Laurette Climbs the Leaderboard

 

 

Of the four South African golfers participating in the Northern Ireland Ladies Open at Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club, Lee-Anne Pace and Laurette Maritz improved their games, while Ashleigh Simon and Morgana Robbertze struggled amid rainy and gusting day two conditions. 

But despite improving, Pace was unable to mitigate her day one woes, and joins Robbertze in failing to make the cut, her nine-over par 153 narrowly beating Robbertze’s 10-over 154, and trailing overnight leader England’s Kiran Matharu by thirteen shots.

 

Maritz and Simon are still in the running, the veteran fairing best on day 2 with a one-under par for a half-way par score, to remain within three shots of Matharu.

 

Maritz’s half-way performance shows that she has managed to maintain hard-fought gains in the face of needling setbacks, with six bogeys and one bogey offset by 8 birdies, and she will be confident that her overall form will keep her in touch of the leaders, and with a descent shot at a good finish.

 

Simon will be disappointed with her second round, as she saw her day one one-under par advantage slide away in an up-and-down day, finishing with three double-bogeys and two bogeys against five birdies for a four-over-par 76.

 

To her advantage will be difficult conditions which is keeping the pack bunched, with no-one pulling away in winning form. The six-shot difference will be tough to haul in, but this star thrives on calm determination in the face of adversity, and her talent is unquestioned.

 

For her overnight lead, 18-year-old Kiran Matharu from Leeds carded a three-under-par 69 after a level-par 72 in the opening round, was on three-under in total – one shot ahead of Joanne Mills from Australia, who had a 70 and Austria’s Nicole Gergely, who had a career low 68.

 

Five players are on one-under – France’s Gwladys Nocera (68), Libby Smith from the USA (72), Spain’s Sara Beautell (71) and the English pair Lora Fairclough (68) and Lisa Hall (69).
Matharu led a professional tournament for the first time, and was the outright leader entering the final round, carding five birdies and two bogeys in total.

 

“I think I’ve got a chance tomorrow,” said Matharu, who finished tied for third in November’s Tour qualifying school. “I feel like I’m hitting the ball well and I’m putting well. I think I’ve got a good chance of winning.

 

“I haven’t been in this position before, so I don’t know what it’s like but normally when I’m in contention I start to play a bit better. A couple under should be good enough tomorrow but it depends on the weather.”

  
 
Northern Ireland Ladies Open
Hilton Temple Patrick
1st – 3rd June 2007
Scores at End of Round 2

