The 2021 Bowra and O’Dea Classic commenced today in wild gusty conditions at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. This premier event offers a fantastic showcase of women’s amateur golfing talent with a strong Australia wide contingent competing for the 2021 title. Mount Lawley member Kirsten Rudgeley leads by two shots after thirty six holes today, narrowly ahead of NSW’s June Song.
The competition consists of three tiers, the first being the 72 hole competition played off the Women’s Championship tees. Top ranked Rudgeley started the morning strong with a round of 70, 4 under par, closely followed by eighteen year old South Australian Caitlin Peirce, and Royal Fremantle’s Abbie Teasdale, hot on her heels by one stroke.
Winds played havoc with the afternoon rounds, challenging all players with gusts up to 40km/hr .
Peirce was four over through nine in the afternoon round, but made three birdies on her final three holes to card a confident two over. Peirce shared, “putting was so much more difficult this afternoon – I lipped out way too many times. I am used to windy conditions on my home course at Royal Adelaide, but this was pretty strong. Pleased I managed to birdie the seventeenth hole in both my rounds today. I think my strategy seems to be working, but I have just got to get those putts to drop.”
This afternoon, Rudgeley struggled with the wind to be 2-over through thirteen but recovered to birdie hole six and eight to come in all square.
I avoided green side bunkers, they were just rock hard making it impossible to get a good up and down. I did my best with the putting in the windy conditions. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, there is a great group of girls here, shared Rudgeley.
NSW’s June Song has been steady carding 1-under for both rounds, sitting two shots behind Rudgeley and one shot ahead of strong competitors Peirce, Teasdale and NSW’s Belinda Ji.
The youngest competitor in the 72 hole competition, eleven year old Lakelands talent Kortni Houston is enjoying her first Bowra & O’Dea Classic.
I struggled with managing distance and strength in my putting. It’s very different to what I am used to. I need to stick to doing my routine properly – it is my first 36 hole event and it was pretty exhausting. I am proud that I managed to par hole 11 in both rounds. It is a long par 5.
The 54-hole section of the tournament is split into two categories, mid-amateurs (30-54 years of age) and seniors (55+ years). The maximum GA Handicap for these categories is 27.
Melissa Luk holds a confident six stroke lead in the mid-amateurs tier going into tomorrow’s second round, with Lake Karrinyup member Carmen Palframan leading the pack in the Senior category.
