ROOKIE JENNINGS STAYS IN LEAD ON DAY 2 IN SLOVAKIA

By BETHAN CUTLER
Ladies European Tour Media Manager

England’s Rachel Jennings shot a four under par 68 to open up a two stroke lead at the midway stage of the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open.

The 22-year-old rookie professional, from Stoke-on-Trent, finished on a superb nine under par halfway total after a warm and breezy day at Gray Bear Golf Club in Tále.

She made a slightly sluggish start with a three-putt bogey at the fourth hole, but it was her only stumble in 36 holes after opening with a bogey-free 67 on Thursday.

She went to the turn in one under 34 after picking up shots at the seventh and the ninth holes, before notching further birdies at the 11th, 14th and 18th.

“I played good but it was a bit scrappier than yesterday. I didn’t hit it as good but the bad shots were okay,” said Jennings, who was training to be a police officer before securing the sponsorship that allowed her to become a professional golfer.

The chairman at Shirley Golf Club in Solihull, where she now lives, owns the Golf Hotel de Mont Griffon near Charles du Gaulle airport in Paris and she represents his company, Golf in France. The sponsorship frees her from financial worries and allows her to take a care-free approach to the game.

“I’ve never been in this position so I’m just enjoying every moment. I want to have fun, earn some money and have a couple of good years, because there are a good few people out there that hate their jobs,” she added.

Jennings finished two strokes clear of Virginie Lagoutte-Clement from France, who added a 68 to her opening 69.

“I feel very good for today. I hit some irons very well and my putting is not bad. It’s a great day today,” the 32-year-old from Montélimar said.

Swedish rookie Caroline Hedwall finished in third on six under after a 67. The 22-year-old from Taby said: “I like this course, it’s tricky and you’ve got to be on the right side of the pins all the time. I played really solid and managed to hole a few putts for once and I was on the right side of the pins.”

Hedwall is currently two strokes clear of Australian rookie professional Stacey Keating (69), with Denmark’s Malene Jorgensen (72) a shot back in fifth. Twelve months ago this weekend Stacey Keating lost a three-way play-off for the amateur St Rule Trophy over 54 holes at St Andrews.

 Australian Karen Lunn (71) and England’s Laura Davies (68) shared sixth on two under par, after Davies made a horrible start.

Davies said: “I played really well. I had a flier at the first, went over the back, I duffed it and made a double. Then I had four birdies and then a four-putt on the eighth for a double bogey and then another three birdies after that. So in a run of eight holes I had seven birdies and a four-putt double, so it was weird.

“Considering I was four over par after 19 holes in the tournament, it was a really good result. Obviously seven behind, and I don’t know how she (Rachel Jennings) plays, but if she’s nine under after two rounds here she’s obviously a really good golfer. If she keeps that up she’ll be hard to beat.”

Of the home contingent, the recent Lalla Meryem Cup champion Zuzana Kamasova fared best at level par for the tournament in a share of 17th place.

Kamasova said: “It was a mixture of everything. I started off really well and had an unlucky triple on the seventh hole. I stopped swinging so well towards the end, had a few putts dropping but it was a mixture of everything and I’m very happy to come in at par.”

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)

135 Rachel Jennings (ENG) 67 68

137 Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 69 68

138 Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 71 67

140 Stacey Keating (AUS) 71 69

141 Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 69 72

142 Karen Lunn (AUS) 71 71, Laura Davies (ENG) 74 68

143 Vikki Laing (SCO) 71 72, Stefania Croce (ITA) 70 73, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 68 75, Kristie Smith (AUS) 68 75, Bree Arthur (AUS) 70 73, Diana D'Alessio (USA) 73 70, Kym Larratt (ENG) 72 71, Christel Boeljon (NL) 68 75, Carin Koch (SWE) 72 71

144 Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 72 72, Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 73 71, Beth Allen (USA) 69 75, Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 70 74, Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) 72 72, Georgina Simpson (ENG) 72 72

