Gemma Dryburgh plans to eat more dinners sitting down after big jump in Japan

Gemma Dryburgh reckons she might have to eat more dinners sitting on the floor after storming into contention at the halfway stage in the LPGA Tour’s TOTO Japan Classic.

Gemma Dryburgh lines up a putt during the second round of the TOTO Japan Classic at Seta Golf Course in Shiga. Picture: Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images.

The Scottish No 1 followed her opening 71 with a brilliant bogey-free five-under-par 67 at Seta Golf Club in Shiga to lie joint-eighth, four shots behind the leader, home player Momoko Ueda.

“Yeah, loving it,” said Dryburgh, who is playing in Japan for the first time since joining forces with Eilidh Briggs and Gabrielle Macdonald in the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Championship. “Loving the food. I had my first raman last night, sat on the floor and had the full experience, so maybe I need to do that again tonight (laughing).”

Taking up where she left off when picking up two shots late on in her opening round, the Aberdonian birdied three of the first four holes in the second circuit before adding gains at the 14th and 18th.

“I started off really hot and probably could have birdied the first four holes,” she said, having reached the midpoint sitting alongside new world No 1 Atthaya Thitikul after the Thai player opened with exactly the same scores.

Picking out the best of her birdies, Dryburgh declared: “At the 14th, I hit it to two feet, so that was a nice birdie. My iron play was much better today - I hit it a lot closer and also putted better, so a good combo.”

Enjoying her best season by far on the LPGA Tour, Dryburgh is currently 78th in the Race to CME Globe, with the current threshold to make the CME Group Tour Championship, the circuit’s season finale, being 503.181.

Dryburgh has earned 372.861 points entering this week’s event and, though she still has some work to do over the weekend and Japan and at the Pelican Women’s Championship in Florida, it’s certainly a goal that can be achieved.

“Yeah, really good (for confidence going into the weekend),” she admitted of her day’s work. “I hit it so much better today, so that gives me confidence for tomorrow and I also feel I am seeing the putts better as well, so hopefully I can continue that.”