Azahara Munoz has had a celebrated amateur career and she's looking to make a statement this week in Palm Springs on the Mission Hills site that hosts the Kraft Nabisco Championship, as she's taken the lead at the midway point of the California Sectional Qualifier for LPGA Q-School. But she's got a lot of company at the top. The top Japanese and top American players in the field--Yuko Mitsuka and Amanda Blumenherst--are right behind her, along with Chiba native Kazu Yazaki (the Ful Metal Archivist will be proud). Australian 1st-round leader Tamie Durdin of the JLPGA stumbled yesterday to a 74 but remains within striking distance.
Let's review how my picks did at the Palmer and Dinah Shore courses:
1. Yuko Mitsuka DP: 69-68 -7 (T2)
2. Azahara Munoz PD: 70-66 -8 (1st)
3. Amanda Blumenherst DP: 70-67 -7 (T2)
4. Maria Jo Uribe PD: 74-69 -1 (T21)
5. Paola Moreno DP: 76-71 +3 (T46)
6. Maria Hernandez PD: 72-74 +2 (T38)
7. Beatriz Recari DP: 74-72 +2 (T38)
8. Hannah Jun PD: 71-70 -3 (T12)
9. Jennie Lee PD: 72-73 +1 (T30)
10. Tamie Durdin PD: 66-74 -4 (T9)
11. Jane Chin PD: 68-70 -6 (T5)
12. Emma Cabrera-Bello PD: 72-73 +1 (T30)
Alt 1 Kristie Smith PD: 74-68 -2 (T17)
Alt 2 Sofie Andersson PD: 74-71 +1 (T30)
Alt 3 Cindy LaCrosse PD: 68-72 -4 (T9)
So just about everyone I picked either made a move in the right direction or avoided shooting herself in the foot. Among my next 15, I'm glad to report that Esther Choe (DP: 69-70, -5, T8), Mallory Blackwelder (PD: 72-68, -4, T9), Marianne Skarpnord (PD: 71-70, -3, T12), Iben Tinning (PD: 74-68, -2, T17), Libby Smith (DP: 74-68, -2, T17), and Ayaka Kaneko (PD: 70-73, -1, T21) are right in the thick of things. But Briana Vega followed up her 69 on the Dinah Shore course with a 77 on the easier Palmer course to drop to T38, tied with Rebecca Kim and Lisa Ferrero, who came back with 71s on the tougher track. And missing the cut were Nikki Garrett, Carmen Alonso, Caroline Larsson, Pei-Ying Tsai, and Tiffany Joh, who will be fighting for medalist honors in Florida at the end of the month. You hear me, T-Joh?
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