Haley Moore "Bearing" Down on Becoming the 2015 Silver Belle Champion
Tempe, Ariz. –Haley Moore's 4-under-par 68 (the low round of the day) in the second round of the Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship puts her one step closer to winning the tournament in her 5th attempt. With 4 birdies and consistently clean shots throughout the day, Moore holds the lead with a total of 136 (8-under-par). With a cold and blustery day, the scores for the day were a bit higher than yesterday. Tomorrow is the final day at ASU Karesten Golf Course, Tempe, Ariz. and a new champion will claim the coveted Kachina trophy.
"Today I was striking the ball really well again and my putting was really good the last two days. Every hole was pretty good for me and the par 5's were the best so far for me in this tournament," noted Moore, 17, who will be attending University of Arizona in January. The fact that she was able to judge the wind perfectly and compensate up or down with her club choice also contributed to her win. Moore says she enjoys playing in the Silver Belle because besides giving her a chance to see old friends she likes seeing the tournament volunteers and board.
"They all love me because I have been coming here for 5 years. That's great!" Moore said
Her most notable and exciting win this year was the Jr. Solheim Cup Matches in Germany. Her win of the final match meant that the U. S. team retained the cup for the fourth consecutive time.
Jiyoon Jang didn't have the round she had yesterday, but in spite of some missteps she is still in second place finishing 5 under par after 2 rounds of play, for a total of 139.
"I didn't play well at all; I left a lot out on the course. On 9 I literally missed a 5 inch put. There was dirt on the ball I should have cleaned off and I lipped out because of it," she lamented.
She is happy she was able to shoot under par given her short game was off today. As for tomorrow she says she won't be worrying because it won't do her any good anyway. She won't be thinking about the leader board, but rather about playing the best golf she can. She knows she can play well in this championship having shot a 64 at Whirlwind 2 years ago.
Jang is ranked the 8th best junior women's golfer in California right now after winning the AJGA Yorba Linda Championship this year and is known for being a consistent player – and when her putting is on the money she shoots lights out. She's hoping for those better putts during tomorrow's round.
Close behind is Kenzie Wright, 18, of McKinney, Texas with 3-under-par for a total of 141. Her 4 birdies helped bring her into the hunt for the lead as she continues to pursue the leaders in tomorrow's round.
Coming in fourth is Brianna Navarrosa, 13, of San Diego, Calif. posting a total score of 142 for the two rounds of play. This is the first year Navarrosa has played in the Silver Belle making her performance even more impressive. Elizabeth Wang, 15, didn't have her best round today and figures the wind was a factor in the higher scores for most of the players.
"I noticed on the par threes that other people were having trouble too. I had a fun warm up … but my driver and irons were off. I was scrambling all day," said the high school sophomore from San Marino, Calif.
Saki Iida of Gilbert at 144 (even par) and Kennedie Montoya of Thatcher at 145 (one over par) lead the Arizona contingent.
Many Silver Belle participants have played in such prestigious amateur tournaments as U.S. Women's Amateur, U. S. Girls' Junior, AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions, NCAA Championship and the Junior Solheim Cup. Some have qualified to play in the Women's U. S. Open, making the field of players in the Silver Belle many of the top female amateurs in the country.