Laurette’s Leaderboard Climb

 

South Africa’s Laurette Maritz continued her good form at the weather-delayed second round at the KLM Ladies Open at Eindhovensche Golf in the Netherlands, as France’s Gwladys Nocera posted a two-under-par 70 to maintain her overnight lead.

 

After thunderstorms on Friday afternoon caused the first round to be suspended until 7.30am on Saturday morning, further thunderstorms caused an hour-and-a-half delay on Saturday afternoon but all of the 126 players in the tournament completed their second rounds before nightfall.

 

The in-form South African improved her first round 71 by three shots for an overnight 139 and a share of seventh place, 5 off the pace of tournament leader Nocera, when she scored six birdies against two boeys to steadily advance up the leaderboard.

 

Maritz is well-poised for a repeat outstanding finish after her good performance in Northern Ireland the weekend before, but her two compatriots didn’t fair as well on Saturday.

 

Ashleigh Simon lead the South African contingent after an exceptional first round 68, but fell away on Saturday, posting a disheartening 74, when a triple-bogey on the second hole of the day added to five bogies to destroy the effect of the five birdies.

 

Simon’s course stats showed that her front nine was most upset, while a steady back nine, in which she settled down to score one birdie and one bogey, to leave her a total of 2-under par for the tournament, and still in the running for a good performance on Sunday.

 

Lee-Anne Pace also shot a two-over par 74 on Saturday, but added to her first round 75 resulted in another heart-breaking cut missed, as she continues to make her way on the professional circuit.

 

The 32-year-old Nocera, who posted a course record 64 to lead after Friday’s first round, finished on 10-under-par, two shots ahead of England’s Georgina Simpson, who had a 67.

 

Denmark’s Iben Tinning and France’s Natalie David-Mila both had 67s to finish tied for third position on seven-under. Meanwhile Australia’s Sarah Kemp had the best score of the day – a six-under-par 66 – which took her into a tie for fifth place with French rookie Cassandra Kirkland (69).

 

Nocera began her second round at 4.25pm and posted five birdies and three bogeys. She was one-under on each of the front and back nines.

 

She said: “It could have been much better. I played well but I didn’t putt well. The greens were getting bad with so many players walking on them and with the humidity the ball was not flying anywhere towards the end of the round. It was different but it didn’t matter. I’m still up there.”

 

Simpson, from Gomersal in West Yorkshire, said that she enjoyed the time spent relaxing in the clubhouse before her 3.45pm tee time.

 

“I got off to a good start; I bogeyed hole-ten but I had four birdies on the back nine on the same holes as I birdied yesterday. I chipped and putted to save my life on the first seven holes.

 

“I hit it close on eight and nine and made two birdies there so it’s not been pretty to watch but I’m doing something that I haven’t been doing for four weeks which is scoring. I’d rather it be that way round than hitting it great and not holing any putts.

 

“I’m pleased to be scoring well so if we can continue to score then that will be great. I haven’t looked at any leader boards today so I don’t know where I am. We’ll go out tomorrow and hope for the same again.

 

“I haven’t been in contention this year so it’s nice to be in the hunt. Hopefully there will be a few people out to watch tomorrow and no thunderstorms!”  

 

Should Nocera lead for the third day in succession, she would become the seventh French winner of the event and the third in as many years after Stephanie Arricau won in 2006 and Virginie Lagoutte-Clement won in 2005.

