HEDWALL LEADS, VIKKI LAING JOINT 4TH, FOUR OFF THE PACE

FROM BETHAN CUTLER
Ladies European Tour Media Manager
Gurgaon, India: Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall set up the tantalising prospect of a fourth Ladies European Tour victory in her rookie season as a professional after she surged to the top of the leaderboard with a second round of four under par 68 at the Hero Women’s Indian Open late today.
Hedwall, picture by courtesy of the Ladies European Tour, closed with three successive birdies to reach a nine under par 36-hole total at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon near New Delhi. She ended the day one stroke clear of compatriot Linda Wessberg and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum, a two-time winner of the event in 2008 and 2009.
A star of Europe’s Solheim Cup victory in September, Hedwall believed that her putting was the key. She had 29 putts and said: “I putted really well and that kind of saved my game today and I had a strong finish. I hit it to just a foot on number 16 for birdie and holed a 12 feet putt on 17 and two-putted for birdie on 18 so I made a couple coming in, which was really nice.”
The 22-year-old from Barsebäck went to the turn in one under par 35 after a solitary birdie on the par-five sixth hole. She then birdied the par-three 11th but dropped a shot at the par five 14th, after hitting her tee shot right, where it bounced from a cart path out of bounds.
After a quick glance at the leader board on 15, Hedwall picked up the pace. “I hit it out of bounds on the par five, an awful shot that came from nowhere. It’s not even a hard tee shot but I hit it out of bounds but made birdie on my second ball so I only made a bogey, which felt nice and felt like I could still get up there,” she said.
Already assured of the LET’s Rolex Rookie of the Year title, Hedwall is playing for the first prize of €33,750 in India, which would give her a chance to leapfrog Melissa Reid into second position on the LET’s season-ending Henderson Money List next week in Dubai.
That would bring a significant reward: a 10-year pass to play on the LET as the top ranked competitor on the Exemption List, which features only players who have appeared in at least six LET events throughout the year.
 “For now I want to reach Melissa on the official Henderson Money List, so that would be the motivation for this tournament. I have to do well in Dubai too, but that depends on Melissa and what she shoots. If she wins, it will be impossible,” she said.
Hedwall and joint second placed Wessberg were among a handful of players who attended a training camp for the Swedish national team in Orlando, Florida, a fortnight ago, along with overnight co-leader Pernilla Lindberg, who shot 74 and slipped back into sixth place.
For Wessberg, a victory would be her fourth in eight years on tour following six top-10 finishes this season. The 31-year-old from Gothenburg had 30 putts, which made the difference from her opening round of 70.
“I guess I took advantage of the good shots more than I did yesterday. I hit a few more fairways so I guess it was easier to attack the pins,” she said.
Tee times were delayed by 35 minutes in the morning after thick fog meant that it was impossible to see the ball. Pornanong, from Chaiyaphum in north-eastern Thailand, felt conditions were a little chilly for her liking. However, temperatures reached 20 degrees Celsius by mid-morning and the afternoon competitors played under blue skies in a tricky breeze.
A four-time tournament winner on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour, 22-year-old Pornanong remarked: “It was very cold in the morning. I hit only seven fairways and missed four greens. Tomorrow, it depends on my chances. I really like this course and I feel very good so I will do my best.”
For the 2010 event champion, Laura Davies, any hopes of retaining her title vanished after she carded consecutive rounds of 75 to finish on a total of six over par and miss the cut by one shot. A total of 62 players, including 60 professionals and two amateurs, survived the cut mark and will play in Sunday’s final round.
