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Diana Luna (Italy) 68-69 (-7)
Diana: congratulations. Top of the leader board…how does that feel?
“Oh it’s very good! I’ve been there many times this year so it’s good.”
Well, you’ve been in good form recently. I think you came second in Holland two tournaments ago, fourteenth last time, so you’re getting closer.
“Yeah, definitely. Hopefully this time will be the good one.”
What was the secret to a good score today?
“I think it was that I stayed very calm and patient today, all the way round. I mean, this is a course that needs to accept every single shot-because, of course, links courses get some bounce and you never know-so you need to accept every shot and every bounce and keep it going.”
So it’s a long time since you’ve won, you must be getting frustrated. What is it, five years now? Do you feel that this could be the week?
“Of course, I mean it could be anyone’s week but I’m playing very good and I just want to keep going and enjoy myself. And its wonderful weather and we’re so lucky to be here on this wonderful course.”
Sophie Gustafson (SWE) 71-67 (-6)
What was the key to your score today?
“I hit the same amount of fairways but I hit more greens and that obviously makes a big difference. I holed some good putts. I made about four 15-20 footers.”
What are your views on the conditions?
The weather has been amazing and hopefully it will continue tomorrow.
You’ve won three Irish Opens. Are you confident of winning a fourth?
I’ve won five times in Ireland! I won the World Cup in 2000 at Adare Manor with Carin Koch. When I played there it was kind of a new course. Then I won the Northern Ireland Open in 2003.
What do you like about Ireland?
It’s just nice here. The people and the atmosphere are so great. We always play great courses; links is my favourite. It’s my first time here and it’s a really nice course. It’s a links and so that’s automatically going to put it up there.
What brought you back from America?
It fitted my schedule and I was able to go back to Sweden last week and celebrate midsummer with herring. We had an all day party on Friday.
How will you approach tomorrow?
I’m just going to go out there and enjoy myself.
Melissa Reid (ENG) 68-70 (-6)
Melissa, you weren’t too happy with your ball striking yesterday. How was it today?
“I hit it a lot better today. A few dodgy shots in there but, you know, you’re going to have that in a round of golf. But it was tough this afternoon, I think. We definitely got the worst of the weather in the afternoon, the wind picked up quite a lot in the middle of the round so it was playing pretty tough. The greens dried out, they got really, really firm, you know, you could hardly spin wedges or anything. So it was playing really, really tough.”
Overall, not too unhappy with your score then?
No, I mean, I bogeyed the last which was a bit disappointing, but I made a couple of good shots up and down during the rounds, so I can complain too much.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow, once again a contention for that big win. Conditions, I’ve told, are going to be pretty much the same. What’s the key going to be?
“The key is what’s going to happen is just going to happen. We’re just going to play the same game we’ve been playing the last couple of days. Hopefully make a few pars and hopefully get a few in pretty close. But, you know, we’re going to try and shoot for a win tomorrow.
Florentyna Parker (England) 70-69 (-5)
Florentyna, well done, your lowest round on the tour: sixty-nine.
“Yes it was. Yesterday I was four in early but bogied the last two, unfortunately. And today, I parred in the last three, so it was my lowest round, yes.”
And it was getting tougher towards the end wasn’t it?
“Yes, I think in the last six holes it started getting a lot windier but it was still playable.”
You got off to a great start, a birdie and then an eagle earlier on but you gave them back, it was always frustrating. How did you cope with that sort of disappointment?
“I was very disappointed, I four putted for the double bogie. So I felt like I hadn’t done much wrong, didn’t lose the ball but, yes I was a bit disappointed but I followed with a few pars to calm myself down and then had some nice bogies.”
Well you’ve obviously been a front runner in the tour, what was it, fifth in Portugal? And now you’re right up there again.
“Yes, well before Portugal in the practice round I thought ‘oh dear, here we go!’ I was playing awful. But here I wasn’t playing too well in the practice round but I seem to have found my form just in time”
Well, you’re gonna be out late tomorrow and that’s something to say. But what mindset are you going into going into the final round?
“I’m just gonna play my game, play the way I’ve played the last two days…hopefully!”
Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 68-72 (-4)
Gwladys, it got a little bit difficult today, the wind picked up, was that and ok score for you?
“I had some up and downs and I’m a little bit disappointed because I got a double bogie on nine and I made a bogie on par five at thirteen or fourteen. I just didn’t trust myself enough today so I got kind of scared about hitting some shots, just because I don’t know the vision … of the shots. So I didn’t trust myself enough, so it’s too bad but I’m playing well.”
You had that bad turn around, bogied nine and bogied ten. With all your experience, are you able to just put that behind you and forget about it?
“Yeah, I mean, probably one of the hardest things to do in golf is to forget about the bad things that happen. But the course is so fun to play, I’m just trying to enjoy myself. There are so many … I just tell myself ‘just go and hit a nice shot’ and then we’ll see.”
I was just thinking, you had such a wonderful year last year that almost anything you did last year would be a disappointment. Do you get that feeling nothing you could do this year could live up to those five wins that year?
“Well, the beginning of the season was kind of hard for me because I didn’t decide really what I wanted to do this season so I got a bit lost on the course. But I set up my goals again and I went back to work hard and was with my coach, and I think I asked myself the right questions, I hope. So there are always things to learn in golf and in life. So, yeah, what I did last year was amazing but it’s done, it’s over and now I have to start again. So there are many things to do still and I still have to work.”
What’s it going to take to win tomorrow?
“Patience, stay patient in that stretch from the beginning. Start off well, I think that will help. And just play my game and if I play my game right it’ll be fine. But you can never tell what the other one’s will do. I’m just gonna play myself and enjoy it.”
