STACY LEWIS SHOOTS A 65 TO TAKE LEAD IN DUBAI LADIES MASTERS

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
DUBAI: World No. 3 Stacy Lewis, pictured above in action today, fired a superb second round of seven-under 65 to break free of a crowded leader board going into the penultimate round of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters being held the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein
The 24-year-old from Texas mixed her eight birdies, four in each half, with a lone bogey on the par-3, 15^th to reach nine-under, one ahead of Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg and two clear of Spain’s Carlota Ciganda with Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum occupying solo fourth on six-under after a second round 70. A good three shots off the pace overnight, Lewis made a confident start, picking up back-to-back birdies on the second and third and kept momentum rolling all the way through. 
The highlight of her charge up the leader board being four in five holes from the ninth.
A three-putt bogey on the par-3, 15^th stymied her bid to match the tournament record of a 63 posted by Dewi Claire Schreefel of the Netherlands last year, but the American then rolled in a 40 foot putt for birdie on 17 in near darkness, which she rated as the putt of the day.
Lewis said: “The putts went in today. I made a little adjustment on the practice green and it seemed to work. I made a couple of long ones that I probably shouldn’t have made and it turned out to be a good day.
“On the longer putts the grip handle was stopping instead of keeping going so I changed that. I think I had 10 or 12 fewer putts and that made the difference. I think I had 24 putts today instead of 33.
“It played a lot shorter from the tee and most of the greens I could reach in two. The greens were firmer but I had shorter clubs.
“I’m going to have to keep going and take care of business but I prefer being where I am now to where I was last night.”
Due to bad light, round two play was suspended at approximately 5.45pm and two groups, containing six players, will return to complete their second rounds at 8am on Friday.
The third round will begin at 10.40am and will be played from two tees in a U-draw format. The draw for round three will be published once round two has been completed.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
+A few players still to complete second round
Par 144 (2x72)

135 - Stacy Lewis (USA)  70 65

136 - Pernilla Lindberg (SWE)  67 69

137 - Carlota Ciganda (ESP)  67 70

138 - Pornanong Phatlum (THA)  68 70

141 - Diana Luna (ITA)  73 68, Vikki Laing (SCO)  71 70, Laura Davies (ENG)  70 71, Caroline Masson (GER)  69 72

142 - Sarah Kemp (AUS)  70 72, Valentine Derrey (FRA)  70 72, Charley Hull (ENG)  70 72

143 - Beth Allen (USA)  71 72, Cindy Lacrosse (USA)  73 70, Louise Larsson (SWE)  72 71, Sahra Hassan (WAL)  74 69, Shanshan Feng (CHN)  76 67, Maria Hjorth (SWE)  72 71, Mireia Prat (ESP)  67 76

144 - Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  71 73

145 - Noora Tamminen (FIN)  71 74, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM)  71 74, Nontaya Srisawang (THA)  73 72, Linda Wessberg (SWE)  72 73, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)  72 73, Thidapa Suwannapura (THA)  71 74, Sophie Gustafson (SWE)  73 72

146 - Pamela Pretswell (SCO)  71 75, Marion Ricordeau (FRA)  74 72, Caroline Afonso (FRA)  71 75, Malene Jorgensen (DEN)  73 73, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN)  73 73, Maria Balikoeva (RUS)  70 76

147 - Camilla Lennarth (SWE)  73 74, Holly Clyburn (ENG)  75 72, Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA)  74 73, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA)  73 74, Jing Yan (CHN)  75 72, Katie Burnett (USA)  73 74, Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA)  71 76, Nikki Campbell (AUS)  74 73, Becky Morgan (WAL)  74 73, Klara Spilkova (CZE)  74 73, Liz Young (ENG)  72 75

148 - Nikki Garrett (AUS)  78 70, Veronica Zorzi (ITA)  75 73, Mikaela Parmlid (SWE)  72 76, Patcharajutar Kongkraphan (THA)  70 78, Lucie Andre (FRA)  76 72
149 - Jade Schaeffer (FRA)  80 69, Sophie Walker (ENG)  74 75, Celine Herbin (FRA)  75 74, Connie Chen (RSA)  74 75, Minea Blomqvist (FIN)  73 76, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA)  73 76

150 - Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 75 75, Trish Johnson (ENG)  73 77, Emily Taylor (ENG)  74 76, Kylie Walker (SCO)  75 75, Miriam Nagl (GER)  76 74

PROJECTED HALFWAY CUT FIGURE: 150 and better to qualify

151 - Elisabeth Esterl (GER)  73 78, Melanie Maetzler (SUI)  77 74, Tandi Von Ruben (RSA)  74 77, Maha Haddioui (MAR)  75 76, Rebecca Codd (IRL)  75 76, Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER)  75 76, Melissa Reid (ENG)  80 71, Marjet Van Der Graaff (NED)  75 76, Steffi Kirchmayr (GER)  77 74, Hannah Burke (ENG)  77 74, Becky Brewerton (WAL)  74 77, Amelia Lewis (USA)  75 76

152 - Carin Koch (SWE)  78 74, Rebecca Hudson (ENG)  77 75, Eleanor Givens (ENG)  74 78, Hannah Jun (USA)  77 75

153 - Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR)  76 77, Julie Greciet (FRA)  76 77, Felicity Johnson (ENG)  79 74, Melodie Bourdy (FRA)  75 78, Nina Holleder (GER)  78 75

154 - Whitney Hillier (AUS)  76 78, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  79 75, Lydia Hall (WAL)  77 77, Danielle Montgomery (ENG)  77 77

155 - Charlotte Ellis (ENG)  76 79, Laura Jansone (LVA)  76 79, Elina Nummenpaa (FIN)  77 78

156 - Paula Hurtado (COL)  82 74, Holly Aitchison (ENG)  75 81, Benedikte Grotvedt (NOR)  79 77, Mallory Fraiche (USA)  80 76

157 - Laurette Maritz (RSA)  79 78, Virginia Espejo (ESP)  81 76, Bree Arthur (AUS)  73 84, Sharmila Nicollet (IND)  79 78

158 - Alexandra Vilatte (FRA)  76 82

159 - Rhea Nair (IND)  80 79

161 - Georgina Simpson (ENG)  78 83

163 - Anais Maggetti (SUI)  81 82