Three Spanish players have made the cut at the Australian Women’s Classic after the second round played this Friday at the Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club, north of Sydney. Marta Sanz (PAR), Blanca Fernández (+1), and Luna Sobrón (+1) will be competing over the weekend with the mission to climb as many positions as possible. The victory is somewhat distant, but there is still a chance to deliver a great performance.
Australian Kelsey Bennett (-10) leads the tournament solo with a one-shot advantage over Thai player Trichat Cheenglab (-9), winner of the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit in 2023, and English Meghan MacLaren (-9), who seems to be regaining her best form after several months hampered by her game and various physical issues. Bennett was already in the featured group at the Ford NSW Open last week and didn’t have her best Sunday. There’s no better way to bounce back than by creating a new opportunity. There she is again.
The top 10 is currently at six under par, a distance by no means insurmountable for the Spanish players who have made the cut. In this regard, it’s worth noting what Blanca Fernández (+1) has done today. Her round of 74 strokes doesn’t really do justice to the game she displayed. In fact, it should be considered a feat that she made the cut with the real nightmare she experienced on the greens. It was almost a macabre joke.
She didn’t make a single green in one putt. It’s easy to say. Her only birdie of the day came by reaching a par 5 in two, a trademark move, and with two putts. Additionally, she had two three-putts. Total: 38 putts. It’s quite an achievement to have managed a score of 74 strokes with these figures. It demonstrates two things: first, her long game is very good (there are the 17 greens she hit); second, patience. She didn’t get frustrated. She struggled with the speed of the greens, but she didn’t really putt badly. It was simply one of those days when nothing wants to drop. That patience will surely turn in her favour in future rounds.
After finishing the round, Blanca worked on the putting green to get some better feel, especially regarding speed. She’ll have two more days to bounce back.
Marta Sanz signed a round of 74 strokes and made her second consecutive cut in Australia. She will earn more points and, above all, seems to have gained a cruising speed of consistency and solidity that she needed. The goal is to suffer less this year and, if possible, be high in the Order of Merit to avoid Q-School at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Luna Sobrón (+1) managed a very eventful par round, with five birdies and five bogeys.
The downside of the day was for Harang Lee (+3), who missed the cut with a bogey on the last hole, and Marta Martín (+5), who shot 75 strokes.
