Kylie Walker and Vikki Laing coped with searing heat in the high 30s to beat the cut with ease in the Spanish Women's Open in Madrid but Pamela Pretswell, Katy McNicoll and Carly Booth bowed out before the weekend action.
Walker is joint 11th on 141 - five shots behind joint leaders Lee-Anne Pace (South Africa) and France's Celene Herbin - after rounds of 70 and 71 for three-under-par 141. Kylie had an eagle 3 at the fifth and birdies at the 12th and 14th.
Laing shot 69-73 for 142 and a share of 20th place.
Pretswell missed the cut by one shot with a total of 149 (76-73).
McNicoll shot 78-72 for 150 while Booth had rounds of 78-77 for 155.
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager
South African Lee-Anne Pace and Celine Herbin of France are tied for the halfway lead in the Open de España after two rounds at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
After a scorching day with temperatures of 38C, the duo sits at eight-under-par, with rookie professionals Jia Yun Li of China and Isabella Ramsay of Sweden two shots behind.
Cheyenne Woods of the United States started the day as the outright leader on eight-under but dropped six shots back from the lead at two-under after a second-round of 78.
The 2010 LET money list winner Pace powered into the lead with a 69, containing four birdies and a solitary bogey.
“I played pretty solid: 15 greens today. I didn’t think I struck the ball as well as yesterday but still 15 greens, 15 birdie chances. When I missed it I only just missed the green. I’m just going through a really good time with my golf,” said the current European number two.
She took the heat in her stride and added: “There are some really hot spots you walk through. When the breeze is there it’s fine but sometimes, like on the ninth tee, that’s hot!”
Herbin fired three birdies on the front nine and two on the back, with a bogey on the 15th in a second-round 68.
“I’m happy with my game: pretty steady, only one bogey: 32 holes without a bogey, which is my record. I didn’t miss too many shots. I hit 17 greens, yesterday 16 greens, so I’m very happy with my game and enjoying it,” she said.
The 30-year-old second season LET player feels at home in Spain as she lives in Santander and is coached by Vicente Ballesteros, who is also her caddie.
“My coach knows the course very well, so he’s helping me a lot. He’s Seve’s brother, Vicente,” said Herbin, adding: “Spain is my second home. I’m French but I’ve been living in Spain for the last seven years.”
For 24-year-old LET rookie Li, from Guangzhou, the hot conditions were normal: “Last week I was in Shanghai and it was even hotter so here is fine for me.”
She shot a 66 in a co-sanctioned China/Korean LPGA event a fortnight ago and added: “I’ve been having some good rounds I just need to be a bit more consistent.”
The 2011 Spanish Open winner Melissa Reid and Frenchwoman Valentine Derrey share fifth on five-under-par, with a further four players a stroke further behind: Klara Spilkova, Tania Elosegui, Joanna Klatten and Mikaela Parmlid.
Woods was still smiling and posing for photographs with local children after her round, despite having taken 14 shots more than the previous day.
Speaking after her round, she said: “I survived! The course kicked my butt but I’m alive. I get to play tomorrow so that’s good and I definitely learned a lot.
“After yesterday it’s hard to shoot eight under and come back and not have the expectations to play that well again so it’s my first year and that was my first time being in the lead and it was definitely exciting.
“I didn’t make many putts today and then again I didn’t give myself that many chances. I wasn’t as sharp as yesterday.
“This is golf and it’s the reason why I love the game. You never know what to expect, every day is different and I’m just going to go back out tomorrow and grind it out.”
