News from Ladies' European Tour

Suzann Pettersen surges five
shots clear in Swiss Open

FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE:
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen carded a course record-equalling nine-under-par 63 to claim a five-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open at Golf Gerre Losone.
Pettersen finished on a total of 14-under-par after firing nine birdies on a sunny second day in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. Her score matched that of first round leader Rebecca Coakley from Ireland, who had a 63 on the opening day, while France's Gwladys Nocera also shot 63 en route to her maiden tour victory in 2006.

Three Scots figured among those with 36-hole tallies of 146 or better who made the cut - Lynn Kenny, rookie Jenna Wilson and Clare Queen, all on 145. Kathryn Imrie missed out alongwith Inverness-based Kiwi Elizabeth McKinnon.
Pettersen began her second round four shots behind Coakley in a share of second with six others on five-under, but starting from the 10th she birdied her first four holes to draw level with the first round leader. She then recorded further birdies on holes 16 and 18 for an outward total of six-under 31 and a two shot lead over the Irish woman, yet to start her round.
Three more birdies at the third, sixth and ninth holes gave the 27-year-old from Oslo an inward total of 32, three-under-par with a five shot clubhouse lead.
“It feels as though it is really coming together now and it is at just the right time if you think about what is coming up ahead of us in a couple of weeks,” said Pettersen, ranked third in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings after her six worldwide victories last year, including a major championship.
“I’ve just got to keep going and keep doing what I’m doing because it feels good, especially my wedges. It feels like I can attack any pin. I feel a lot more comfortable with my irons, which makes you want to be very aggressive on every hole and sometimes you have to be a little careful. It’s a great feeling. It feels like I can go for the shots 100 percent and its coming along.”
Pettersen faced birdie putts on every hole on the back nine, which meant that her score could have been much lower. “I left a couple out there yesterday and I left a couple out there today that I maybe should have holed but I’m very happy. Of course I feel comfortable playing here in Europe, which is also a reason why I came back,” she added.
Amy Yang, the 2006 ANZ Ladies Masters champion from South Korea, shot a four-under 68 to move into outright second on nine-under. The 18-year old, who now resides in Orlando, Florida, mixed an eagle at the par-5 third hole with three birdies and a bogey.
England’s Lisa Hall shot 69 to take third place on eight-under going into the weekend, while six players, including the first round leader Rebecca Coakley, shared fourth on seven under. Coakley carded a 74 and said: “The front nine was good but on the back nine I hit a few bad iron shots and didn’t get up and down. There were a lot of putts that shaved the hole whereas yesterday they were all going in.
"I haven’t been in this position and it’s a nice feeling but that might have had a bit of an effect playing the last few holes. Even though you try to tell yourself not to think about it it’s still there in the back of the head so you have to deal with it.”
Also on seven-under are Belgium’s Ellen Smets (66), Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord (66), England’s Laura Davies (68), Spain’s Paula Marti (70) and France’s Ludivine Kreutz (67). Recent Garanti American Express Turkish Ladies Open winner Lotta Wahlin shot 67 to finish on six-under with Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom.
SCOREBOARD

Par 144 (2 x 72)
130 Suzann Pettersen (Nor) 67 63.
135 Amy Yang (SKo) 67 68.
136 Lisa Hall (Eng) 67 69.

137 Ludivine Kreutz (Fra) 67 70, Laura Davies (Eng) 69 68, Paula Marti (Eng) 67 70, Ellen Smets (Bel) 71 66, Rebecca Coakley (Ire) 63 74.

138 Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 68 70, Lotta Wahlin (Swe) 71 67, Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 71 67.

139 Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 70 69, Anais Maggetti (Swi) (am 67 72, Cecilia Ekelundh (Swe)

72 67.
140 Marjet van der Graaff (Net) 69 71, Dana Lacey (Aus) 70 70, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 69 71.

141 Martina Gillen (Ire) 74 67, Lee-Anne Pace (SAf) 71 70, Marta Prieto (Spa) 71 70, Anna Tybring (Swe) 70 71, Nicole Gergely (Aut) 68 73, Maria Verchenova (Rus) 70 71, Laura Terebey (US) 72 69, F More (Eng) 72 69.

142 Lydia Hall (Wal) 70 72, Anna Knutsson (Swe) 74 68, Georgina Simpson (Eng) 69 73, Joanne Mills (Aus) 72 70, Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 72 70.

