Andy DevaneyThree birdies in three holes is a useful way to finish a round of golf. When they also take you into a share of the lead with 18 holes remaining, the timing is rather better still.
That was the situation for England’s Charlotte Heath at the Aramco China Championship on Saturday, as the Ladies European Tour rookie produced a bogey-free 68 to join Spain’s Luna Sobrón Galmés at the top of the leaderboard.
Both players stand at 16-under-par after three rounds on the World Cup Course at Mission Hills Resort Shenzhen, leaving little room for error in Sunday’s final round of the US$2 million tournament.
And with England’s Mimi Rhodes just one stroke behind, this is developing into quite a contest.
Charlotte Heath Saves Her Best Until Last
Heath’s third round was a lesson in patience, followed by a fairly emphatic finish.
Birdies at the fifth and tenth holes kept the Englishwoman moving in the right direction, but it was her closing stretch that changed the complexion of the leaderboard.
Three consecutive birdies over the final three holes took her to five-under for the day and into a share of first place.
For a player competing in her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour, it represents an opportunity to secure a significant victory. She will, however, have plenty of company at the sharp end of the leaderboard.
Luna Sobrón Galmés Holds Her Ground
Sobrón Galmés arrived on Saturday sharing second place and produced another five-under-par 68 to maintain her challenge.
The Spaniard opened her scoring with a birdie at the second before dropping a shot at the fourth. Consecutive birdies at five and six quickly repaired the damage, with another gain at the eighth keeping her momentum intact.
Further birdies at the tenth and eleventh strengthened her position before a bogey at the fifteenth interrupted an otherwise productive afternoon.
She responded with a birdie at seventeen, signing for her third consecutive round in the 60s.
Rounds of 68, 67 and 68 have taken her to a 203 total, 16 under par.
Afterwards, Sobrón Galmés was clear about her ambitions, while remaining conscious of the approach that has brought her this far.
“I’m very happy. I’m playing well, so being on top is a good position for tomorrow. I am playing with a strategy, and it’s good. Of course I want to win. I am a player and a professional. You want to win every time. Yes, it’s in my mind, but if you feel comfortable doing the process and everything, it will come. I’m waiting for this win, so maybe this week, maybe next week or next year. I’m doing good things, I’m playing well.”
There is confidence in that assessment, although the Spaniard knows a one-shot advantage over the nearest challenger offers little protection.
Mimi Rhodes Leads the Pursuit as Chinese Players Stay in Touch
The two leaders are hardly operating in isolation.
England’s Mimi Rhodes, who signed for a third-round 69, occupies third place at 15-under-par, leaving her within a single stroke of her compatriot Heath and Sobrón Galmés.
The Czech Republic’s Sára Kousková sits fourth at 14-under after a round of 68, while another Englishwoman, Annabell Fuller, holds fifth at 13-under.
There is also a strong home challenge developing behind them.
China’s Ruixin Liu, 16-year-old amateur Yujie Liu, Shiyuan Zhou and second-round leader Liqi Zeng are tied for sixth at 12-under-par.
That leaves four Chinese players within four strokes of the lead, ensuring the home crowd has plenty of reasons to remain interested as the championship reaches its conclusion.
For the leaders, the calculation is straightforward enough. A good round could settle the title. Anything less, and there are several players well placed to take advantage.
Young Golfers Get Their Own Moment at Mission Hills
Away from the tournament leaderboard, Saturday also provided an opportunity for younger golfers to get closer to the professional game.
According to organisers, a junior golf clinic and community event brought 150 local students to Mission Hills, including 30 aspiring young golfers who received coaching and mentoring from six professional players.
Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord, Hong Kong’s Ginnie Ding, American Brianna Navarrosa, China’s Shuying Li and Yulin Chen, and Malaysia’s Jing Xuen Ng took part in the coaching sessions.
Participants came from several educational and development programmes, including Special Olympics Hong Kong, Golf Planet Golf Academy, PGA Academy Mission Hills and local schools.
The activity formed part of the tournament’s community programme, organised alongside an event backed by Golf Saudi through the PIF Global Series.
Tenniel Chu, Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group, said the ambition was to make international tournaments useful beyond the professional competition, giving local youngsters opportunities to learn from elite players.
The clinic provided one such opportunity, although the longer-term measure will be how many of those young participants continue their involvement in golf.
One Round Left, and Plenty Still to Play For
The Aramco China Championship is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and China LPGA Tour, with a US$2 million prize fund.
Sunday’s final round now presents a particularly intriguing mix: an LET rookie chasing a breakthrough, a Spaniard looking to convert consistent scoring into victory, and a chasing group containing several English contenders and four Chinese players.
Heath has the momentum of that remarkable finish. Sobrón Galmés has three rounds of consistently low scoring behind her. Rhodes is close enough to make both players uncomfortable.
After 54 holes, just one stroke separates the leading three.
It should make for an interesting Sunday in Shenzhen.
