 Wednesday, while Chu shot a 77.

“Today was a bit more of a scramble,” Parsons said of her round. “I missed a couple more greens than yesterday and I found that I had more difficult putts on the greens. But I got some lucky bounces out there on the course. In addition to my chip-in on 18, I had a couple of bounces where I could have missed the green, but the ball bounced onto the green. I think overall it was a good day.”

Parsons just finished her freshman year at the University of Indiana, where she led her team in stroke average. She is not a complete stranger to big leads. Parsons won the 2016 B.C. Junior Girls Championship at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton by six shots. Parsons acknowledged she was not expecting to have this big a lead through 36 holes. “I know there are some strong girls in the field,” she said. “A couple of bounces here or there could mean the difference of a few shots.”

The top two finishers after Friday’s final round will join Victoria’s Naomi Ko on the team that will represent B.C. at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, which goes July 24-27 at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver. Ko, a member of Canada’s national amateur team, was given an exemption onto the B.C. team.

Click HERE for complete scoring from the B.C. Women's Amateur Presented By Maui Jim Championship.

CHIP SHOT:  Zone 5 (Southern Vancouver Island), comprised of Victoria's Hayashi and Cindy Koira won the 36-hole zone competition with a score of 26-over par. That was five shots better than Port Alberni's Christina Proteau and Nanaimo's Kasira Muanyam from Zone 6 (Upper Vancouver Island).