TEENAGER Joanna Flaherty is in the box seat to claim her first Warrnambool Golf Club A grade championship.
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At the halfway point in the 72-hole event, Flaherty holds a nine-shot lead from a posse of former winners after she carded a five-over-par round of 77 in calm, warm conditions yesterday.
The 19-year-old had set herself for a low round after opening last week with a 12-over 84, which was good enough for a share of the lead.
While she was happy with yesterday’s 77, Flaherty was far from satisfied with her ball striking. After hitting just four of 14 fairways, she returned to the practice range. “I left some shots out there,” she said.
“But if I hit a bad shot, most of the time I could recover well. I got lucky a few times.”
Flaherty, starting on the 10th tee, opened with three consecutive bogeys before posting a double-bogey on the par-four 16th to be five over after seven holes. But she was just short of the par-five 18th, her ninth hole, in two, chipped up and made birdie from close range. Another birdie on the par-four fourth (her 13th) got her back to three-over before bogeys on the par five fifth and seventh holes saw her slip back to five-over.
Flaherty, who plays off a handicap of two, will have a hectic build-up to next Wednesday’s third round, playing in Golf Victoria’s Spring Tournament, with 18 holes at Portsea on Monday followed by 18 at Sorrento on Tuesday.
The club’s 2008 champion Marion Venn, who also opened with 84, had 86 yesterday to be nine back. She is four clear of 2010 winner Di Robinson (86, 88), with 10-time club champion Alison Sinclair a further two shots back as she looks to defend her 2013 title.
Joan Jacobson kept a family link to the prestigious Elsie Watson Trophy for the best net score after two rounds. Jacobson was awarded the trophy yesterday, a year after her granddaughter Allana Ellery won it.
Jacobson, who had a net 144 for the two rounds, sits second in the stroke standings, five behind B grade leader Beryl Drake. In C grade, Heather Haberfield holds a one-shot lead (209).