Isabella Deilert of Sweden fired a second round of three-under 69 to win the stroke play qualifier for the Big Green Egg Swedish Match Play Championship.
Just like in round one, the 28-year-old had a slower start at the Edenhof Course in GolfUppsala, dropping one shot on the fifth hole to make the turn in 37 strokes.
The Swede, who is playing in her first LETAS event this season, started her good form on the back nine where she made birdies on holes 12, 14, 16, and 18.
“Another day of really good golf on the back nine and I holed a lot of good putts again,” she said. “There are a few holes that are shorter on the back but other than that I’m not sure why I play so much better there!
“I play kind of a match against myself out there so I’m not planning on changing my game plan heading into the championship.
“This is a good course for a matchplay, everyone has a lot of chances out there and we all play different golf.”
As the winner of the stroke play qualification, Deilert is the highest seeded player in the matchplay and will challenge compatriot Zandra Nilsson who placed 32nd after a six-way playoff.
Tied for second are Australia’s Kristalle Blum and Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson, both finishing at four-under-par after two rounds.
Pettersson set the pace of her round with an early birdie on the first hole, she then carded three more birdies and dropped only one shot on the way to a three-under 69 on the second day.
Blum started her round with back-to-back birdies and got closer to the leader after an eagle on the 12th but two dropped shots at the end of the round put her back to a share of second place.
Pettersson will play against Denmark’s Fie Olsen while Blum will go head-to-head with Norway’s Tina Mazarino in the first round of the matchplay championship.
In a share for fourth place at three-under is Germany’s Patricia Isabel Schmidt with Swedish amateur Ellen Hutchinson-kay on three-under, while Germany’s Chiara Noja was in sixth place.
Momoka Kobori of New Zealand fired the round of the day with a five-under 67 to share the seventh place with England’s Amy Taylor and Sweden’s Sara Kjellker.
Five players are tied for tenth position as New Zealand’s Hanee Song and Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer finished at level par with Swedish trio: Sandra Kagstrom, Isabell Ekstrom, and Ellinor Sudow.
There are 32 players who have qualified for the matchplay championship, which will be held on Friday and Saturday with a total of five nine-hole rounds.
A six-way playoff for three spots took place to determine the 32 players who advanced to the main competition with Denmark’s Fie Olsen and Norway’s Tina Mazarino both birdied the first additional hole to secure a place in tomorrow’s first round of matchplay.
Swedish duo Emelie Borggren and Zandra Nilsson took their match to the third additional hole, and it is Nilsson who managed to clinch her spot for the weekend.
The first nine-hole round will start on Friday at 8:00 with 16 matches to be played, followed by the last 16 from 12:00, and finally at 16:10, the quarterfinals will take place.
You can follow the scores – here.
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