ERYNNE LEE BACK ON TRACK

Erynne Lee made seven birdies and one bogey to stand just one off the lead.

“The course is very scoreable, the weather was great and the wind was working in our favor,” said Lee. “You can really just bomb driver out there. The greens are very approachable and I took advantage of that.”

Lee thinks it’ll be a shootout over the weekend if the weather holds.

“Whoever is hot throughout the next couple days is (going to win).”

Lee has been playing very well of late after a somewhat slow start to the year. She has finished inside the top 10 in two straight events.

“I did have a mediocre start to the season, but in Albany my game started to come together,” explained Lee, who finished 17th on the money list in 2016. “I’ve really been patient and I’m waiting for the right time to make things happen.”

JAEGNKIT POSTS BEST ROUND OF YEAR

Chorphaka Jaengkit (Bangkok, Thailand) ranks 131st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in five starts on the Epson Tour. She is starting to feel comfortable on Tour and posted a 6-under, 66 on Friday.

“I’m really excited about this round, it is my best score on this Tour so far,” said Jaengkit, who played college golf in the United States at Grand Canyon in Phoenix. “I had a rough start in the beginning, but I shot 30 on the back nine.”

Jaegnkit made birdie on seven of her final 10 holes.

“I think I just need to keep playing more and more to gain more experience,” said Jaengkit, who played in Asia last year in her first year as a professional. “I came here (US) like everyone else to try and play on the LPGA Tour.”

Jaengkit went through the LPGA Qualifying Tournament process in 2016.

Jaengkit’s road to the Epson Tour is certainly not the straight and narrow. She lived in Australia for two years during middle school and then went to high school in California. She quit golf late in high school, but then decided to pick it back up in order to obtain a scholarship.

Jaengkit got her nickname, Charlotte, during her time spent in Australia.

“They wanted me to have an English name that started with ‘ch' because my name is Chorphaka. They gave me a bunch of names that started with ‘ch’ and I just picked Charlotte.”

SANZ BARRIO SISTERS IN TOP 10

Patricia Sanz Barrio (Madrid, Spain) was in the first group out on Friday and fired a 4-under, 68. Then, Marta Sanz Barrio started about two hours later and turned in a 5-under, 67. Big sister, Patricia, watched her little sister finish on 18.

Marta is a tie for fifth while Patricia is in a tie for eighth.

“We haven’t been playing that great lately so it is pretty awesome to be up there (leaderboard),” said Patricia. “To be up there with my sister makes it that much better.”

Marta admitted that she saw her sister on the leaderboard and wanted to try and pass her.

“I was trying to see if she finished 4-under as I was making the turn,” said Marta. “I was really trying to beat her.”

Marta made birdies on 15, 16 and 17 to pass her sister.

As you would expect with sisters that are just two years apart, they are uber competitive.

“We are competitive in everything, like who is going to be first to the car,” joked Patricia. “It really pushes us to be better and stronger everyday.”

Although their personalities are quite different - Patricia is outgoing while Marta is reserved - the bond they have is unbreakable.

“To be so far away from home and at the same time so close to her is the best,” said Marta. “It brings home to me so it is a great support system to have her travel with me.”

They have never been paired together during a professional tournament.

“If we could be together on Sunday in the last group, that would be very, very special,” said Patricia.

Marta then explained how the day would go.

“It would get very intense, but I think it would help us both.”

OF NOTE

There were 67 players under-par on Friday and the projected cut line is currently 1-under.
Jane Rah closed with five straight birdies to post a 5-under 67.

Lee Back on Track, Jaengkit Post Best Round of Year and More from Decatur-Forsyth Classic

Related Articles