Chasing her first LET title, Johanna Gustavsson of Sweden shot a five-under-par 66 on Friday to take a slim one-stroke lead with a round left in the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.
The 30-year-old from Orebro has a 10-under-par total heading into the final round of the 54-hole tournament at Golf Barrière in Deauville.
On an afternoon of low scoring, Gustavsson opened with four birdies on the back nine. She bogeyed the uphill par-4 first hole, her 10th, but bounced back with a birdie. She then sank a 25-foot putt to get into double figures and take a one stroke lead over fellow Swede Moa Folke, who lies in second, while England’s Meghan MacLaren is another stroke back in third.
Gustavsson, who earned two wins on the LET Access Series in 2015 and 2018, has finished second four times in 128 previous events played over eight years on the LET. Her best finish this year to date was second in the Pickala Ladies Open in Finland, where she led by one stroke after 54 holes. She also led at the halfway stage of the Amundi German Masters.
Sitting in ninth place on the Race to Costa del Sol Rankings, on which she finished third last year behind fellow Swedes Linn Grant and Maja Stark, Gustavsson could make a big jump with a maiden victory tomorrow.
“I feel quite comfortable. I’ve been in this position a few times now and I’m getting, not used to it, but kind of,” Gustavsson said.
“It’s very small margins that decide if you win or not and hopefully tomorrow, the odds are in my favour.
“A win would mean quite a bit. I’ve been trying for a few years, so I’ll do my best and see what happens.”
Folke, a second season LET player from Saby, Sweden, (below) who recorded a career best finish of tied second in the Joburg Ladies Open in March, also shot a second round of 66.
“I played great today and hit some great shots,” said Folke, after signing for a scorecard featuring an eagle, four birdies and a bogey.
“On the 16th, I hit a great drive and it’s playing into the wind, so it’s a bit longer than usual. I hit my 3-wood to a metre and a half and made the putt for eagle.”
MacLaren, who finished second after losing a playoff in this event last year, carded a bogey-free 68.
She said: “There wasn’t quite as much good stuff as yesterday, but I kept the mistakes off the card.
The first was a big bonus because I hit a 4-iron in there. I holed a nice one, which set the tone for the day. I didn’t play the second great, but I made a good up and down, so put myself in a good position.”
With three LET victories to her name, she is the most experienced of the top three.
“That’s a massive thing, but everybody who wins has to get their first win at some point,” she said, adding: “I was in a similar situation last year and things didn’t pan out. You’ve got to be patient. Even if it’s not going great in the beginning, there’s still lots of time.”
Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom and Laura Fuenfstueck of Germany are tied for fourth on seven under par, with Austrian Emma Spitz in sixth.
The weather conditions were much more challenging for the early morning starters, with strong winds and sideways rain.
Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord and England’s Hannah Burke, who played together, were the best placed players from the morning wave, ending in a tie for seventh on five under par alongside Germany’s Patricia Isabel Schmidt.
World no.5 Celine Boutier from France, who started her second round in the first group of the morning at 8.15am, shot a two under par 69 to sit in a share of 18th place on three under par, seven shots off the pace.
The Solheim Cup star said: “I still feel a bit frustrated with my game. My long game hasn’t been as solid as I normally expect it to be, so I haven’t been able to hit as many fairways and haven’t been able to score as well.
“In the wind, it takes a lot more energy in thinking and in hitting shots, so I don’t like it when it’s too windy, but a little bit of wind is a nice challenge.
“Hopefully, I’ll have room to make a move. I think this course, if you’re striking it well, it’s very scoreable, so you never know.”
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