Lucie Andre
In a stark contrast to the first round, wet conditions shook up the leaderboard on day two of play. Thursday’s soft greens and calm skies were replaced by swirling winds during the second round of the €40,000 Foxconn Ladies Czech Challenge.
Only eight players broke par as opposed to 26 during the opening round. Overnight leader Vikki Laing followed up her opening 67 with a four-over 75 to slip down to tied tenth place.
Three share the lead currently at five-under par 137, including Lucie Andre and Agathe Sauzon (both from France), and Nina Muehl (Austria).
Andre carded five birdies against two bogeys to bring home a 68 after an opening 69. The Frenchwoman is yet to miss a cut this year on the LETAS. Her second round score was also her lowest all year.
“It was very different from yesterday, windy and wet,“Andre, 29, said after her round. “I had to be patient, but no worries for me as I am a long hitter anyway. The conditions are same for everybody and it is up to us to wrestle them well.“
Fellow countrywoman Sauzon also shot an identical 68. The 25-year old who turned professional in 2015, finished T4 at the Terre Blanche Ladies Open on LETAS earlier in the year. Apart from that, Sauzon also finished T8 at the Lalla Meryem Cup on the LET in April.
“I´ve hit all the fairways today which was nice. The wind was blowing and sometimes I had to pick up longer irons,“ said the native of Bourg les Valence.
Austrian Muehl shot two-under, which included four birdies against two bogeys. With three cuts made from six starts this year on LETAS, her best finish came at last year’s Ladies Norwegian Open. where she finished 4th.
“There were challenging conditions today, with the wet course and also the wind was picking up,“ Muehl, 29, said. “I´ve played a nice, solid game, hitting lots of fairways and greens. You have to be careful, with plenty of bunkers here.“
The cut fell at +5, while Anastasia Mickan from Germany is the leading amateur going into the final day. Mickan has shot rounds of 70, 72 for a total of 142 at even par. Fifty-three players made it to the final round including six amateurs.
