Women’s World Amateur Team Championship Update from Japan

KARUIZAWA, Japan. -- Three UCLA golfers represented their respective countries in the first round of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Japan Wednesday.

UCLA junior Louise Ridderstrom (Sweden) and sophomores Alison Lee (USA) and Bronte Law (England) played for their countries in the biennial women’s amateur team competition. Each country’s team consists of three players, and the two lowest scores from that country are counted toward the team score. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.

Lee’s four-under par 68 led the United States into a tie for seventh place at 142 (-2), seven shots behind Canada, which held the first round lead at 135 (-9).

Law posted England’s best score – a one-under par 71 – to help her team to a tie for 26th place with a score of 147 (+3).

Ridderstrom’s score of 73 (+1) was dropped, as Sweden used scores from Linnea Strom (71) and Madalene Sagstrom (72) to tie for 11th place at 143 (+1).

Lee, a quarterfinalist at last month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur and No. 3 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, turned her day around with a birdie at No. 11 on the Oshitate Course.

“The first nine holes, I was one-over and my putting wasn’t that good,” said Lee, a member of the victorious 2014 Curtis Cup Team. “They weren’t dropping and it was a little frustrating.”

The USA also received a 74 (+2) from Kristen Gillman, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur and a non-counting 77 (+5) from 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Emma Talley. The USA owns a record 13 victories in the event, but has not claimed the Espirito Santo Trophy since 1998.

“There is still a lot of golf left. I know the other guys didn’t play as well as they can, so I wasn’t too disappointed,” added Lee. “It’s not over yet.”

For complete results and pairings click here.