CLARE QUEEN COPES WITH Q SCHOOL PRESSURE TO LIE JOINT 7th

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Playing in the Ladies European Tour Final Qualifying School is rated by many of the competitors the toughest, nerve-jangling test of all of because their livelihood over the next 12 months depends on whether they gain one of the 30 players' card awarded after a 90-hole marathon at La Manga, Spain.
Clare Queen, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, it would seem, is in "the zone" at the moment after two rounds of 70 for four-under-par 140 have her sharing seventh place in the field of 101. US-based former Curtis Cup player Jodi Ewart from Yorkshire is setting the pace on 137 with rounds of 70 and 67.
Queen, attached to The Carrick at Loch Lomond, shot three-under par at the more difficult South Course today, boosting her bag of birdies over the first 36 holes to nine with sub-par figures at the first, 10th, 14th and 16th. Her one bogey, at the 15th, came too late to knock her off course for the day.
The first target for all the players is to survive the cut after four rounds to the leading 50 and ties. Apart from Queen, none of the other four Scots is within that mark going into the third day although Carly Booth (Comrie), Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) and Glasgow's Gemma Webster all raised their game from disappointing first rounds to return 72s.
Booth is sharing 52nd place after a three-birdie, two-bogey one-under par 72 at the South course for 148.
Dunblane's Kenny is in joint 56th position on 149.
Webster had three birdies and four bogeys over the North Course to be joint 65th on 150.
GB and I amateur international Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) is a certainty for selection for the Curtis Cup match at Nairn should she fail to gain pass marks at the Q School.
That might well be affecting her psychologically because two rounds of 76 for eight-over-par 152 and joint 79th place does not represent her normal form. It's too much of a coincidence that Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), who is in the same amateur-waiting-to-turn pro position as Pretswell, is also having a dire tournament so far at La Manga. The 2010 British women's open amateur champion is lying 91st equal on 153 after scores of 74 and 79.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
 Par 144 (1x71, 1x73)
137 Jodi Ewart (Eng) 70 67
138 Alexandra Vilatte (Fra) (am) 69 69, Sharmilla Nicollet (India) 68 70, Heather Bowie Young (US) 70 68.
139 Marjet Van der Graaff (Net) 71 68, Carlota Ciganda (Spa) 72 67.
140 Clare Queen (Sco) 70 70, Piyaphida Ployumsri (Thai) 70 70

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
148 Carly Booth 76 72 (T52).
149 Lynn Kenny 77 72 (T56).
150 Gemma Webster 78 72 (T65)
152 Pamela Pretswell (am) 76 76 (T79).

SELECTED SCORE
153 Kelly Tidy (England) (am) 74 79 (T91)

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JODI EWART SHOWS HER TRANSATLANTIC CLASS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, L E T Media Manager

England’s Jodi Ewart fired a four-under-par 67 on the North Course at La Manga Club in Spain today to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of Final Qualifying School for the 2012 Ladies European Tour season.

The 24-year-old, pictured left by Tristan Jones of the LET,  from Middleham in North Yorkshire mixed six birdies with two bogeys for a seven-under-par 36-hole total of 137.

The former Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup player is now poised to achieve a dream double after earning her LPGA Tour card in December.

She ended the day a stroke ahead of three other players. French amateur Alexandra Vilatte, the first round co-leader Sharmila Nicollet of India and Heather Bowie-Young of the United States were all on six under par.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and Marjet Van der Graff from the Netherlands finished a stroke further behind in a share of fifth place, followed by Scotland’s Clare Queen and Thailand’s Piyathida Ployumsri on four under par.

Ewart said: “I hit 16 greens and had 30 putts so it was just really steady and I birdied my last two holes so that helped a lot. I felt like I left a couple of shots out there so that’s always good when you shoot four under. Everything is really steady and I’m just taking it one shot at a time.”

Living in Sarasota, Florida, where she trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Ewart is used to playing in sunny weather, but she was prepared for the heavy rain and strong winds which were predicted for the second round. She and the rest of the field of competitors were pleasantly surprised to find blue skies and a light breeze by mid morning. 

“The weather charts said an 80 per cent chance of rain but it was nice all day. There was not too much wind so it was perfect really,” said Ewart, who spent four years studying psychology at the University of New Mexico.

Overnight co-leader Nicollet held her nerve to post a one under par 70 on the North Course. The 20-year-old from south of Bangalore mixed five birdies with four bogeys to remain well within the top 30 places eligible for a full tour card after five rounds.

“My recoveries were good today and my driving was good compared to yesterday, so the goal for the week is to finish under par in total and every day, so that is the mentality for the week,” said Nicollet.

“The course is playing short for me; distance is my strength so most of the time I have a 52 degree in and I can reach the par fives in two. I think this is my strength over the other players so the target is to go low.”

Vilatte, a 29-year-old amateur from Paris, led the European ranking in 2005 and she has spent the last six years studying to become a pharmacist.

On her second round of four under par 69 on the South Course, containing six birdies and two birdies, she said: “The best part of my game was my irons but my driving was good too. My wedges were very good too and on the par fives that was great.”

Bowie Young, 36, a full-time member of the LPGA who represented the United States at The 2003 Solheim Cup, is hoping to give herself more playing options by joining the Ladies European Tour and her second round of five under par 68 on the South Course put her in the ideal position. 

Marjet Van der Graaff from the Netherlands is playing to retain her playing rights after four years on tour, while Queen is also trying to keep her card, having played on tour for six seasons.

The 90-hole Final Qualifying School is being played with 36 holes on each of La Manga Club’s North and South courses for the first four rounds with a cut to the leading 50 players and ties after 72 holes. The fifth round will be played on the South Course on Thursday and the top 30 players will earn LET Membership in category 8a.