SALLY WATSON SHARING SECOND PLACE

WIND-TAMER TRISH JOHNSON GOES 

SIX CLEAR AT ARCHERFIELD


NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
FROM BETHAN CUTLER, LET MEDIA MANAGER

England’s Trish Johnson fired an impressive second round of two-under-par 70 in breezy conditions to open up a commanding lead going into the final round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield Links.

At eight under par, the 48-year-old from Wiltshire is six strokes clear of Scotland’s Sally Watson (pictured) and Gwladys Nocera, with fellow Frenchwoman Anne-Lise Caudal a stroke further behind on one-under-par.

Johnson began with five pars on the Fidra Course near North Berwick and made her first birdie of the day on 15, before dropping a shot on 16. She picked up two more strokes on the front nine, on six and seven, where she holed a ‘tram liner’ from 40 feet.

“It was tough out there today, probably harder than yesterday. The wind was much stronger and just relentless so I was very pleased with that,” said Johnson, who honed her links skills growing up at windy Westward Ho! In Devon. 

“It feels like I’m putting well so hopefully it will continue well tomorrow. It’s more in the head than anything else.”

With 18 Ladies European Tour titles and three LPGA trophies in 28 years on tour, Johnson is already a Life Member of the LET, but if she wins on Sunday, she will become the oldest winner in the tour’s history. 

Dame Laura Davies was 47 when she won the Hero Honda Women’s Indian Open in November 2010.

She would also break a personal record as she has never previously won a Ladies European Tour event in Scotland and would love to get her hands on the trophy she came so close to winning at Archerfield in 2010 and 2012, when she was leading in the final round with just a few holes to play.

For Nocera, whose 69 was the best score of the day, Scotland brings back fond memories as she won at The Carrick in 2008. “It’s too long ago but I’ve been feeling good and I love this place,” she said, adding:

 “Everything was good. In that wind, I hit the ball well, stayed away from the bunkers and made a few putts.”

The Scottish galleries will be looking to Edinburgh-born LET rookie Watson to extend the record of three straight home victories after past winners Catriona Matthew and Carly Booth fell out of contention with rounds of 77 and 79 respectively.

“You just had to keep grinding out there, it was tough,” said Watson, now based with her parents across in Fife at Elie. 

“I mean, every hole it felt like if you made par you were making up half a shot on the field. Even if you only had a nine or eight iron in, the wind would move the ball so much that if you put a little shape on it you knew your ball would be 20 yards off line.”

In the Pro-Am team competition, Australian Nikki Campbell and her amateur partner Gavin Corbett continued to lead on 14-under-par, followed by England’s Holly Clyburn and amateur Richard Bevan, with Johnson and ex-footballer Alan Hansen lying in third.

 

SECOND-ROUND SCORES

Par 144 (2x72)

136 - Trish Johnson (ENG)  66 70

142 Sally Watson (SCO)  71 71, Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  73 69

143 Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)  69 74

145 Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA)  73 72, Sophie Walker (ENG)  74 71, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR)  73 72, Stephanie Na (AUS)  72 73, Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER)  73 72

146 Melissa Reid (ENG)  71 75, Rebecca Hudson (ENG)  73 73, Caroline Martens (NOR)  76 70, Nicole Broch Larsen (DEN)  70 76, Minea Blomqvist (FIN)  74 72, Rebecca Artis (AUS)  77 69

147 Beth Allen (USA)  74 73, Kylie Walker (SCO)  70 77, Nikki Garrett (AUS)  75 72, Marion Ricordeau (FRA)  74 73

148 Rebecca Codd (IRL)  78 70, Nikki Campbell (AUS)  72 76, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  74 74, Margherita Rigon (ITA)  75 73

149 Sahra Hassan (WAL)  72 77, Liz Young (ENG)  76 73, Holly Clyburn (ENG)  76 73, Carly Booth (SCO)  70 79, Kelsey Macdonald (SCO)  75 74, Hannah Burke (ENG)  74 75

150 Camilla Lennarth (SWE)  73 77, Catriona Matthew (SCO)  73 77, Bree Arthur (AUS)  72 78, Sophie Gustafson (SWE)  77 73, Whitney Hillier (AUS)  80 70

151 Tania Elosegui (ESP)  74 77, Steffi Kirchmayr (GER)  77 74, Maria Balikoeva (RUS)  79 72, Holly Aitchison (ENG)  78 73, Julie Greciet (FRA)  76 75, Alexandra Vilatte (FRA)  76 75

152 Becky Brewerton (WAL)  74 78, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA)  76 76, Caroline Afonso (FRA)  71 81, Pamela Pretswell (SCO)  74 78, Eleanor Givens (ENG)  77 75

153 Jade Schaeffer (FRA)  75 78, Chloe Leurquin (BEL) 76 77, Laura Davies (ENG)  80 73, Valentine Derrey (FRA)  73 80

154 Amy Boulden (WAL)  76 78, Viva Schlasberg (SWE)  76 78, Vikki Laing (SCO)  77 77, Mireia Prat (ESP)  73 81, Malene Jorgensen (DEN)  78 76, Maha Haddioui (MAR)  75 79, Sophie Sandolo (ITA)  79 75

MISSED THE CUT

155 Louise Larsson (SWE)  78 77, Connie Chen (RSA)  74 81, Georgina Simpson (ENG)  77 78

156 Fabienne In-Albon (SUI)  77 79

157 Heather MacRae (SCO)  81 76, Lydia Hall (WAL)  81 76, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA)  80 77, Alison Whitaker (AUS)  83 74, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA)  80 77

158 Mallory Fraiche (USA)  77 81

159 Josephine Janson (SWE)  75 84, Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ)  77 82, Hermione Fitzgerald (SUI)  80 79

160 Noora Tamminen (FIN)  82 78

163 Neha Tripathi (IND)  78 85

168 Pamela Feggans (SCO)  82 86

Team Scores:

http://www.letscoring.com/leaderboard/68231/