New Zealand share 12th place with favourites USA at the midway point of the world amateur women's team golf championship in South Africa today (NZ time).
Fifteen-year-old Sharon Ahn led the New Zealand team to an improved even-par 144 in the second round at the De Zalze Golf Club near
Cape Town.
They are on two-over 290 in a share of 12th place with 13-time winners USA and Canada, 13 shots behind leaders, South Africa.
The hosts, seeking to be the first team to win the Espirito Santo Trophy on home soil since the USA in 1980, shot a six-under 138 for their best two counting scores.
Kelli Shean and Ashleigh Simon both fired three-under 69. They have a three shot lead over Germany, with a shot back to first round leaders Japan in third.
France jumped to fourth place with a brilliant eight-under 136 to be two shots ahead of England and defending champions Sweden, who share fifth place.
Ahn, in a share of 17th place in the individual stakes, shot a one-under 71 today with Sarah Nicholson (Wellington) one-over 73 and Natasha Krishna (Auckland) the non-counting three-over 75.
Ahn started magnificently to be three-under at the turn with birdies at the 4th, 5th and 8th on the water-strewn course, but again faltered at the death, dropping two shots in the final three holes.
Nicholson also started well to turn in two-under, but dropped four shots in six holes on the back nine before a birdie at the 17th.
Krishna had four bogies before she grabbed her solitary birdie on the final hole.
"Our aim is to improve our scoring with every round so we are moving in the right direction," New Zealand coach Shelley Duncan said. "Again we let a really good opportunity slip because we collectively dropped five shots in the last three holes."
"The team are all playing well. They are striking the ball nicely and starting to make some putts. We have talked about the mental side of staying strong until the final flag is in the hole. That's the aim for tomorrow."
New Zealand are paired with Spain and USA at Stellenbosch course in the third round, teeing off at 10.30pm today (NZ time), and will finish their campaign tomorrow.
- NZPA
