South African Nicole Garcia set the clubhouse target at eight-under-par on day two of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France at Golf du Médoc in Bordeax and was tied with overnight leader Julia Engstrom, after 15 holes.
Both players are looking for their first victories on the Ladies European Tour, which would earn them a place in The Evian Championship next week.
Garcia, who tried to qualify via the Jabra Ladies Open in July, said that she is planning to attend to watch the fifth Major, as she will be staying with Anne-Lise Caudal, who will be there for a sponsor Pro-Am.
“I’m already going anyway, so at least I’ve got a room if I make it in! I’m not thinking about it too much, because it’s hard to win, but it would be nice!” said Garcia.
Engström is also hoping to book her spot in The Evian with a victory. The Swedish schoolgirl was catching up on her psychology homework before she teed off in perfect conditions on Friday afternoon and moved a stroke ahead on nine-under after a pair of birdies at the eighth and ninth holes, but dropped into a share of the lead with a bogey on the par-4 11th.
Garcia posted a two-under-par 69 and said afterwards: “I didn’t hit the ball as well as yesterday but yesterday I hit it unbelievable, so I didn’t expect to come out and do the same. I was happy with two-under in the end. It was a good front nine and a bit of a struggle over the first few holes again, but I managed to get a birdie on the seventh and a chip-in for eagle on the ninth, so that was quite nice.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep it going but I’m happy with the end result. It was nice to get the birdie on 17 because I felt like I needed another one coming in to get a bit of an extra advantage going into tomorrow. I was really happy with the way I finished.”
Anne Van Dam from the Netherlands is two strokes further back after a four-under 67 and was joined on six-under by Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen after 12 holes. Van Dam felt that her driving and putting were strong, but her approach shots needed to be sharper.
“I’m hitting basically every fairway out there. I don’t have very long irons going into the greens so if I work on that and hole a few more putts, it should be fun,” she said.
“Today there was hardly any wind, clear blue skies, the course is in great condition so it was a pleasure playing out there.”
Scotland’s Carly Booth has fired the low round of the day so far – a six-under-par 65 – containing seven birdies and a bogey. The two-time LET winner lies in fifth place on five-under-par.
She said: “I played solid. I hit 14 out of 14 fairways, missed four greens and had 26 putts, so it was a solid round of golf.
“My golf has not been far away all year; it’s just a little bit of the five inches between the ears. Robbie (my caddie) has been great for me the last couple of days. I’m being confident with what I know I can do and that’s really all it was today with committing to each shot and believing in myself.
“I think my driving has been so good, that I have been giving myself such short irons into the greens which does help. Today I also putted well. Putting has always something that I struggle with and I have been working a lot on it recently. I have been working on getting a better feeling with the putter. The only thing I said today was to see the putt and to go with it. I think sometimes that I over analyse the putts and take too long with them. Today I went with my first instinct and just hit it.”
The 2012 Scottish and Swiss Open champion recently shot eight-under in a practice round at Beaverbrook Golf Club on the first time out with her new caddie and says that she has lofty goals this week.
“I would love to finish better than 10-under. My last win was 12-under, so I think if I can push past there, then I am not going to be far away.
“The only thing for me is trying to take the mentality I have for practice into competition, because I have been playing so well in practice with friends, it’s taking that same attitude into tournament rounds. I don’t see why I am making it so difficult for myself and adding that pressure I don’t need. That is the only thing that I need to overcome this year. It has been hard and has taken me all year to figure it out but I am slowly getting there.”
