JLPGA Q-School 3rd Stage Wednesday: Tough Going for Name Players

Scores in the 2nd round of the JLPGA's 3rd stage of Q-School were as high as in the 1st.

In Tochigi prefecture, here's how the notables stand with only 18 holes left to play:

T6/-1 Young Kim (70-73)
T11/E Jae Bae (73-71)
T40/+4 Na Ri Kim (74-74)
T56/+6 Sakurako Mori (75-75)

Kim is 1 of only 10 players under par, but 2 late bogeys dropped her 4 off the pace set by what appear to be 2 Taiwanese golfers.

In Mie prefecture, the scoring is a little better, with 14 players under par through 36 holes, but the notables are still struggling:

T10/-1 Onnarin Sattayabanphot (72-71)
T18/+1 Teresa Lu (74-71), Sun Ju Ahn (73-72)
T29/+2 Ritsuko Ryu (71-75)
T49/+5 Yuki Sakurai (75-74)
T54/+6 Mai Arai (80-70)

2 late birdies by Sakurai salvaged what could have been a disastrous round, while Ryu was unable to make a single birdie in her round and Arai played bogey-free golf.

It's going to come down to the wire for the JLPGA's young guns. Here's hoping their experience on tour allows them to handle the pressure of the final round of the penultimate stage of Q-School.

By the way, when I was looking up Chieko Amanuma, who's 4 off the lead in Mie at -4, I came across the following LPGA.com page from 2005, featuring Paula Creamer and Ai Miyazato. A useful reminder that Creamer's been playing--and winning--on the JLPGA since her rookie season. I wonder if she'd ever take the step of seeking dual membership....