No known three-putt in the history of golf has ever come at an opportune moment. Even less so if there are two in a row, and even worse if you string together three. Having said that, which our friend Perogrullo would stake his life on, some situations are worse than others. The one experienced by Julia López (-15) today in the third round of the Honda LPGA Thailand has been especially detrimental.
Because the young and bold golfer from Malaga was on fire. She had completed the first nine holes of the Old course at the Siam Country Club with an impressive two under par, taking advantage of the two par 5s, her trademark. She was in the fight for everything, and, as if that wasn’t enough, a great attack was brewing. Birdie on the 11th, birdie on the 13th, and another birdie on the 14th. It looked like a strike in a bowling alley. 300 points.
Julia was five under for the day and, more importantly, she climbed to the top of the leaderboard. A big blow when it mattered most. The Andalusian player was tied with Jeeno Thitikul, Somi Lee, Allisen Corpuz, and Hyo Joo Kim. All at -17. Fearlessly, the golfer who already knows what it means to play in the final group on a US Open Sunday was staking her claim for her first victory on the LPGA Tour.
However, it’s not over until it’s over. What seemed like a strike in the bowling alley turned into a roller coaster. The 15th hole of the Chonburi course is a short par 4 that can be reached in one. Especially, of course, by Julia López with her tremendous drive. However, her tee shot veered left, her approach wasn’t great, and the ball ended up at the edge of the green, on closely mown grass, but with a long and tortuous path to the flag. The putt was almost impossible, and that’s what Julia attempted. Perhaps a chip was in order. Hindsight is always easier…
In any case, the putt, taken from off the green, wasn’t good, and she also missed a long par attempt. A stumble. It was no big deal. She had only lost one stroke to the leaders. However, that was the first of three consecutive bogeys. On the 16th hole, a par 3, she narrowly missed the green to the right, with the flag also near the right edge. The ball was perfectly placed in an escape area, with the grass cut short, level with the flag. Julia decided to putt but misjudged the strength. She left it very short and also missed the par putt. Another three-putt, although this one won’t appear in the statistics.
The short-circuit ended on the 17th. Her second shot to the green on this tough par 4 wasn’t bad, but it was two metres short of being excellent. Her ball didn’t quite crest the green platform where the flag was and ended up in a difficult situation, even more so given what had happened on the previous two holes. She had a very uphill birdie putt. Again, she wasn’t sharp with the putter’s pace. This time she overhit it. Afraid of leaving it short, the Benahavís player overdid it and, once again, missed the return putt.
Three birdies in four holes followed by three consecutive bogeys. 69 strokes. Three painful and untimely three-putts. And we add the obvious with a purpose. Julia’s slip coincided with the great attack of Jeeno Thitikul (-20), the big favourite for the win. The Thai, World Number One, strung together three sensational birdies on holes 16, 17, and 18, sinking two very good putts on the first two holes. 66 strokes this Saturday.
As it stands, in just over three-quarters of an hour, Julia has gone from co-leading the Honda LPGA Thailand to being five strokes behind the one who is the favourite to win with only 18 holes to go. And López still had the courage to finish with a great birdie on the 18th hole, after a magnificent approach from the escape area.
It has been a somewhat bitter end, despite the final birdie, but it remains an experience that the phenomenal Andalusian golfer continues to accumulate. The victory has become very complicated. First, because of those five strokes of advantage, second because the leader is Thitikul, and third because she has six players ahead of her of enormous calibre. Even so, she has nothing to lose, and if anyone is capable of shooting a very low round, it’s Julia. Ideally, her target should be to shoot at least an eight-under-par round. Perhaps -23 could give her a chance against Thitikul.
As we say, Jeeno’s blow has come at the best moment. She has marked her territory. The local idol will start this Sunday with a two-stroke lead over the always dangerous Hyo Joo Kim (-18) and three over Chizzy Iwai, Somi Lee, and Allisen Corpuz (-17). In sixth position, probably closing the group of possible contenders for the win, is Lydia Ko (-16).
