Aberdeen’s Gemma Dryburgh says she has been blown away by the support of the Japanese crowd after moving into joint eighth place at the LPGA’s TOTO Japan Classic.
Scottish number one Dryburgh is making her debut in the event, which she opened with a one-under par round of 71.
She then went on to score a five-under par 67 in the second round, to put her just four shots adrift of leader Momoko Ueda at the halfway stage.
Dryburgh has not competed in Japan since she represented Scotland at the 2014 World Amateur Championships.
The 29-year-old says she is embracing the warmth of the home crowd at Seta golf course in Shiga.
In an interview with LPGA following her second round, looking ahead to the weekend, Dryburgh said: “It would be nice to play with some Japanese girls and get a good crowd out there.
“The fans are great, there are so many people out here and it’s great to see the support for women’s golf out here.
“They are so respectful, they just clap for everyone and they are loud when you hit a good shot.”
Dryburgh is now on course for her second top-10 finish of the season, having reached the quarter-finals of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play in Las Vegas in May.
Having finished 27th in the BMW Ladies Championship last time out, Dryburgh made the trip to Japan sitting 78th in the Race to CME Globe.
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