Linn Grant and Ana Peláez share the lead heading into the final day of the Didriksons Skaftö Open, with the pair sitting on -9 with 18 holes left to play.
A bogey-free round score of 65 (-4) saw Peláez leap to the top of the leaderboard, with the Spaniard sitting a shot back of the overnight leaders after the first round of action.
A flawless second round score of 62 (-7) was the best of the day for Grant, who didn’t drop a single shot in an eye-catching performance on Saturday.
“It was a really good day, my game was good yesterday but the putts didn’t drop, but today they did,” she said.
“I hit some pretty decent shots into the greens and gave myself some shorter birdie putts that managed to go in.”
After four successive pars to start her day, Grant’s round kicked into gear on the fifth as she picked up her first shot of the day, before birdieing holes seven and eight.
A pinpoint approach to the par-five ninth gave her a six-foot putt for eagle – which she duly converted – before picking up another shot on the tenth to make her six-under par for the day.
The back nine was somewhat quieter in comparison with another birdie on the 14th, but that didn’t stop her from putting on a show for the local crowds coming to watch their compatriot in action.
And Grant was keen to sing the praises of group mate Lee-Anne Pace after her round, with the South African’s company helping her to keep her cool with the pressure on.
“Lee-Anne is pretty relaxed as well and it’s always nice to have someone to talk to, especially when you shoot low. It’s nice to have someone to talk to about different things than just golf.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Maja [Stark] shoots -9 tomorrow and comes from behind again, but if I can just copy today it will be perfect.”
Grant has Peláez for company at the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes, with the Spaniard shooting 65 (-4) on Day Two to put herself in with a chance of a second LET win of the season.
The Comundiad de Madrid Ladies Open winner came into the week on the back of a T2 finish at Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande last week, and has so far backed that up with another strong showing in Sweden.
Peláez also went bogey-free on Saturday with four birdies on the card, as she picked up shots on holes two, five and seven, before ending the day strongly with a birdie on the 17th.
“My day was really good, I got most of my birdies on the front nine, then it got a little messy on the back nine but we managed to get a birdie on 17, so overall it was a good day,” she said.
“I feel like the work that we’re doing is really good, it’s a different course to last week, but it’s the same thing every week – I’m glad the emotions in my game are very steady now, and I want to take that into tomorrow.
“There’s a lot of people cheering for the Swedish players this week but I can feel their energy too. I miss my family when they aren’t here, it felt very lonely at the beginning but my caddie is doing a great job keeping me company and we’re having fun.”
And that set the target for Elina Nummenpaa, who went out later in the day having shot 63 (-6) on Day One to hold the overnight lead, and it was another strong showing from the 38-year-old on Saturday to keep herself in a strong position heading into the final day with a round of 67 (-2)
Four birdies in her first seven holes saw the Finn – who has never won on the LET – reach – 10 at one point in her round, before successive bogeys on holes eight and nine brought her back to eight under-par by the turn.
But she fought back with birdies on the eleventh and 15 – either side of a dropped shot on the 14th – before dropping another on 17 to put herself in the final group on Sunday.
“I had some shots today that I wasn’t satisfied with, I don’t know what happened but I was still able to make birdies – including two long ones – and missed some more birdie opportunities too,” she explained.
“I feel like there’s a lot of good things happening, so I just want to focus on my game – the course is good in that way because you have to focus on every shot out there – I just have to focus on my own game and that should be good enough.
“My ball striking wasn’t brilliant today so that makes the course trickier than what it is, and it’s a tight course and tricky, but gives you chances, they just come with their risks.”
Behind Nummenpaa sits Norway’s Maiken Bing Paulsen and Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall on -7 after two days of action, with the Scandinavian duo two shots off the lead.
It was a steady day for Paulsen who shot 67 (-2), with the Oslo-native carding two bogeys and two birdies apiece on the front nine, before coming home in 30 after birdies on holes 10 and 16.
Home favourite Hedwall seemed to thrive with the Swedish eyes on her throughout the day, with eight birdies on the card in a fantastic round of 63 (-6), as she picked up four shots in her final five holes.
Four players are in a tie for sixth spot on -6 with Sunday on the horizon, with Swedish stars Jessica Karlsson (-5), Lisa Pettersson (PAR) keeping the home surge very much alive in Skaftö.
Morocco’s Ines Laklalech continues to impress on the Swedish West Coast, as does England’s Alice Hewson, with both players signing for a second round score of 67 (-2) to sit three off the lead, while Emma Spitz’s professional debut continues to go well, as she rounds off the top ten on -5 after a level-par round of 69.
In total, 72 players made the cut for Sunday’s final round, with the cut mark coming at +3.
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