It has been another challenging day of golf at the LOTTE Championship, a tournament on the LPGA Tour being held at the Hoakalei Country Club course in Oahu, Hawaii. The wind and rain have combined to make things difficult for the golfers.
In these tough conditions, Azahara Muñoz (-5) has managed to play her best golf. The golfer from Malaga delivered a card of 68 strokes, one of the best of the day, with precise and accurate golf. She signed four birdies without a mistake. But that’s not all. She practically couldn’t make bogeys, as she hit 12 fairways and 16 greens. One of those days when this sport seems easy, which is the most challenging thing of all.
Only six results better than Azahara’s were recorded in Hawaii this Friday, and all were 67 strokes, just one less than the golfer from San Pedro de Alcántara. Among those 67 cards is A Lim Kim (-14), the sole leader of the tournament with 18 holes to go, with a one-stroke advantage over Russian Nataliya Guseva (-13).
Azahara has gained around thirty positions in the standings in a single day and is now in 19th place, just three strokes from the top 10. It has been a magnificent manoeuvre that brings her closer to the goal of maintaining her card when the regular season ends. Right now, the projection places her in 111th position in the Race to CME Globe. Remember that the top 100 keep their cards, and there is still one more tournament to be played next week in Florida. Aza, pure grit, is fighting with everything she has.
A Lim Kim will not have an easy round this Saturday. Mentally, it will be a tough challenge. It should not be forgotten that the Korean golfer only has one victory on the LPGA Tour, and it was four years ago. True, we are talking about a US Open, but more than 1,400 days have passed since then. She won in the midst of Covid, as her photos with the trophy wearing a mask show.
The reality is that practically none of the top players are used to winning on the LPGA Tour in recent times. Beyond Kim, Guseva has yet to open her account in the top division, and Ryann O’Toole (-11), third alone, last won in 2021. The one with the most experience in these matters is Jin Young Ko (-10), although it’s been more than a year since her last victory. Meanwhile, Auston Kim (-10) and Yuri Yoshida (-10), tied with Ko, have yet to taste the sweetness of victory on the American circuit. The Japanese player has won three times in her country.
In short, it will be a beautiful final battle in Hawaii between players who need the victory and have been seeking it for some time. There will be pressure and a lot of tension. Azahara, for her part, is trying to leave as little work as possible for next week. She still has the opportunity to avoid the Final of the School and will give it her all in the attempt.
