Three players are tied at the top of the leaderboard at the 36-hole mark of the inaugural edition of the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius.
Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Germany’s Celina Sattelkau and South Africa’s Casandra Alexander all occupy top spot with a total of nine-under-par.
It was a tale of two halves around the Legend Course at the Constance Belle Mare Plage for Soenderby as she was six-under-par through her front nine.
However, the Dane struggled on her back nine as she made two birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey to sign for a 69 (-3).
“It was an extremely nice first nine where everything dropped and was straight down the middle,” said Soenderby. “Things were easy and things were calm in the head.
“I made it to the turn and became a little bit aware of where my score was at and some more people came and I thought it was going to be uncomfortable now. I feel like I managed to stay in it and then went a bit out of it in the end and lost the focus.
“It was really tough mentally. A bit disappointed that I didn’t one hundred percent manage to keep it together there. It’s a good challenge. It’s always fun to try that.
“It’s super nice [to have my mum here], we have a little hand sign going on with the birdies and it’s always nice getting a little smile and relax the shoulders a little bit. My mum is going to go windsurfing. She used to be an elite windsurfer, so she’s said this is the place to take it back up again. I’m very excited to watch that.”
Germany’s Sattelkau opened with a 68 (-4) on day one and followed up with a 67 (-5) in Mauritius with birdies on the first, fourth, 11th, 13th and 18th holes.
“I’m really happy about it,” said Sattelkau, who is a two-time winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour. “Yesterday I was six-under after 13 and then finished with two bogeys, so going back on the birdie train pretty early today was a good sign.
“I kept going, I had a couple of good birdie putts and then 14, 15, 16 I sank some good lag-putts and then had a good birdie on 18. I’m pretty happy about that.
“I’m enjoying it a lot. Being here on the resort and staying here, walking to the course is awesome. It’s the third week of our stretch, so you can do a little holiday which is nice. I’ve actually played here when I was 10. My parents took me here on vacation, I was a high handicap, but we got called back from the room because I was second place net. It’s a funny memory; I like the course so far.
“I won two SLT events earlier in the year, so I’m trying to take that experience with me tomorrow. I think the key for me is to not worry too much about the scores. The first day I played really bad the last couple of tournaments, so the second day I was always fighting for the cut. Just embracing this new experience that I have and giving myself grace for whatever happens tomorrow and have fun out there and enjoy the ride.”
South Africa’s Casandra Alexander also produced a round of 67 (-5) on day two to join Sattelkau and Soenderby at the top of the leaderboard.
The LET winner only had one blemish on her scorecard with a double at the par-5 13th and rolled in seven birdies.
“I played nicely the last two days. I had one bad hole today, I hit an uncommitted shot and got the consequences of that,” said Alexander. “Yesterday, I made one or two silly drops. Overall, it’s been pretty solid. The tee shots here are tight, knowing that I’ve kept most of the scorecard tidy I’m pretty pleased with that.
“You definitely have to hit good tee shots, and the greens are quite small. You can be aggressive, but you’ve got to play in certain spots to make sure you have a putt. I said to my caddie Doug this morning that I’d like to try and have 18 birdie putts, that’s the game plan for today.
“That didn’t happen, but that was the game plan to give myself as many chances. Playing in the morning, the greens are a little bit more pure and you have a chance of making a few more putts; whereas yesterday they were a little more bumpy. It was pretty good overall.
“Everything has been pretty decent. The iron play has not been as good as what it usually is, but I’ve got away with it. The tee shots are a lot better and I think my short game has improved the most over the last couple of months. I wouldn’t consider myself a strong short game player before and now I would. I’m really happy with that.
“This place is awesome. I need to make as many friends as possible, so that I can come back. This is my first time, but it definitely won’t be the last. I already told the family I need to bring my nephews out here.”
It’s a stacked leaderboard in Mauritius with seven players sitting two shots further back with one round remaining.
Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley, French duo Charlotte Liautier and Agathe Laisné, South Africa’s Cara Gorlei, Spain’s Ana Pelaez Triviño, India’s Diksha Dagar and Sweden’s Kajsa Arwefjäll are all on seven-under at the 36-hole mark.
The cut fell at +1 with 75 players making it through to the final day of action at the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius.
It’s set to be an exciting final day with 18 players within four shots of the lead. Round three will begin at 6.55 am (local time) with the leaders teeing off at 11.05 on the Legend Course at the Constance Belle Mare Plage.
Keep up with all the action at the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #MCBLadiesClassic.
