Gwladys Nocera, France 66 (-6)
How was your day?
I did some good things and some bad things. I need to fix my irons because I didn’t hit my long irons well. My putting is good. I enjoy the course and it’s a little tricky so you have to think.
How close are you to where you want to be?
I am feeling alright. This week is quite important because I want to be ready for next week. The point of being here is to warm up for next week. I just need to fix a few more things. It’s getting near to the season and it’s kind of sad.
Are you going to Asia?
I am going to Korea but not China, it’s too much travel.
Do you have ambitions to play on the LPGA?
No, not this year; I might next year. I am feeling good here and I am happy here. The tour is getting better. We have more tournaments and money and I think it is going to grow even more. I am happy here with my friends and enjoying my time here.
What is your main goal? Is it important for you to be number one in Europe?
Yes, that is what I wanted to do at the beginning of the season but there is still a lot of work to do. That is the goal.
What about Helen Alfredsson, who is currently ahead of you?
Even if she plays, that’s good. I prefer it if she is here as it makes a good competition.
Anja Monke, Germany 66 (-6)
How satisfied with your round?
I played really good from tee to green and maybe it sounds stupid but I missed a few putts on the back nine. I had a lip out from maybe a metre and a bit.
How do you find the course?
The par fives are very reachable. I’m probably a very short hitter on tour at the moment and I get on easily. I think it will be a nine or seven iron onto the green for some of the longer hitters. The greens are a little tricky with hills here and there. You have to hit your irons onto the right level of the green.
What lies in store for you for the remainder of the year?
I will go over to the US and try Q School again. I will see my coach first, Tyler Kirkendoll, he is in Phoenix, Arizona. Then I will go to Q School and straight from there to Dubai.
Ursula Wikstrom, Finland 66 (-6)
What are your thoughts on the day?
Once again I felt like I played okay but it doesn’t feel like something spectacular. It was pretty easy. The birdies I made were with good putting. It wasn’t like I was hitting brilliant second shots into the greens on the par fives. There weren’t many mistakes and it was a pretty simple game. I hit 16 greens so that makes it pretty easy. I didn’t feel that my putting was perfect but it was okay. I am hitting the ball okay but I still have that Thursday feeling. It doesn’t feel like the perfect game yet.
What do you think of the course?
The course is tricky. Today I think the pin placements were pretty easy and they can be much nastier. There was no wind this morning and even now there is just a little bit so it was pretty simple in that respect. It even got a bit warmer!
Do you think you can shoot quite low on this course?
I think quite easily because, at least today, the par-fives were playing really short so you have some good chances to make birdies.
Are you playing as well as in Finland?
So, so. I am finally hitting the ball a bit better because over the last couple of weeks I have been struggling a lot.
Do you like Scandinavia?
I like to play in Scandinavia. I played on the Telia Tour a bit four years ago, probably five or six tournaments and also as an amateur.
Marta Prieto, Spain 66 (-6)
What was the key to your low round?
Putting. It’s always putting. I hit 16 greens so I was playing well with the irons but the difference comes when you make the putts.
You had five birdies in a row…
I putted for birdie on number one and number two as well. I was just feeling better with my putter. On the third my chip was just to one centimetre of the hole. On no.4 I hit the driver to the green so it was also a chip and run. I was hitting the fairways, greens and making the putts.
Have you been practicing your putting much?
I think we all try to practise our putting and we go crazy. This week I was trying to kind of just stand over the ball and hit it. I wasn’t thinking about anything else: just hit it.
Now you are a member of the board of directors on the LET. How much of your time will that occupy?
We do have a lot of time! We have a lot of meetings at tournaments and we have the time. If we can make things better then we will!
How satisfied are you with your season so far?
I haven’t been playing very well at all. I don’t know why. Golf is just like that. This season hasn’t been really bad but it has just been decent. I had one good tournament in Germany and that was about it. I didn’t feel great. I always just try to improve each season but you need to be driven sometimes.
What are your thoughts on the course?
It is nice and it really depends on where they put the pins. You need to place the ball on the fairway and you need to be in the right place on the greens so I would say it is quite a fair golf course.
Sanna Johansson, Sweden 67 (-5)
You were seven-under until the last. You seemed to hit your tee shot into a bunker and then what happened?
I made a double bogey on 18. I took the decision to take a 56 and put it in front of the water but then I topped it. I think I made the right decision.
How is your game?
My putting is very good right now. I don’t feel I hit my irons so good.
Are you a full time professional?
Yes. I play on the SAS Masters Tour. I turned pro at the beginning of 2005 so that was my first year. This is my fourth year.
Are you hoping to join the LET?
Yes. I am going to go to qualifying this winter for the first time. This is where I want to be!
Why have you not tried before?
I don’t know. It feels like Sweden is good enough for the first years. We have a good tour and I enjoy it.
Do you also teach or have any other jobs?
No. I am working at McDonalds. My parents own a franchise of McDonald’s in Växjö so I am working some hours in the week in the winter. It’s in the south east.
Have you played this course before?
No, I played it two days ago for the first time.
Do you have any relations who play golf?
My parents play but I made a lot of friends when I started.
What handicap did you have when you turned pro?
Plus two or something like that.
You won a tournament?
Yes, two weeks ago. That was my first one. I didn’t play so well in the beginning of the season so I tried to practise more mentally with my trainer Carl Gustafsson. I am trying to play one shot at a time.
What can you say about the SAS Masters Tour?
There are 12 tournaments which run from May to October. The money is 300,000 kroner for each tournament.
Can you continue this form?
It feels very good so why not? This is the first tournament for me on the LET so I will just have fun.
Do you have any idols?
Actually, no! Everyone asks me that!
