Gustafson gunning for Austrian title

Anne-Marie Knight in second

The Swede went bogey-free for 29 holes with her last mistake of the week a double bogey at the seventh hole in her second round.

“I’m just going to go out there and try to play the best golf I can tomorrow because there’s obviously a lot of low scores out there so I have to keep it up,” said Gustafson, who has won 20 tournaments worldwide in a 12-year career.

The last of her wins came at the 2003 Samsung World Championship, in the year she won three tournaments on the Ladies European Tour as well as the order of merit. She admitted that it felt like a long time ago and was eager to grab another title.

Gustafson’s closest challenger in the final round is Knight, 36, whose sole win was at the 1999 Ladies’ German Open. Knight had just 23 putts today and she said: “I don’t think I’ve ever had that few putts in my life!”

She bettered her previous best round by a stroke and added: “Today was so quiet and peaceful out there, you couldn’t hear a pin drop. The greens were softer out there after the rain and there were very scoreable conditions.

“It came very easily and I kept my thoughts at bay until the 16th hole; that was the first time I thought about my score and I didn’t play so well after that.

“I think if I have another good round tomorrow I could be in with a chance but I have a feeling that Sophie is going to have another good round. Although I’ve got nothing to lose and she’s the one who will have all the pressure.”