HOLLY AITCHISON TWO SHOTS CLEAR IN HOLLAND

By BETHAN CUTLER
Ladies European Tour Media Manager

England’s Holly Aitchison put herself in position for a maiden win on the Ladies European Tour after she established a two-stroke lead going into the final round of the Deloitte Ladies Open in Holland.

While several players struggled in the tough, windy conditions, the 24-year-old from Bedford mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a second round of 71 at Golfclub Broekpolder in Rotterdam on Saturday.

Starting out on the more difficult back nine, she navigated the three toughest holes from 10 through 12 in level par before adding birdies at the 14th and 16th.

She bogeyed the first after finding the trees and having to hit out sideways, but recovered with a birdie at the second, striking an eight-iron to eight feet and rolling in the putt.

She hit her second shot just short of the green at the eighth and raced the first putt past, resulting in a bogey, but said: “I’m hitting it well and putting well so I’m pretty happy.”

Keen to play down the significance of her position, she said: “I’ll just go out there and do much the same as what I’ve done the past two days.

“I made a few more mistakes today but I was patient. I knew I was going to make mistakes and I knew that I was going to make bogeys. I put my head down and kept going.”

Aitchison, at six under par, enjoyed a career-best tie for 10th at the Hero Honda Women’s Indian Open last season but it will be her first time in serious contention.

While she will be targeting her first victory in her third year as a professional, her closest challenger, Kiwi Lynnette Brooky, will be drawing on 16 years’ of Tour experience as she takes aim at her fifth Ladies European Tour title and her first since the 2006 Open de Espana.

The 43-year-old from Wellington has been struggling with an ankle injury this week after she fell down a flight of stairs on Thursday and almost pulled out of the tournament, but she added a 69 to her opening 71 to sit alone in second.

Brooky explained: “On Thursday night, I couldn’t walk. I was limping and I couldn’t walk on it because it was just so sore.

“I came to the physio and the doctor and they grabbed my ankle and twisted it and said, ‘You’ll play.’ I was really worried.”

After going through years of swing changes, she said: “This year I understand everything and I think I can play strongly. I haven’t held back on my game at all.”

Frenchwoman Anne-Lise Caudal also shot 69 and is two strokes further behind in third place. She said: “Today my putting and chipping was pretty good on my front nine, because I only hit five greens. I played much better on my back nine and hit eight greens, so, it was much better. I was patient and kept going. I tried to concentrate because it wasn’t easy with the wind.”

She is gunning for a second Tour victory after winning the 2008 Portugal Ladies Open and added: “I’m confident and I hope I’m going to catch up. I have a chance to win.”

The current European No.1 Christel Boeljon from the Netherlands (70) and England’s Melissa Reid (72) share fourth spot a shot back on one under par.

Boeljon, who claimed her maiden title at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open a month ago, drew a sizeable and vocal crowd.

She said: “I’m very pleased. It was playing pretty tough again with the wind. I played solid and I’m pleased with my score.

“I did the same yesterday. I just had one bad hole yesterday that put my score up but overall it’s pretty good. I hope I can have one more good round and see where I end up. A win would be amazing.”

With 18 holes to play, Swede Caroline Hedwall held a chance of claiming a third trophy in seven days, following victories at last week’s Allianz Ladies Slovak Open and PowerPlay Golf Ignition tournament.

She finished in a share of sixth place on level par with Italy’s Diana Luna, England’s Danielle Montgomery and Tara Davies from Wales.

SCOTSWATCH

Only two Scots survived the 36-hole cut. Young Carly Booth, pictured above, showed a welcome return to something like her true form with a 75 for 145 while Kylie Walker, the most consistent Scot this season, is on 150 after a 72.

The cut, on 151, eliminated Vikki Laing (75-152), Krystle Caithness (73-154), Pamela Feggans (77-156), Lynn Kenny (78) and Claire Queen (83), both on 157.

