Davies on course for successful defence in Norway

Sarah Kemp

She was the first to admit that her excellent second round was played in much better conditions than the first day’s play, where there were heavy rain showers throughout. The English woman played her second round in fine morning conditions.

“It was much, much easier putting today than it was yesterday because the greens were much dryer. I played very well. I had one stupid bogey on 13 where I hit what we thought was a good shot, came up short and didn’t get up and down, but other than that I was in good shape all the way round. I hit lots of fairways, had lots of birdie chances, some which were unbelievable.”

Davies carded five birdies and the solitary bogey in her second round, with two birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine.

Kemp had six birdies with three on the front nine and three and the back nine as well as one bogey at the fourth hole.

The New South Wales resident finished second in this year’s Catalonia Ladies Masters and third in the Ladies Open of Portugal, so like Davies is hoping to go one better.

On being in contention in the final round, she said: “I am excited – I wish it was now. I’ll go home now and have a rest and have some dinner and it will go really slow because I want it to go really fast. But I can’t wait for tomorrow. It will be heaps of fun.

“I’m very happy with the way I played today. I hit the ball kind of the same as yesterday but I just holed a lot more putts so it was nice out there and I had a great time.”

Virginie Lagoutte, the first round leader from France, had a 74 to sit on a total of three-under along with Ellen Smets of Belgium, who had a 69 and Australia’s Cherie Byrnes, who had a 72.