LAURA CABINALLAS RECORD ON HOLD DUE TO BAD WEATHER

                           Laura Cabinallas in action yesterday. Image by courtesy of the LET

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
  By BETHAN CUTLER,  LET Media Manager

Laura Cabanillas was poised to record a career-low round at Golf Park Pilsen – Dýšina on Friday morning before the first round of the Honma Pilsen Golf Masters in the Czech Republic was suspended at 13:04 due to thunder storms.

The 32-year-old from Malaga in Spain was nine-under-par through 15 holes, when the players were called off the course shortly before thunder and lightning hit the venue, followed by torrential rain.

At 5pm, the course was declared unplayable due to the volume of heavy rainfall and round one will resume at 7am local time on Saturday morning.

World No.13 Ai Miyazato holds the clubhouse lead on six under par 65, having posted seven birdies and one bogey before the storms.

Miyazato birdied the 10^th and 13^th before dropping a shot after missing the green on the short 15^th. However she picked up the momentum with five birdies on the front nine, her second nine, with birdies on holes two, five, six, seven and nine.

“I’m very happy. I hit the ball well and my putting was good, getting better than last week, so I feel good with my game,” said Miyazato, 28, from Okinawa. “This golf course has really tiny fairways, really narrow, so you have to make sure of every position. If you hit on the fairway then you can make birdie for sure. I was thinking about that all day and had a good focus and was very happy with my game.”

On her strategy for playing the tight and hilly course, which is lined with young silver birch, she added:  “Of course we had a practice round, so me and my caddie were talking about course management. I think it went well today and it just depends on the pin positions, so I don’t know where I’m going to hit tomorrow but I want to hit the fairway every hole. My iron distance is pretty good.”

Miyazato played under leaden skies in becalmed, drizzly conditions and ended a stroke clear of Florentyna Parker, Anais Maggetti, Ann-Kathrin Lindner and Diana Luna tied on five-under-par.

Parker, who carded six birdies and one bogey, said: “I’m very happy. I had six birdies, one dropped shot, played very solid, putted well and a nice birdie on the last, which was good. You have a lot of birdie chances. It’s quite tight in some places but you think your way around it and you have loads of birdie opportunities.”

Maggetti, who had five birdies, two bogeyed and an eagle on the par-five ninth, commented: “I hit the ball really good and made some putts, finally. I hit a lot of greens, like 16 greens and 30 putts, so that’s good. It’s a strange one. When I first played here I was like, ‘uh-oh, this course doesn’t suit my game.’ Then I played two practice rounds and hit iron from the tees, middle of the green and try to make some putts.”

Line Vedel, Miriam Nagl, Lee-Anne Pace, Melissa Reid and Lindsey Wright were lying on four-under-par with 67s. Czech number one, Klara Spilkova, 18, from Prague fired a two-under 69 and was happy to be in the clubhouse after a mixed round.

Cabanillas made her score on the back nine, which she played first, with four birdies and an eagle on the par-four 17^th. She reached nine-under after further birdies on the first, third and sixth holes. The 11^th season player, with a career-best finish of second in Norway in 2009, has only played in four LET events this season, making one cut, with a tie for 12^th at the Spanish Open.

Although she is on target for a personal low round, Cabanillas cannot set any records since preferred lies are in operation. The all-time record for the lowest round relating to par on the LET is 11-under-par.

Images available on http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladieseuropeantour/

Bethan Cutler

LET Media Manager