England’s Georgia Hall has extended her lead to four strokes in the second round of the Ladies European Tour’s Lalla Aicha Tour School Final Qualifying for the 2015 season.
The 18-year-old from Bournemouth fired a flawless four under par 68 at Al Maaden Golf Course on day two in Marrakech, Morocco.
At nine under par, she is four strokes clear of French professional Astrid Vayson de Pradenne and amateurs Nanna Madsen and Emma Goddard, from Denmark and England respectively.
Hall made the most of the calm and sunny weather conditions with 11 straight pars before picking up four birdies on the back nine. She recorded her first birdie on the 12th and then added three in a row from the 15th.
“I’m very pleased because I think this is a harder course,” said Hall, who warmed up for the event with a tie for 38th place in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters last week.
“I played the back nine really well. The front nine was all pars so very steady. I putted better yesterday, just by a little bit, but my driving is better today.”
After carding a 70 on the same course, Vayson de Pradenne commented: “I’m very pleased, even if I had a bit of a struggle on 14 and 15, because I could have been even lower. I three-putted on those holes from three metres. The long game was very good on the back nine but I only managed to be level par. On my front nine I only had four in regulation but was two under.”
While Hall considered Al Maaden to be the tougher course due to its length, Vayson de Pradenne was of the opposite opinion. She said: “I think the Samanah golf course is more challenging in terms of iron play. Here in Al Maaden you feel pretty free in your driving and even on the irons, you can aim for the flag but on Samanah you have to be more careful.”
Madsen and Goddard were the best placed players at Samanah. Madsen had six birdies on the front nine and made the turn in 30 before coming back in one over par.
The 20-year-old from Copenhagen in Denmark said: “Me and my caddie, we agreed that, if we would just par on the first nine holes, then that would be a really good score and there would probably be some birdies on the front nine. I made six birdies and I played really well and I was on the right side of the pin, then I think I got a little nervous on the back nine and choked too much.
“On 13, I was in the bunker and it rolled down in my footprint twice and I made a four metre putt for a double bogey. I think my mentality changed after the ninth hole because I had a really great par on 10 and then on 12 as well. My shots on the back nine were just too nervous.”
Meanwhile, Goddard, 18, from Liverpool in England, had a two under par 70 which featured two birdies on the front nine and a level par back nine. She said: “I had a good front nine and got off to a great start but then had a bit of a dip in the middle of the front nine. Because we were a two ball there was a bit of waiting and we caught up. I birdied 17 and should have birdied 18 as well but the ball lipped out of the hole.
“The greens were a lot faster than Al Maaden yesterday and took a bit of getting used to. There were more slopes as well to get used to, taking the break a bit more. I like the courses and I’m striking it well so that’s the main thing.”
Swedish duo Louise Friberg and Louise Stahle share fifth place on four under par, with South African Monique Smit and Frenchwoman Lucie Andre tied for seventh.
Morocco’s Maha Haddioui had a 70 and is among a large group in a tie for ninth place on two under par.