SCOTSWATCH: Vikki Laing is lying joint fourth after a 70 for five-under-par 139 - four shots behind the leader. Kylie Walker had a 73 for 143. Carly Booth and Lynn Kenny made the cut with a shot to spare. Carly had a 73 for 148 and Lynn hit the same 36-hole tally with a disappointing 76. Clare Queen who had looked fairly certain to qualify for the Sunday action when she opened the tournament with a two-under-par 70, slumped to an eight-over 80 second time round and her 150 total saw her only one shot over the cut limit.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
135 Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 67 68
136 Linda Wessberg (SWE) 70 66, Pornanong Phatlum (THA) 67 69
139 Becky Morgan (WAL) 70 69, Vikki Laing (SCO) 69 70
140 Pernilla Lindberg (SWE) 66 74
141 Florentyna Parker (ENG) 67 74, Lorie Kane (CAN) 70 71, Hei-Ji Kim (SKOR) 71 70 , Hannah Jun (US) 69 72, Sophie Gustafson (SWE) 71 70, Lee-Anne Pace (SAf) 69 72, Stacey Keating (AUS) 70 71
142 Kiran Matharu (ENG) 68 74, Anil Johani Abu Bakar (MAL) 72 70, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 66 76
143 Kylie Walker (SCO) 70 73 , Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 69 74, Trish Johnson (ENG) 71 72, Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 70 73
144 Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 71 73, Elisabeth Esterl (GER) 70 74, Karen Lunn (AUS) 69 75, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 74 70, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 69 75 145 Tania Elosegui (ESP) 72 73, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 72 73, Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 72 73 , Beth Allen (USA) 71 74 , Nikki Garrett (AUS) 73 72
146 Miho Mori (JPN) 72 74, Frances Bondad (AUS) 73 73, Lotta Wahlin (SWE) 73 73, Tandi Cuningham (SAf) 74 72, Henrietta Zuel (ENG) 73 73, Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 70 76
147 Gauri Monga (Am) (IN) 75 72, Holly Aitchison (ENG) 70 77, Morgana Robbertze (SAf) 74 73, Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LU) 73 74, Praewnappa Phol-Uayporn (THA) 70 77, Caroline Afonso (FRA) 76 71
148 Stacy Lee Bregman (SAf) 74 74, Rebecca Codd (IRE) 73 75, Valerie Tan (BRU) 71 77, Shi Hyun Park (SKOR) 76 72, Carly Booth (SCO) 75 73, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 72 76 , Christina Kim (US) 72 76
149 Smriti Mehra (IN) 72 77, Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (THA) 75 74, Wannasiri Sirisampant (THA) 72 77, Sophie Walker (ENG) 71 78 , Neha Tripathi (IN) 72 77 , Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 70 79, Tiffany Tavee (US) 74 75, Jessica Ji (KOR) 74 75, Vani Kapoor (Am) (IN) 74 75, Sharmila Nicollet (IN) 75 74, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 75 74, Do Yeon Kim (SKOR) 71 78, Erika Tobuse (JPN) 75 74
MISSED THE CUT
150 Nalini Singh Siwach (IN) 75 75, Rhea Nair (IN) 73 77, Caroline Rominger (SWI) 74 76 , Clare Queen (SCO) 70 80 , Laura Davies (ENG) 75 75 , Mika Ikemura (JPN) 71 79
151 Pennapa Pulsawath (THA) 77 74, Ashleigh Simon (SA)f 74 77, Ana Larraneta (ESP) 78 73, Narisara Kerdrit (THA) 74 77, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 76 75
152 Jeehae Lee (SKOR) 75 77, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 77 75 , Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 77 75 , Margherita Rigon (ITA) 75 77 , Lidya Ivana Jaya (IDN) 75 77 , Walailak Satarak (USA) 79 73 153 - Ai Yasui (JPN) 75 78 154 - Panuma Vitayakonkomel (THA) 70 84 , Saaniya Sharma (IN) 74 80 , Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 74 80 , Maha Haddioui (MOR) 75 79 , Rungthiwa Pangjan (THA) 74 80
155 Raksha Phadke (Am) (IN) 74 81, Chouvarest Chourkittisopon (THA) 76 79, Kaoru Ohori (JPN) 81 74, Tanya Wadhwa (IN) 75 80
156 Ajira Nualraksa (THA) 84 72
157 Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) 76 81, Aditi Ashok (Am) (IN) 80 77
158 Millie Saroha (Am) (IN) 79 79, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 77 81
159 Rachel Bell (ENG) 75 84
160 Tiranun Yoopan (THA) 82 78
161 Tvesa Malik (Am) (IN) 77 84
162 Meghna Bal (IN) 82 80, Jiali Ji (SIN) 75 87
163 Vandana Agarwal (IN) 81 82
165 Ankita Tiwana (IN) 80 85
167 Mehar Atwal (Am) (IN) 87 80
172 Nikki Ponappa (IN) 83 89
173 Pallavi Jain (IN) 86 87
176 Preetinder Kaur (IN) 85 91
RTD - Min-Sun Kim (KOR) 88 RTD , Angel Sze (HK) 76 RTD