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
PAR 144 (2x72)
136 - Lee-Anne Pace (RSA) 67 69, Celine Herbin (FRA) 68 68
138 - Isabella Ramsay (SWE) 69 69, Jia Yun Li (CHN) 72 66
139 - Melissa Reid (ENG) 70 69, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 70 69
140 - Tania Elosegui (ESP) 66 74, Klara Spilkova (CZE) 71 69, Joanna Klatten (FRA) 69 71, Mikaela Parmlid (SWE) 69 71
141 - Beth Allen (USA) 69 72, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 74 67, Kylie Walker (SCO) 70 71, Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 69 72, Caroline Afonso (FRA) 72 69, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 74 67, Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 71 70, Viva Schlasberg (SWE) 73 68, Ashleigh Simon (RSA) 70 71
142 - Louise Larsson (SWE) 72 70, Vikki Laing (SCO) 69 73, Eleanor Givens (ENG) 72 70, Tandi Cuningham (RSA) 73 69, Mireia Prat (ESP) 73 69, Diana Luna (ITA) 73 69, Cheyenne Woods (USA) 64 78, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 73 69
143 - Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER) 73 70, Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 73 70, Stefania Croce (ITA) 73 70, Laura Cabanillas (ESP) 71 72
144 - Rebecca Artis (AUS) 72 72, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 70, Marta Silva Zamora (ESP) 70 74, Miriam Nagl (GER) 73 71, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 73 71
145 - Nikki Campbell (AUS) 73 72, Trish Johnson (ENG) 71 74, Hannah Burke (ENG) 71 74, Raquel Carriedo (ESP) 72 73, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 74 71, Megan Grehan (USA) 72 73, Stacey Keating (AUS) 74 71, Alison Whitaker (AUS) 71 74, Margarita Ramos (MEX) 73 72, Sahra Hassan (WAL) 72 73, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 70 75
146 - Emily Kristine Pedersen (DNK) 70 76, Holly Clyburn (ENG) 75 71, Camilla Lennarth (SWE) 71 75, Bree Arthur (AUS) 75 71, Virginia Espejo (ESP) 73 73, Maria Hernandez (ESP) 74 72, Minea Blomqvist (FIN) 74 72, Virginie Lagoutte (FRA) 74 72, Yu Yang Zhang (CHN) 71 75
147 - Emily Taylor (ENG) 77 70, Charley Hull (ENG) 72 75, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 71 76, Marjet Van Der Graaff (NED) 75 72, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 72 75, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 72 75, Melanie Maetzler (SUI) 73 74, Marta Sanz (ESP) 74 73, Emma Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 77 70, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) 75 72, Sophie Walker (ENG) 73 74, Rebecca Sorensen (SWE) 74 73, Eva Bjarvall (SWE) 71 76, Daniela Holmqvist (SWE) 73 74
148 - Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 76 72, Cathryn Bristow (NZL) 78 70, Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 70 78, Lydia Hall (WAL) 71 77, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 75 73, Whitney Hillier (AUS) 76 72
MISSED THE CUT
149 - Patricia Sanz (ESP) 75 74, Henni Zuel (ENG) 76 73, Holly Aitchison (ENG) 74 75, Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 75 74, Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 73 76, Lucie Andre (FRA) 77 72, Pamela Pretswell (SCO) 76 73, Kristie Smith (AUS) 78 71, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 77 72, Mallory Fraiche (USA) 74 75, Karen Lunn (AUS) 71 78, Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) 76 73, Xi Yu Lin (CHN) 73 76
150 - Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 77 73, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 76 74, Steffi Kirchmayr (GER) 78 72, Morgana Robbertze (RSA) 77 73, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 75 75, Elina Nummenpaa (FIN) 78 72, Katy McNicoll (SCO) 78 72
151 - Anais Maggetti (SUI) 74 77, Maria Beautell (ESP) 76 75, Connie Chen (RSA) 74 77
152 - Benedikte Grotvedt (NOR) 74 78, Leigh Whittaker (GER) 76 76, Noora Tamminen (FIN) 76 76, Marion Ricordeau (FRA) 76 76, Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA) 75 77, Georgina Simpson (ENG) 75 77, Julie Greciet (FRA) 74 78
153 - Adriana Zwanck (ESP) 78 75, Stephanie Na (AUS) 81 72, Sarah King (AUS) 74 79, Louise Kristersson (SWE) 75 78, Galina Rotmistrova (RUS) 73 80, Paula Hurtado (COL) 75 78, Alexandra Vilatte (FRA) 79 74, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 77 76
155 - Tara Davies (WAL) 81 74, Carin Koch (SWE) 78 77, Carly Booth (SCO) 78 77, Maha Haddioui (MAR) 77 78
156 - Ana B Sanchez (ESP) 78 78, Charlotte Ellis (ENG) 75 81
157 - Isabell Gabsa (GER) 75 82
159 - Stefanie Michl (AUT) 80 79
162 - Laura Jansone (LVA) 79 83
RTD - Christine Wolf (AUT), Liz Young (ENG), Lauren Mielbrecht (USA)