Melissa uses her head to lead

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by two in Turkish Ladies Open

FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
By Bethan Cutler
Antalya, Turkey. Melissa Reid shot a second successive round of two-under 71 to lead by two shots going into Sunday's final round of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open.
The 22-year-old English star, picture by courtesy of the Ladies European Tour, carded six birdies and four bogeys for a four-under total on a hot and sunny day at National Golf Club in Belek, Antalya. She is targeting her first win on the Ladies European Tour, having been a runner-up four times over the last two years.
First-round leader Iben Tinning from Denmark, who set the course record with an opening 68, carded a 76 and tied for second with Wales’ Becky Brewerton (72), on two-under-par. England’s Laura Davies (71) shared fourth on even par with Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands (75).
Reid said that course management was the key to mastering the tricky tree lined layout.
“This course can eat you up if you’re not careful. You’ve just got to play smart and some shots you know that you just don’t go for. You hit it on the right side of the green and take two putts. If you hit a good first putt, you birdie it,” she said.
“It’s a tight course. You’ve got to drive it well and you’ve got to be smart. You’ve got to play it on the right side of the fairways. There are a few canopies hanging over and especially for pins tomorrow, there’s going to be a few dodgy shots you’ll have to hit but you’ve just got to place yourself on the fairway. You can’t miss the fairways really at all.”
The Loughborough-based player made two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine, but was two under on the back nine. She bogeyed the 10th and 12th, but birdied four holes in a row from the 13th.

“I’m pleased with the way I played the last six holes,” she said. “I feel like I work pretty hard, so when I am confident I tend to play well.”
This is the third occasion that Reid has led going into the final round in a many seasons on tour. In her rookie season in 2008, she was a runner-up three times. She led by two going into the last day at the Ladies English Open and by six into the final round at the Nykredit Masters in Denmark.
She feels that her experience will be an advantage on Sunday. “I’m a better player. Mentally I’m much more mature. I feel sometimes that I’m so desperate to win and so desperate to do well that it’s a bit of a hinder to me so I’ve just got to believe in my ability and believe in the work that I’ve put in. I do work hard and I work hard on every aspect of my whole life, so I just think that I’ve just got to let it happen; I’ve just got to play.”
Tinning was at four-under through 14 before dropping three shots over the final four holes. The five-time tournament champion said that her putting made the difference. “Yesterday I had 26 putts and today I had 32 or 33 so it was back to normal. I think I still have a chance if I get the putter going. I’m going to try to get my head down tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.”
Brewerton made up four places on the field, despite a few errant shots over the closing holes.
She said: “It’s just a tough course. If you hit anything off line you’re dead and unfortunately I hit a couple of drives at the end that I think were a couple of tired swings, the same as yesterday’s bad shots. When it is off, it’s left and you just can’t hit it left here so I was in a bit of trouble. I’m pretty happy with the day. It’s a tough course so it’s a good position to be in.”
“My swing doesn’t feel great at the moment. I feel like I’m really playing within myself. I’ve got a couple of destructive shots in me going left at the moment so a lot of my better shots are where I feel like I’m playing within myself, maybe 70 or 80 percent of normal speed. That works out well on this course and I haven’t got to use my driver at the moment which is a good job because if I was hitting that on every hole I think I’d be in big trouble so there’s a lot of four irons and rescues off the tee and that’s helping me out a little bit.”
Of those chasing Reid, Davies remained in the hunt, despite the fact that the course doesn’t suit her style of play. “I like to hit my driver and go for the par fives and this is a tight and tree lined course,” she said.
Four strokes behind, Davies, 46, still has a chance and she continues to top the LET’s Henderson Money List after becoming the tour’s oldest ever winner in February in New Zealand.
She will tee off in the penultimate group at 11.20am on Sunday with compatriot Florentyna Parker and Christel Boeljon, while Reid, Tinning and Brewerton will start at 11.30am local time.

SCOTSWATCH: Teenager Carly Booth is the leading Scot, some nine shots off the pace.