KLM Ladies Open Scores and the end of Round Two:
134 – Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 64 70
136 – Georgina Simpson (ENG) 69 67
137 – Iben Tinning (DEN) 70 67
138 – Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 69 69, Sarah Kemp (AUS) 72 66
139 – Ludivine Kreutz (FRA) 67 72, Laurette Maritz (SA) 71 68, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 70 69
140 – Samantha Head (ENG) 69 71, Nathalie David-Mila (FRA) 70 70, Bree Turnbull (AUS) 70 70
141 – Laura Terebey (USA) 66 75, Sophie Giquel (FRA) 69 72, Joanne Mills (AUS) 70 71, Rebecca Stevenson (AUS) 71 70, Clare Queen (SCO) 71 70, Beatriz Recari (ESP) 73 68
142 – Benedicte Toumpsin (Am) (BEL) 69 73, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 70 72, Fame More (ENG) 72 70, Sophie Walker (ENG) 70 72, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 72 70, Lotta Wahlin (SWE) 71 71, Suzanne Dickens (ENG) 71 71, Ashleigh Simon (SA) 68 74, Christel Boeljon (Am) (NL) 67 75
143 – Karen Lunn (AUS) 76 67, Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 74 69, Stefania Croce (ITA) 72 71, Anja Monke (GER) 69 74, Marta Prieto (ESP) 70 73, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 72 71
144 – Natascha Fink (AUT) 74 70, Lara Tadiotto (BEL) 71 73, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 71 73, Elisabeth Esterl (GER) 72 72, Bettina Hauert (GER) 73 71, Louise Friberg (SWE) 72 72, Helena Alterby (SWE) 76 68, Amanda Moltke-Leth (DEN) 72 72, Lisa Jean (AUS) 75 69, Kristie Newton (AUS) 68 76, Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 72 72, Claire Coughlan (IRE) 73 71, Marina Arruti (ESP) 73 71, Kiran Matharu (ENG) 73 71
145 – Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 74 71, Eleanor Pilgrim (WAL) 72 73, Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN) 71 74, Kathryn Imrie (SCO) 75 70, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 74 71, Rebecca Coakley (IRE) 69 76, Leah Hart (AUS) 72 73, Caroline Karsten (Am) (NL) 73 72
146 – Maria Boden (SWE) 70 76, Nienke Nijenhuis (NL) 74 72, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 72 74, Stephanie Arricau (FRA) 75 71, Shani Waugh (AUS) 71 75, Kirsty S Taylor (ENG) 75 71, Antonella Cvitan (SWE) 71 75, Marjet van der Graaf (Am) (NL) 74 72, Lill Kristin Saether (NOR) 73 73, Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 73 73, Elisa Serramia (ESP) 75 71, Jo Clingan (ENG) 72 74, Lora Fairclough (ENG) 71 75, Rikke Rasmussen (DEN) 75 71, Kyra van Leeuwen (Am) (NL) 74 72, Kris Lindstrom (USA) 74 72
Missed the cut:-
147 – Anna Tybring (SWE) 74 73, Danielle Masters (ENG) 73 74, Johanna Westerberg (SWE) 73 74, Ellen Smets (BEL) 72 75, Martina Eberl (GER) 72 75, Julie Tvede (DEN) 74 73
148 – Emma Zackrisson (SWE) 73 75, Laura Cabanillas (ESP) 75 73, Anna Rawson (AUS) 74 74, Anne Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 74, Nicole Gergely (AUT) 75 73, Tullia Calzavara (ITA) 74 74, Anna Rossi (ITA) 74 74, Mianne Bagger (DEN) 71 77, Sofia Renell (SWE) 73 75, Patricia Beliard (FRA) 76 72
149 – Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 75 74, Jehanne Jail (FRA) 71 78, Cherie Byrnes (AUS) 76 73, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 74 75, Sara Beautell (ESP) 74 75, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 75 74, Sophie Hunter (ENG) 72 77
150 – Christine Hallstrom (SWE) 75 75, Elin Ohlsson (SWE) 75 75, Anna Knutsson (SWE) 73 77, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 75 75, Mette Buus (DEN) 73 77, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 72 78, Julie Berton (FRA) 77 73
151 – Anna Temple (USA) 74 77, Isabella Maconi (ITA) 74 77, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 74 77, Cecilia Ekelundh (SWE) 76 75, Maria Beautell (ESP) 73 78, Mette Hageman (NL) 76 75
152 – Fany Schaeffer (FRA) 76 76, Libby Smith (USA) 80 72, Frederique Seeholzer (SWI) 79 73, Ana B Sanchez (ESP) 75 77, Sarah Heath (ENG) 74 78, Nina Karlsson (SWE) 78 74, Marlene Hedblom (SWE) 74 78
153 – Eva Steinberger (AUT) 77 76, Hanna-Leena Salonen (FIN) 77 76
154 – Marieke Zelsmann (NL) 74 80, Judith Van Hagen (NL) 78 76, Maria Verchenova (RUS) 77 77
155 – Henrietta Brockway (Am) (ENG) 76 79, Elizabeth McKinnon (NZ) 80 75, Kirsty J Fisher (ENG) 78 77
156 – Federica Piovano (ITA) 80 76, Martina Gillen (IRE) 78 78
157 – Nora Angehrn (SWI) 81 76
158 – Marcella Neggers (NL) 77 81
168 – Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR) 84 84