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SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)

138  Holly Aitchison (ENG) 67 71

140 Lynnette Brooky (NZ) 71 69

142 Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 73 69

143 Christel Boeljon (NL) 73 70, Melissa Reid (ENG) 71 72

144 Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 75 69, Tara Davies (WAL) 72 72, Diana Luna (ITA) 69 75, Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 72 72

145 Julie Greciet (FRA) 76 69, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) 74 71, Carly Booth (SCO) 75 70, Sahra Hassan (WAL) 74 71

146 Joanna Klatten (FRA) 77 69, Anna Rossi (ITA) 74 72, Stacey Keating (AUS) 71 75, Marina Arruti (ESP) 72 74, Rachel Jennings (ENG) 72 74, Sophie Walker (ENG) 75 71

147 Connie Chen (SA) 75 72, Caroline Masson (GER) 74 73, Bree Arthur (AUS) 75 72, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 72 75, Frances Bondad (AUS) 72 75, Caroline Afonso (FRA) 76 71, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 77 70, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 74 73, Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 75 72

148 Thipada Suwannapura (THA) 74 74, Barbara Genuini (FRA) 75 73, Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN) 75 73, Stefania Croce (ITA) 76 72, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 71 77, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 73 75, Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 79 69, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 71 77

149 Lydia Hall (WAL) 77 72, Carin Koch (SWE) 77 72, Sharmila Nicollet (IN) 74 75, Laura Cabanillas (ESP) 76 73, Beth Allen (USA) 76 73, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 75 74, Rachel Bell (ENG) 74 75, Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 75 74

150 Margherita Rigon (ITA) 74 76, Kym Larratt (ENG) 72 78, Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 72 78, Karlijn Zaanen (Am) (NL) 79 71, Christine Hallstrom (SWE) 74 76, Kylie Walker (SCO) 78 72, Anja Monke (GER) 72 78, Karen Lunn (AUS) 74 76, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 77 73, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 71 79

151 Caroline Bon (NZ) 77 74, Rebecca Codd (IRE) 71 80, Marjet van der Graaff (NL) 76 75, Kyra van Leeuwen (NL) 75 76, Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 78 73, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 71 80, Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 74 77, Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 76 75, Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 77 74

MISSED THE CUT

152 Martina Gillen (IRE) 77 75, Kate Combes (AUS) 77 75, Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN) 75 77, Marieke Nivard (NL) 77 75, Kiran Matharu (ENG) 73 79, Vikki Laing (SCO) 77 75, Ashleigh Simon (SA) 82 70

153 Johanna Lundberg (SWE) 77 76, Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 78 75, Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 77 76, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 77 76, Lora Fairclough (ENG) 77 76, Henrietta Zuel (ENG) 82 71, Liebelei Elena Lawrence (GR) 77 76, Elena Giraud (FRA) 78 75, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 75 78, Hannah Jun (USA) 79 74

154 Krystle Caithness (SCO) 81 73, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 79 75, Chrisje de Vries (NL) 77 77, Lien Willems (BEL) 78 76, Kim Welch (USA) 75 79, Kristie Smith (AUS) 75 79

155 Line Vedel (DEN) 78 77, Benedicte Toumpsin (BEL) 75 80, Sara Ardstrom (SWE) 81 74, Federica Piovano (ITA) 76 79, Julie Tvede (DEN) 77 78, Morgana Robbertze (SA) 81 74, Jessica Ji (KOR) 79 76, Lisa Hall (ENG) 83 72

156 Emma Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 81 75, Pamela Feggans (SCO) 79 77, Lucie Andre (FRA) 80 76

157 Tandi Cuningham (SA) 78 79, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 79 78, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 75 82, Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) 78 79, Marion Ricordeau (FRA) 82 75, Clare Queen (SCO) 74 83, Caroline Westrup (SWE) 75 82, Nicole Gergely (AUT) 81 76, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 76 81, Krista Bakker (Am) (NL) 81 76, Suzanne Dickens (ENG) 78 79

158 Helena Blomberg (SWE) 82 76, Mette Hageman (NL) 80 78, Corisande Lee (ENG) 81 77, Lara Tadiotto (BEL) 75 83

159 Johanna W Johansson (SWE) 82 77, Adriana Zwanck (ESP) 80 79, Jo Clingan (ENG) 80 79, Mariana Macias Capuzzi (ESP) 77 82

160 Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 83 77, Kirsty S Taylor (ENG) 80 80

161 Louise Larsson (SWE) 84 77

162 Breanne Loucks (WAL) 80 82, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 79 83, Melanie Maetzler (SWI) 83 79

163 Emma Zackrisson (SWE) 78 85, Patricia Beliard (FRA) 84 79, Myrte Eikenaar (Am) (NL) 79 84, Eva Bjarvall (SWE) 85 78

Retired Klara Spilkova (CZE) 87 RTD