Anything other than a victory for Chiara Tamburlini (-14) this Sunday at the Joburg Open will have to be classified as a major surprise. The 24-year-old Swiss golfer, who is in her rookie year on the Ladies European Tour, handed in a 67-stroke card this Saturday at the Modderfontain Golf Club course in Johannesburg, the best of the day, and opened a crater in the classification. She has a six-stroke lead over Thai Aunchisa Utama (-6) and seven over Spaniard Luna Sobrón (-7).
Sensational moving day for the player from Palma de Mallorca, protagonist of a round of 68 strokes, five under par, which could have been even better. With two holes to go she was seven under, five strokes behind Tamburlini, but a double bogey on the 17th, her penultimate hole, put a blot on her service sheet. In any case, a magnificent round of golf, only surpassed by the tournament leader, and the door slightly open to her first victory on the Ladies European Tour. She will have to do a lot on her part and receive help from Tamburlini. Only then could a sorpasso of that caliber occur.
Tamburlini is looking for her first victory on the LET and that can always play a factor in the form of extra pressure in the final round. It should not be ruled out. However, the trajectory of the Swiss golfer, despite her youth, does not indicate that she is one of those who shrink in these situations.
She has countless victories as an amateur, including the NCAA Team Final with Mississippi, won the first tournament she played as a professional (LET Access Series) in August last year, won another a few weeks later and quickly moved up to the Ladies European Tour, after finishing third in the second division ranking, with a balance of two victories and seven top 10s in eleven tournaments. This year she has already been third in Kenya, sixth in the Aramco of Florida and also sixth in the failed tournament of Australia, where only one round could be played. She is not just another rookie.
Tamburlini, whose surname reminds of some mythical ascent of the Giro d’Italia, has everything in her hand to achieve her first victory on the LET quickly. After all, she is only playing her seventh ever tournament in the first European division.
Be that as it may, Luna has positioned herself in the hunt, waiting for the Swiss player’s mistake. If she plays as she has done in the first thirteen holes of the day, there is no doubt that she will have a chance this Sunday. She had caught all the greens, all the streets but one and had a partial of seven under par with only 20 putts. Simply, golf bordering on perfection.
Luna is tied for third with the golfer from the Czech Republic, Tereza Melecka (-7), and one stroke further back are Panamanian Laura Sluman (-6) and Indian Diksha Dagar (-6).
Outside the top 10 is Ana Peláez (-3), who today made 71 strokes with seven birdies. A lot of movement. The victory is very far away in terms of number of strokes and players ahead, but she can still finish a great Sunday and get into the top 10 or even better.
Teresa Díez Moliner (+1), Marta Martín (+1) and Paz Marfá (+5) are further back in the classification, but still with options to do more than just make up the result. Today they made 74, 70 and 75 strokes, respectively.
