Mixed fortunes for the ladies

Erin Hills in the state of Wisconsin will host the 80th edition of the US Women’s Open next week.

MALAYSIA’S contingent of ladies on tour have been engaged in a busy schedule over the past week or so.

Barring an absentee or two, there was a hive of activity highlighted by long-time tour player Kelly Tan earning a berth at the US Women’s Open championship next week, and the return to competition by Natasha Andrea Oon, after a lengthy injury layoff.

The casualty among the lot was Zulaikah Nasser, who was forced to withdraw from this week’s Beijing Women’s Challenge at Orient Pearl Golf Club in Shunyi, Beijing.

The 22-yaer-old struggled with a right wrist injury at the Tun Amhad Sarji Trophy at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Subang, Sealngor, on the PGM Tour a fortnight ago.

Playing on through the pain, Zulaikah failed to make the cut and bowed out. She went into the event as one of the favourites, following her triumph in the previous tournament – the Seri Selangor Closed Championship.

The injury has since been put in a cast, and there is no immediate timeline for when the rookie might return.

For the quintet in action in Beijing, there were mixed fortunes at the start of the 500,000-yuan tournament.

Jing Xuen Ng was the leading Malaysian after the first round, having returned with a two-under-par 70.

Aretha Pan was the only other Malaysian under-par, after she carded an opening 71.

Winnie Ng was tied for 53rd on two-over, while Jocelyn Chee was T69 on four-over and

Allycia Gan joint 79th, another shot back.

Natasha’s last competitive round before her extended absence through a reported foot ailment, was the 2023 Maybank Championship, on the LPGA Tur at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

This week she was in the field at the US$250,000 Copper Rock Championship at Copper Rock Golf Club on the Epson Tour.

Prior to her enforced absence from the game, Natasha qualified for the LPGA Tour proper. She finished runner-up in the Epson Tour’s season-long Race for the Card campaign, which at the time, awarded tour cards for the ladies’ elite circuit to the top 10 players of that season.

At the time of writing, it was unclear if Natasha might benefit from a waiver to play the LPGA Tour via a medical exemption.

At the Copper Rock Championship, Malaysia’s two other players, Ashley Lau and Alyaa Abdulghany, made meaningful starts, with both tied in 28th place on two-under 70.

For Kelly it was a week of some accomplishment and one she welcomed with much appreciation, she said.

The 31-year-old Canadian-based player, who has more than a decade on the American tours, topped the

US Women’s Open qualifier at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, to book

her place at the showdown

next week. The 80th US Women’s Open will be held at Erin Hills Golf Club in Hartford, Wisconsin for the

first time, from

May 29 to June 1.

In the 36-hole qualifier in Vancouver, Kelly shot a two-day 142 total. The two-time Malaysian Olympian had rounds of 71 and 71, to win by two strokes from Japan’s Rika Yabuta.

Australian Robyn Choi was third on 145, while Sarah Rhee of the United States was fourth, another shot back, and Canadian Eileen Park

fifth with a 150 total.

Speaking TeeUp after her victory, which ensured qualification for the season’s second major on the LPGA Tour, Kelly said: ‘I’ve been playing some pretty good golf recently.

“I’ve worked extremely hard with my coach this last couple of years and I feel like I can finally see the boat turning around.

“I’ve been fighting very hard mentally on the golf course

and I’ve also just started

working with a mental coach.

It has helped me tremendously,” she said.

“I’ve been on the road the last three weeks, and now I’m prepared both mentally and physically to do it. This qualifying win is a huge confidence boost for me.

“This will be my fifth US Women’s Open and I’m beyond excited for the opportunity.

“I feel like my game is trending upwards and I’m looking forward to putting it to the test at Erin Hills,” said Kelly.

“I’ll be playing my first LPGA event of the season in Mexico (this week) from May 22 to 25, and followed by the US

Women’s Open be next week.

“This is exactly why I play this game. It can beat you down, but it can also lift you up. You just never know when good golf is around the corner.

“I would like to thank everyone at home for their kind words and encouragement.

“Although I might be far from Malaysia, I never felt like I was alone.

“And while it’s been a hard couple of years for me on the golf course, I’m grateful to have Mazda (Bermaz Auto)

and Maybank for their continued support of my career, so

that I can keep living my

dream while inspire others.” US Women’s Open

Qualifier

Vancouver Golf Club

Pos Name Tot 1 Kelly Tan (Mas) 142

2 Rika Yabuta (Jpn) 144

3 Robyn Choi (Aus) 145

4 Sarah Rhee (US) 146

5 Eileen Park (Can) 150