VERONICA ZORZI LEADS BY TWO WITH A ROUND TO GO IN CHINA

        VERONICA ZORZI, pictured in second-round action, seeking first win in seven years

NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager
SUZHOU (China) : Italian Veronica Zorzi fired a second round of four under par 68 in misty conditions at Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club on Saturday to take a two stroke lead into the final round of the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open.
Only Zorzi, who ended the day at 11-under, stands between Carlota Ciganda’s attempts to secure her second Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open title at the course over which she triumphed by seven strokes 12 months ago.
However, it’s tight at the top with nine players within three shots of the lead. Ciganda (68) is joined by Ashleigh Simon (70) and Anne-Lise Caudal (65) two shots back at nine under par.
Charley Hull (66), Gwladys Nocera (67), Na Zhang (67), Nontaya Srisawang (67) and Beth Allen (66) are tied for fifth place on eight under par. Last week’s Sanya Ladies Open winner Lee-Anne Pace will go into the final round five shots adrift.
You have to go back seven years for Zorzi’s last victory, which came when she successfully defended at the 2006 Open de France. But the 33-year-old Italian has given herself every chance of ending her barren spell with six birdies against two bogeys on the score card.  
Zorzi said: “It was a pretty good day. I hit 16 greens, so the long game was good. I had 30 putts, made two bogeys. One on number six, that was my 15^th, because I went into the bunker with the drive and didn’t have a nice lie so had to chip out, play to the green and two putts. The other bogey on 15 was three putts but I was very far away from the hole.
“There are so many good players out there. With 18 holes to play anything can happen. If I can continue to play like this then we’ll see what happens on the last hole. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself.
"I just want to continue to play like this. Maybe someone can shoot 10 under, you never know. Golf is golf. I’m happy. After such a long time, it’s nice to be the leader again.”
Ciganda’s last victory on the Ladies European Tour, apart from as a member of the European Solheim Cup team, came at the UniCredit Ladies German Open in early June but she is confident that she can overturn the deficit.
“It was a good day today. I did four under so I’m happy with my round and played good golf,” Ciganda said. “It was a shame that I had a bogey on my 16^th hole because I had a putt for birdie and I three putted but I’m playing good, hitting good shots and happy to have a chance tomorrow. I’m just going to try to keep playing my game, playing one shot at a time. There are good players playing solid golf so it’s not going to be easy. Only one player is going to win this tournament so hopefully it can be me.”
Simon, who returned from hip surgery early in the season, was happy with her round and hopes to secure her third win on the LET and first since the 2011 Portugal Ladies Open.
She said: “I hit is just as good as yesterday, if not better. I hit 15 greens, the putts just didn’t drop. I hit a lot of good putts but they seemed to just lip out instead of going in. I had 31 putts today.”
At the end of the second round, 71 players made the cut at plus one, including four amateurs, with 17-year-old Jing Yan the best placed in a tie for 10^th with Holly Clyburn.
The third and final round will be played from two tees, starting at 9.10am local time, with the leaders out from the first hole at 11am.

SCOTSWATCH: Kylie Walker made the cut with nothing to spare after a 72 for 145 but Carly Booth, the only other Scot in the field, missed out with a 73 for 148, three strokes too many.

SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
133 Veronica Zorzi (ITA)  65 68 135 Ashleigh Simon (RSA)  65 70, Carlota Ciganda (ESP)  67 68, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)  70 65
136 Charley Hull (ENG)  70 66, Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  69 67, Na Zhang (CHN)  69 67, Nontaya Srisawang (THA)  69 67, Beth Allen (USA)  70 66
137  Jing Yan (CHN)  67 70, Holly Clyburn (ENG)  65 72
138  Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)  71 67, Mikaela Parmlid (SWE)  70 68, Kristie Smith (AUS)  68 70, Felicity Johnson (ENG)  69 69, Christine Song (USA)  68 70, Hong Tian (CHN)  69 69, Patcharajutar Kongkrapan (THA)  67 71
139  Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA)  68 71, Bree Arthur (AUS)  69 70, Sarah Kemp (AUS)  70 69, Line Vedel (DEN)  67 72, Becky Brewerton (WAL)  69 70
140 Julie Greciet (FRA)  73 67, Cindy Lacrosse (USA)  70 70, Rebecca Artis (AUS)  70 70, Lucie Andre (FRA)  70 70, Pei-Yun Chien (TPE)  70 70, Maria Hernandez (ESP)  69 71
141 Tania Elosegui (ESP)  68 73, Lindsey Wright (AUS)  72 69, Frances Bondad (AUS)  73 68, Stacey Keating (AUS)  72 69, Maha Haddioui (MAR)  71 70, Caroline Afonso (FRA)  71 70, Liz Young (ENG)  70 71, Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER)  71 70, Stephanie Na (AUS)  75 66, Ye Na Chung (KOR)  71 70, Joanna Klatten (FRA)  72 69
142 Xin Ying Wang (CHN)  74 68, Connie Chen (RSA)  70 72, Nikki Garrett (AUS)  66 76, Hannah Jun (USA)  72 70, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR)  73 69, Li Ying Ye (CHN)  72 70, Jia Yun Li (CHN)  72 70, Yu Ting Shi (CHN)  73 69, In Ji Bae (KOR)  71 71, Cuixia Chen (CHN)  70 72
143 Trish Johnson (ENG)  71 72, Stefania Croce (ITA)  70 73, Tiffany Tavee (USA)  69 74, Kusuma Meechai (THA)  76 67
144 Xi Yu Lin (CHN)  75 69, Ainil Bakar (MYS)  72 72, Cai Zhu Guo (CHN)  70 74, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA)  73 71, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN)  72 72, Hsuan-Ping Chang (TPE)  71 73, Ajira Nualraksa (THA)  73 71
145 Ling Ling Tan (CHN)  73 72, Kylie Walker (SCO)  73 72, Smriti Mehra (IND)  72 73, Danielle Montgomery (ENG)  73 72, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA)  75 70, Wei Wei Zhang (CHN)  75 70, Hannah Burke (ENG)  74 71, Rebecca Hudson (ENG)  74 71, Pennapa Pulsawath (THA)  74 71, Jade Schaeffer (FRA)  75 70
Missed the cut:
146 Yan Hong Pan (CHN)  73 73, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  74 72, Saraporn Chamchoi (THA)  72 74, Hsin Ning Yeh (TPE)  74 72, Laura Davies (ENG)  73 73, Pan Pan Yan (CHN)  74 72, Sophie Walker (ENG)  73 73, Wichanee Meechai (THA)  75 71, Holly Aitchison (ENG)  73 73, Tiranan Yoopan (THA)  74 72, Anais Maggetti (SUI)  72 74, Linda Wessberg (SWE)  71 75, Numa Gulyanamitta (THA)  73 73
147 Mei Ping Lu (CHN)  72 75, Ashlee Dewhurst (AUS)  76 71, Valerie Tan (BRN)  70 77, Narisara Kerdrit (THA)  71 76, Juanjuan Tao (CHN)  72 75, Zheng Lv (CHN)  72 75, Panuma Vitayakonkomol (THA)  72 75
148 Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA)  76 72, Wannasiri Srisampant (THA)  75 73, Thi Nhung Tang (VNM)  75 73, Carly Booth (SCO)  75 73
149 Jaruporn Palakawong Na Ayutthaya (THA)  73 76, Sahra Hassan (WAL)  76 73, Henni Zuel (ENG)  72 77, Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (THA)  73 76
150 Yue Xia Lu (CHN)  74 76, Rungthiwa Pangjan (THA)  74 76
152 Tzu Chi Lin (TPE)  73 79, Walailak Satarak (THA)  75 77, Hai Ying Zhang (CHN)  73 79, Aunchisa Utama (THA)  73 79, Li Qing Chen (CHN)  75 77, Jian Zhang (CHN)  76 76
153 Supakchaya Pattaranakrueang (THA)  74 79, Marjet Van Der Graaff (NED)  75 78, Jin Cui Yang (CHN)  76 77
155 Lin Yan Shang (CHN)  76 79
157 Chang Yu Qiao (CHN)  78 79
158 Noon Huachai (THA)  79 79
161 Zi Li (CHN)  83 78
 

Bethan Cutler
E: bethan.cutler@ladieseuropeantour.com
T: +44 (0)7980056045