And Christo set up. Not as much as Lamprecht stirred up a storm on the first day of the Open and eased off on the second day but made the cut. Julia López Ramírez (+1) has been more stable in her debut at the British: one over par on Thursday and par on Friday. She came to Walton Heath to have fun, to learn and, if possible, to make the cut. Test passed. Let the end-of-year party continue for the amateur from Malaga! Her season ends this Sunday at the AIG Women’s Open and the next one starts next week, as she is already travelling to the United States to start her third year at Mississippi State.
A few days ago we reported on the impressive curriculum of this amateur from Benahavís from October to July, with notable victories in the NCAA (conference and Regional), with the Palmer Cup, with team and individual gold at the European… What more could she ask for from the course? A great finale like playing the weekend at the last Major of the year, the first of her career. Julia is living a dream and doesn’t want to wake up. The twenty-something followed the tradition of the Armada of making the cut at the British on her first attempt, as the seven other amateurs who preceded her did (Marta Prieto, Elisa Serramià, Carlota Ciganda, Belén Mozo, Luna Sobrón, María Parra and Marta Sanz) and, while we’re at it, let’s see how the tournament ends and she might try to match or beat Luna’s thirteenth place in 2015. In addition, she will fight with Charlotte Heath (+1) to win the duel between the only two amateurs still in competition.
The consistency of the Andalusian was even more striking than on Thursday, when she started with a bogey on the 1st. This time she made a double bogey. To row. And she got down to work. Birdie at the 4th, another mistake at the 9th quickly made up for at the 10th and a bunch of five pars before reaching the juicy 16th, when her third birdie of the day confirmed, with the 17th and 18th to go, her ticket for the weekend in Surrey after a round of 72. “I’ve had a summer that I can’t believe, enjoying a lot of golf and I’m very happy to play the weekend in my first Major. I started with doubts with a double bogey but I gradually fixed the round with some birdies, so all good. I’ve learned a lot from the experience. Tomorrow it’s going to be windier, but I like it”, the Andalusian commented at the end.
Charlie Ewing, coach of Mississippi State, must be over the moon. At noon, his wife, Ally Ewing (-10) made a big statement to widen the gap of her lead, with a five-shot lead over the second place (the same cushion that Jiyai Shin enjoyed after 36 holes when she won the British in 2012). In the afternoon, his pupil Julia López made it into the top 65 and ties. The only thing missing was for the third bulldog in the event, Chiara Horder (+13), to pass the bar, but it couldn’t be.
The Costa del Sol native saved the day and the honour for the Armada because the day was really one to forget. Carlota Ciganda (+3) had the round under control, without much fuss, with a bogey at the 3rd and a birdie at the 5th. Calm on the front for the first two thirds of the course. And then the Navarrese lost her chain, who on Thursday was in the top spots. She stumbled at the 13th and again at the 14th. She saved a tricky par at the 15th and punched the air. She didn’t take advantage of the 16th, but everything was still under control. She needed a bogey at the 18th to continue and she scored a painful six that left her out of the fight when she could dream of great things after her initial round.
Ana Peláez (+5) suffered on a tough Friday. The Malaga native dropped five bogeys in 14 holes, two on par 5s, and only pulled off the one at the 16th. Nuria Iturrioz (+6) had had a good start, with two hits in seven flags, two bogeys up to the 11th and another birdie at the 12th, but everything went wrong with a cruel ending: four mistakes in the last six holes. Out. The same for Carmen Alonso (+10), who needed a feat to continue the weekend and the miracle didn’t come (+2 on the day). Among the afternoon falls were Lydia Ko (+4), Hannah Green (+5) and Hinako Shibuno (+6). Walton Heath has something for everyone.
Nobody coughed up Ewing’s result in the clubhouse, although Charley Hull (-5) joined the wagon chasing the American along with the Yankee Andrea Lee and the Japanese Minami Katsu. Gaby López (-4), fifth with Alison Lee, Hyo Joo Kim and Lilia Vu, also wants war on Saturday and Sunday. Minjee Lee (-3) and Aditi Ashok (-3) moved into the top 10 and Leona Maguire (PAR) and Anna Nordqvist (+1) will need to push in the 36 holes left if they want to cause a stir on a course where the wind in the end was not so fierce: 39 golfers are under par.
