Luna Lu Extends Lead At BC Women's Amateur
Luna Lu Stretched Her Lead In The BC Women's Amateur After A 3-Under 70 In Round 2 - Golf Canada File Photo
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Luna Lu is playing a game of catch me if you can with the rest of the field at the 117th playing of the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Pitt Meadows Golf Club.
The 15-year-old from Burnaby, who is a junior member at Pitt Meadows, extended her lead by firing a three-under par 70 in Wednesday’s second round. Her 36-hole score of seven-under par has Lu four shots clear of the rest of the field.
Lu’s performance so far this week is reminiscent of her win at last summer’s B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship at nearby Golden Eagle Golf Club in Pitt Meadows.
Lu beat the field by seven shots in that event and hopes she will be able to draw upon that experience as she attempts to win another provincial championship. “I think it helps a lot,” Lu said after round. “I have got that experience in me. I know how to do it, so I believe I can do it again. I am going to try.”
Lu’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par 5 10th hole. “That was really exciting,” she said. “I had 175 (yards) in and used my 5-iron and hit it to about 15 feet and made the putt.” Lu stumbled slightly after that, making three bogeys before finishing with birdies on the final two holes.
On 17, she made about a 10-foot putt for birdie and then rolled in a 25-footer from off the front of the green for her birdie on 18. “I kind of chunked my approach a little bit on 18,” she said. “It felt good to make that one.”
Lu, who is just finishing Grade 9 at Burnaby North Secondary, said she doesn’t plan to change a thing in the final two rounds. “I’ll just try to stick to my game plan,” she said. “I am feeling pretty comfortable, so I just want to keep doing what I am doing.”
Lu’s closest pursuer is Vancouver’s Victoria Liu, a 19-year-old who is coming off a great freshman year at Princeton University. Liu was named the Ivy League freshman of the year. She fired a one-under 72 Wednesday to sit at three-under through 36 holes despite not being particularly pleased with her play.
Golf Canada File Photo
Victoria Liu Sits 4 Shots Back In 2nd Place At The Halfway Point Of The BC Women's Amateur
“A lot of decisions I made today weren’t the best,” Liu said. “It was only after I hit some shots that I realized that maybe I should have hit a different club or considered playing it a little more safe. My ball-striking isn’t the best right now.” Liu also eagled the 10th hole Wednesday. “The tees were up a bit today, so I got there in two and made like a 15- or 18-foot eagle putt,” she said.
Defending champion Leah John of Vancouver is one of three players tied for third at two-under par. John, who just finished her junior year at the University of Nevada, shot an even-par 73 Wednesday.
“Today was really hard,” John said. “I had to work for it, stay patient. I had a bit of a rough start. I am feeling a bit frustrated, but I have to look at the positives.”
BC Golf Photo
Defending Champ Leah John Finds Herself In A 3-way Tie For 3rd, 5 Shots Out Of The Lead... Despite Pulling Out The 'Lightsabre' For This Approach Shot On 18
John will try and do what she did last year, when she came from behind to win at Summerland Golf Club. She trailed by four shots after two rounds last year. “A lot can happen in two days, especially under pressure,” John said. “I am getting more comfortable with how the holes look here and how to play them.”
Victoria’s Sonja Tang, a member of UBC’s championship-winning team, and Ha Young Chang of Surrey share third place.
The field was cut to the low 30 and ties after Wednesday’s second round. The cut fell at 10-over par and 30 players will play the final two days. The leaders are scheduled to tee off at 8:51 am. in Round 3 on Thursday.
A 36-hole Zone competition concluded Wednesday with the Zone 4 team of Katherine Hao and Estee Leung, both of Burnaby, winning with a score of two-over par. That was seven shots better than the Zone 2 team of Natasha Kozlowski of Vernon and Jessica Claggett of Kelowna. The Zone 3 team of Coco Pei and Claire Lovan, both of Surrey, were third at 12-over.
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