Suzann Pettersen (Norway)
A second 69, how pleased are you with your performance?
It was a nice bounce back I had there mid way. I managed to put it close and make a few putts. I gave myself some chances coming in. I just couldn’t get the ball to drop. I’m quite happy. I will have a good night’s sleep and see what tomorrow brings me.
How comfortable are you with your game?
I feel pretty good. This is why we put in all the work, to be in this position, so we’ll see.
What are your thoughts on the weather?
This is Europe. This is Ireland. This is why you come to Ireland – to get the nice Irish summer. It was a bit cold out there but you can have all four seasons in one hour here and certainly we had all four seasons in 20 minutes.
What is your mind set?
You’ve got to try to be patient when it kind of changes around as quickly as it did. You know it’s going to pass quite quickly. The rain that came when we were on 12 you know is only going to last for five minutes. Sometimes you’ve just got to go out there and get wet and dry up a couple of minutes later. It came down pretty quick.
How do those conditions affect you?
It definitely changes your mind set when you’re over the ball. You’ve just got to take whatever it gives you. You have to be very patient and take whatever it gives you. You just have to be aggressive where you can be aggressive.
Lynn Brooky (New Zealand)
Almost everything went right today, didn’t it?
One bad tee shot and I made bogey from it. Every other hole I decided to just hit it and felt pretty comfortable. I was pretty consistent so it felt good. It’s a links course and you don’t know the bounces so you just go with it.
How do you like this course?
I like links golf a lot when the bounces are good. You’ve got to be hitting it straight. If you’ve got slight spin or a draw then you can be in a lot of trouble and straight is good.
The last hole I was surprised it went straight in but it must have been a pure shot because it flew all the way.
What have you been working on lately?
I’ve been working on the putting grip, a total split and I’ve changed the whole lot in the last 20 months. Finally I’m starting to feel comfortable and feeling comfortable means that there’s some consistency there. I’ll just go out and play tomorrow and I really wish to win. It is a good field plus I love Ireland and the people are great. I had a really good pro am and they are going to keep in contact. I love it even though it’s wet and right now it’s not even windy.
Where were you when it started raining heavily?
On the 15th where I made my bogey. I had a bad drive and had a wedge out. The downpour happened around the green so a two putt there was not bad.
Marianne Skarpnord (Norway)
What are your feelings on the way you played?
I played safe and tried not to get in the bunkers with the tee shots so you can get to the green with the second. My putting has been okay and I hit the ball good.
How did you make bogey on 18?
I hit my tee shot into trouble.When I miss my driver it was a little bit on the right. There you have a bunker on the right side so that was okay. We aimed a little left and I tried to hit a little left so that wasn’t the smartest. I duck hooked it into the rubbish. I chipped it on there and made a two putt.
I think you have to play safe here because there is so much trouble on the side of the fairway, you can be stuck there.
Is your feeling if you finish above Suzann you will win the tournament?
Yes, probably.
Is there great competition between the two of you?
Yes, of course. I want to beat her. I think that she thinks she is going to beat me anyway but she won’t. You can tell her that.
How is your form?
I’ve had two week break. Before that I just made the cut and no more than that. My confidence is much better now.
I think you have to play smart because of the bunkers. I was expecting a lot more wind than this but it’s tough out there. I like the tough courses. I don’t like short Mickey Mouse courses.
Are you good friends with Suzann?
We are not best friends but I know her well. She is five or six years older than me so I think she turned pro when I was 14.
How many events did you win on last year’s Telia Tour?
I won three or four tournaments on the Telia Tour last year. My first year was 2005 and I played terribly, no confidence, respect for everyone. In 2006 I played a little bit here and a little bit on the Telia Tour and last year I had the same category. I just decided to play telia and win there and get some confidence and it worked.
What is the main difference this year?
Its experience and I’ve practised better. I practised a lot of mental, because that is what it is. Mental.
How have you increased your confidence?
I think the mental work is like, when you tell yourself that you are the best and you are going to win, suddenly you start believing it.
Who is your caddie?
My boyfriend Petter Enger is a pro but he doesn’t play. He studied marketing at university. He used to play on the national team.
Maria Hjorth (Sweden) and Morgan Pressel (USA)
How did Europe versus the United States shape up today?
Maria Hjorth: I think it was a little better today. We both played solid and Morgan played a little better than she did yesterday.
Morgan Pressel: I just hit a couple of really bad shots yesterday that cost me and today I managed to get up and down quite a few times which helps.
You just have to play well here. You just have to make some putts. It always come down to putting.
Maria Hjorth: I think it will be a testing final day but it will be fun. It’s always fun to be out there with a chance.
Morgan, was part of your thinking seeing how your game would shape up in Europe?
It’s nice to be here. We’ve got some great fans that came out to watch us despite the cold weather. I guess a day like today is a nice summer day.
Martina Eberl (Germany)
What is the secret to playing this course?
You have to have patience because links courses as we all know, anything can happen. You can have a lucky bounce and be on the green or you can have a bad bounce and be in front of a fall behind a bunker. I just came back from a two week break and didn’t hit the ball well coming here so I didn’t have any expectations.
How far away do you think you will be at the end of the day?
I think Suzann is going to shoot low. The weather is fantastic now. There’s hardly any wind, not even half a club, and I think she will do well. As long as I am still top five top ten I think I have a good position for tomorrow.
How happy are you with your present form?
I’m very happy with the way the season has gone so far and five top tens out of eight starts so everything was very consistent. I hope it continues.
Claire Coughlan-Ryan (Ireland)
How did today compare to yesterday?
Much better. It was the same story as yesterday, hit the ball well but I just couldn’t score on the greens. Luckily I made some putts today, which is what it’s all about.
How much pressure do you feel playing in front of a home crowd?
Maybe a few jitters on the first tee yesterday but other than that, no. I recognise a few faces in the crowd who are saying, “Come on Claire,” so it’s giving me a great boost. I’m just trying to shoot another good score and move myself up the leader board.
What are your thoughts on this tournament?
I think it’s a great tournament and it’s been very well run. The only thing that is not with us is the weather but the crowds are still here.
How are you feeling right now with your round?
I’m happy to be in the clubhouse. Yesterday the wind picked up in the afternoon and it got a bit tougher coming back in.