141 – Kiran Matharu (ENG) 72 69
142 – Joanne Mills (AUS) 72 70, Nicole Gergely (AUT) 74 68
143 – Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 75 68, Libby Smith (USA) 71 72, Sara Beautell (ESP) 72 71, Lora Fairclough (ENG) 75 68, Lisa Hall (ENG) 74 69
144 – Elizabeth McKinnon (NZ) 72 72, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 73 71, Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 71 73, Sarah Kemp (AUS) 71 73, Sophie Walker (ENG) 75 69, Nora Angehrn (SWI) 69 75, Laurette Maritz (SA) 73 71, Samantha Head (ENG) 73 71
145 – Kris Lindstrom (USA) 73 72, Tamara Hyett (AUS) 74 71, Helena Alterby (SWE) 72 73, Kirsty Taylor (ENG) 72 73, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 73 72
146 – Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 73 73, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 72 74, Lynn Brooky (NZ) 75 71, Martina Eberl (GER) 75 71, Natalie Claire Booth (ENG) 73 73
147 – Ashleigh Simon (SA) 71 76, Danielle Masters (ENG) 73 74, Leah Hart (AUS) 71 76, Anna Rawson (AUS) 75 72, Ludivine Kreutz (FRA) 75 72
148 – Elin Ohlsson (SWE) 75 73, Beatriz Recari (ESP) 74 74, Claire Coughlan (IRE) 75 73, Shani Waugh (AUS) 75 73
149 – Anna Temple (USA) 74 75, Stefanie Michl (AUT) 72 77, Kristie Newton (AUS) 72 77, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 73 76, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 73 76, Louise Stahle (SWE) 73 76, Kirsty S Taylor (ENG) 77 72, Patricia Beliard (FRA) 71 78, Stefania Croce (ITA) 74 75, Rikke Rasmussen (DEN) 76 73, Marina Arruti (ESP) 73 76
150 – Sarah Nicholson (NZ) 76 74, Danielle McVeigh (Am) (IRE) 72 78, Rebecca Coakley (IRE) 74 76, Emma Zackrisson (SWE) 76 74, Trish Johnson (ENG) 75 75, Karen-Margrethe Juul (DEN) 78 72, Federica Piovano (ITA) 74 76, Katy Jarochowicz (AUS) 74 76, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 76 74
151 – Anna Knutsson (SWE) 75 76, Fame More (ENG) 78 73, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 78 73, Karen Lunn (AUS) 77 74, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 78 73, Martina Gillen (IRE) 78 73, Clare Queen (SCO) 76 75, Lill Kristin Saether (NOR) 74 77, Asa Gottmo (SWE) 77 74, Suzanne Dickens (ENG) 78 73, Christine Hallstrom (SWE) 77 74, Elisabeth Esterl (GER) 75 76, Laura Terebey (USA) 77 74, Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 76 75
Missed the cut:-
152 – Ellen Smets (BEL) 77 75, Hanna-Leena Salonen (FIN) 75 77, Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 73 79, Rui Yokomine (JPN) 73 79, Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 75 77, Anne Lise Caudal (FRA) 79 73, Antonella Cvitan (SWE) 77 75, Sarah Heath (ENG) 76 76, Eva Steinberger (AUT) 74 78
153 – Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 78 75, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 75 78, Lisa Jean (AUS) 76 77, Cherie Byrnes (AUS) 78 75, Johanna Westerberg (SWE) 78 75
154 – Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 74 80, Morgana Robbertze (SA) 74 80, Diana Luna (ITA) 77 77, Kathryn Imrie (SCO) 77 77
155 – Barbara Paruscio (ITA) 77 78, Fany Schaeffer (FRA) 81 74, Julie Tvede (DEN) 77 78, Shelley McKevitt (ENG) 77 78, Maria Beautell (ESP) 76 79, Carlie Butler (AUS) 76 79
156 – Liza Walters (ENG) 80 76, Julie Berton (FRA) 79 77, Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR) 78 78, Joanne Oliver (ENG) 79 77, Bree Turnbull (AUS) 79 77, Caroline Grady (ENG) 80 76, Nuria Clau (ESP) 75 81
157 – Frederique Seeholzer (SWI) 80 77, Denise Simon (GER) 82 75, Jo Clingan (ENG) 76 81, Maria Boden (SWE) 74 83, Georgina Simpson (ENG) 80 77
158 – Victoria Brashshaw (Am) (IRE) 75 83, Laura Wright (ENG) 78 80, Katie Bakken (USA) 78 80
159 – Lisa Maguire (AM) (IRE) 82 77, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 84 75, Lynn McCool (IRE) 81 78, Vanessa Bell (ENG) 76 83, Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) 79 80, Sophie Hunter (ENG) 82 77
160 – Florence Luscher (SWI) 83 77, Kirsty J Fisher (ENG) 81 79
161 – Jehanne Jail (FRA) 83 78
162 – Valerie Michaud (FRA) 77 85, Leona Maguire (AM) (IRE) 83 79, Brenda McLarnon 79 83
163 – Debbie Hanna (IRE) 76 87, Michelle Smith (ENG) 81 82
166 – Annamaria Milie (ITA) 80 86
167 – Clare Lipscombe (ENG) 84 83
RTD – Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 86 RTD, Sandra Carlborg (SWE) 86 RTD