Ladies European Tour – 22 June 2018: Sweden’s Lynn Carlsson shot a sizzling 65 to climb into a share of the lead with Pauline del Rosario from the Philippines on a scorching second day at the Ladies European Thailand Championship in Pattaya. The two Indian women had a tough outing on Friday. Vani Kapoor kept her head above water with a battling 75. Gaurika Bishnoi fought in vain as she fell on the wrong side the knife with a 76 in the second round.
Vani endured five bogeys in her three over score, four of which came on the forward stretch. A hattrick of bogeys starting at the fifth left her needing 40 strokes for the first nine. She played with far greater discipline on the return stretch, doing just what was needed to save herself. Vani scored a timely birdie at the 15th to make the cut, right on the line.
Gaurika wasn’t so fortunate. The young golfer suffered seven bogeys as she added a 76 to her first round 75 to slip well below the cut line at 7-over 151.
At seven-under-par, the leading pair are a stroke ahead of Thailand’s Kanyalak Preedasuttjit and overnight co-leader Anne Van Dam from the Netherlands.
Carlsson fired seven birdies on the Phoenix Gold course, including five on the back nine, for her career best round on the Ladies European Tour.
The 24-year-old from Varberg, who finished fourth in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco in April, once again had her father and coach Jan as her caddie.
“My dad helps a lot; he knows me very well and we are a great team. I just enjoyed the game out there. I played very solid golf today, hit a lot of good approach shots into the greens and hit a lot of good putts,” said the third-year player on the Ladies European Tour.
While Carlsson is making her debut in the tournament, 19-year-old Rosario returned to fire a superb second-round 67 after finishing tied for 17th last year.
She said: “I was able to play here last year and glad to be back, as I got in through Thai LPGA. I play four tours: Philippines, China, Thai and Taiwan. Today my shots weren’t that accurate, but my putts were rolling in.”
It was the opposite for the long-hitting Dutchwoman Van Dam, who was looking frustrated on the greens. She said: “It felt a lot better than one-under, to be honest. I hit it close again today, the same as yesterday, although yesterday a lot of putts fell and today I couldn’t read the greens or get the pace. It wasn’t even close, so that was a bit disappointing.
“I just need to keep focusing on the things I’m working on in my swing. That was the main goal when I came here, to really test how it goes under pressure. I tend to switch too much from the range and have different feels on the course. I need to get that more together, so that’s my goal and I need to leave the score a little bit behind.”
There is an international feel to proceedings with the top five positions occupied by players from five different nations.
No player has been more consistent this week than England’s Eleanor Givens, who managed to finish the day at five-under-par. The player who earlier this year was announced as a mentor to younger players via Glasgow-based firm ‘ProDreamUSA’, shot a fine 69 to see her claiming fifth spot.
The leading amateur is Selin Hyun from Korea who also produced a fine seven-under 65 to finish the day in a share of sixth at four-under with Austrian Christine Wolf, Nordic rookies Julia Engström and Marita Engzelius and Thai pair Aunchisa Utama and Ploychompoo Wirairungrueng. The weekend is going to be a tight affair and the scorching Pattaya sun is starting to take its toll, placing high energy levels at a premium.