145 Frances Bondad (AUS) 71 74, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 71 74, Morgana Robbertze (SA) 78 67, Julie Tvede (DEN) 71 74, Caroline Masson (GER) 71 74

146 Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 76 70, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 74 72, Becky Morgan (WAL) 74 72, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 71 75, Melissa Reid (ENG) 74 72, Marieke Nivard (NL) 70 76

147 Johanna W Johansson (SWE) 75 72, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 74 73, Stefanie Michl (AUT) 72 75, Caroline Westrup (SWE) 73 74, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 71 76, Caroline Afonso (FRA) 73 74, Helena Blomberg (SWE) 73 74, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 71 76, Clare Queen (SCO) 73 74, Rachel Bell (ENG) 74 73, Tandi Cuningham (SA) 71 76, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 76 71

148 Kylie Walker (SCO) 76 72, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 74, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 75 73, Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 74 74, Garrett Phillips (USA) 73 75, Kim Welch (USA) 73 75, Marion Ricordeau (FRA) 72 76, Caroline Rominger (SWI) 75 73

149 Trish Johnson (ENG) 75 74, Hannah Jun (USA) 78 71, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 78 71, Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 74 75, Tara Davies (WAL) 72 77, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 74 75

150 Rebecca Codd (IRE) 76 74, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 77 73, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 76 74, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) 74 76, Anna Rossi (ITA) 75 75, Liebelei Elena Lawrence (GR) 76 74, Caroline Bon (NZ) 78 72, Lisa Hall (ENG) 68 82, Ashleigh Simon (SA) 72 78, Kirsty J Fisher (UK) 72 78

MISSED THE CUT

151 Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 76 75, Lauren Taylor (Am) (ENG) 74 77, Julie Greciet (FRA) 73 78, Emma Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 73 78, Maria Hernandez (ESP) 76 75, Jessica Ji (KOR) 72 79, Juliana Murcia Ortiz (COL) 72 79

152 Lotta Wahlin (SWE) 80 72, Helen Alfredsson (SWE) 75 77, Kiran Matharu (ENG) 76 76, Anja Monke (GER) 78 74, Line Vedel (DEN) 77 75, Holly Aitchison (ENG) 76 76, Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 77 75, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 80 72, Louise Larsson (SWE) 73 79, Sahra Hassan (WAL) 77 75

153 Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 78 75, Charlie Douglass (ENG) 74 79, Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN) 73 80, Lynnette Brooky (NZ) 76 77, Maha Haddioui (MOR) 78 75

154 Sara Ardstrom (SWE) 82 72, Nicole Gergely (AUT) 79 75, Marjet van der Graaff (NL) 75 79, Carly Booth (SCO) 78 76, Kyra van Leeuwen (NL) 76 78, Klara Spilkova (CZE) 73 81, Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 79 75

155 Vicky Tomko (SVK) 76 79, Christine Hallstrom (SWE) 76 79, Krystle Caithness (SCO) 77 78, Martina Gillen (IRE) 77 78, Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 75 80, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 74 81

156 Lydia Hall (WAL) 74 82, Barbara Genuini (FRA) 75 81

157 Sophie Walker (ENG) 76 81, Joanna Klatten (FRA) 81 76, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 77 80, Laurette Maritz (SA) 73 84

158 Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 80 78, Elena Giraud (FRA) 80 78, Sharmila Nicollet (IN) 80 78

159 Connie Chen (SA) 80 79, Benedicte Toumpsin (BEL) 78 81, Johanna Lundberg (SWE) 80 79

160 Federica Piovano (ITA) 76 84, Kate Combes (AUS) 80 80, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 81 79, Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 79 81, Natalia Heckova (Am) (SVK) 82 78

161 Adriana Zwanck (ESP) 83 78

162 Breanne Loucks (WAL) 82 80

164 Patricia Beliard (FRA) 78 86

RTD Ludivine Kreutz (FRA) 88 RTD, Daniela Prorokova (CZE) 88 RTD

Bethan Cutler

Media Manager

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

M: +44(0)7980 056045

E: bcutler@ladieseuropeantour.com