143 Marina Arruti (Spa) 67 76, Caroline Afonso (Fra) 72 72, Kiran Matharu (Eng) 70 73, Kirsty S Taylor (Eng) 69 74, Martina Eberl (Ger) 71 72, Ana B Sanchez (Spa) 68 75, Emma Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 71 72 Iben Tinning (Den) 69 74, Samantha Head (Eng) 71 72, Stefania Croce (Ita) 74 69, Anne-Lise Caudal (Fra) 71 72, Kate Combes (Aus) 73 70.

144 Sophie Sandolo (Ita) 70 74, Anja Monke (Ger) 70 74, Becky Brewerton (Wal) 71 83, Tania Elosegui (Spa) 72 72, Laura Cabanillas (Spa) 72 72, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 68 76, Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 70 74, Kaisa Ruuttila (Fin) 75 69.

145 Jenna Wilson (Sco) 74 71, Lynn Kenny (Sco) 71 74, Katharina Schallenberg (Ger) 79 76, Clare Queen (Sco) 73 72, Trish Johnson (Eng) 74 81, Lynn Brooky (NZ) 73 72, Lara adiotto (Bel) 75 70.

146 Rachel Bell (Eng) 71 75, Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den) 71 75, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 72 74, Henrietta Zuel (Eng) 73 73, Denise-Charlotte Becker (Ger) 73 73, Maria Boden (Swe) 76 70, Felicity Johnson (Eng) 71 75, Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (Aus) 70 76.
MISSED THE CUT
147 Laurette Maritz (SAf) 70 77, Stefanie Michl (Aut) 73 74, Lora Fairclough (Eng) 75 72, Karen-Margrethe Juul (Den) 73 74, Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha) 72 75, Emma Zackrisson (Swe) 74 73, Sara Beautell (Spa) 76 71, Natasha Fink (Aut) 73 74, Natalie Claire Booth (Eng) 71 76, Nathali David-Mila (Fra) 71 76, Melissa Reid (Eng) 71 76, Stacy Lee Bregman (SAf) 75 72, Danielle Masters (Eng) 75 72.

148 Elin Ohlsson (Swe) 73 75, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 74 74, Anne Norman Hansen (Den) 75 73, Florence Luscher (Swi) 75 73, Frederique (Swi) 76 72, Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 73 75, Rebecca Huber (Swi) (am) 70 78, Caroline Rominger (Swi) (am) 71 77, Ana Larraneta (Spa 73 75, Diana Luna (Ita) 73 75, Frances Bondad (Aus) 78 70, Jehanne Jail (Fra) 75 73.

149 Eleanor Pilgrim (Wal) 76 73, Mianne Bagger (Den) 73 76, Vittoria Valvassori (Ita) 71 78, Cassandra Kirkland (Fra) 78 71, Stephanie Arricau (Fra) 74 75, Elizabeth McKinnon (NZ) 76 73, Leah Hart (Aus) 77 72, Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den) 74 75.

150 Itziar Elguezabal (Spa) 74 76, Karen Lunn (Aus) 75 75, Julie Greciet (Fra) 74 76, Asa Gottmo (Swe) 73 77, Elisabeth Esterl (Ger) 76 74, Isabella Maconi (Ita) 73 77.

151 Nora Angehrn (Swi) 76 75, Anna Rossi (Ita) 74 77, Christine Hallstrom (Swe) 77 74, Melodie Bourdy (Fra) 76 75, Kathryn Imrie (Sco) 78 73, Julie Tvede (Den) 78 73.

152 Fanny Vuignier (Swi) (am) 77 75, Federica Piovano (Ia) 73 79, Beatriz Recari (Spa) 76 76.

153 Sophie Walker (Eng) 76 77, Jo Clingan (Eng) 80 73.

154 Joanne Morley (Eng) 75 79, Lill Kristin Saether (Nor) 76 78, Olof Maria Jonsdottir (Ice) 76 78, Margherita Rigon(Ita) 77 77, Cherie Byrnes (Aus) 76 78.
156 Rui Yokomine (Jap) 81 75, M Buus (Den) 73 83.

158 Sofia Renell (Swe) 83 75, Denise Simon (Ger) 83 75, Xonia Wunsch (Spa) 83 75.

159 Camille Fallay (Fra) 79 80.