Ariya Jutanugarn takes a lead of three shots into the weekend at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, after shooting a round of 66 (-6) on day two at Dumbarnie Links to put her at -9 after 36 holes.
The Thai star – who lifted the trophy back in 2018 with victory at Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian – has given herself the perfect opportunity to get her hands back on the prize this year after playing the conditions perfectly in Fife.
Despite the winds picking up around the links course in Friday’s action, Jutanugarn fired a near-perfect round to put herself in pole position at the midway mark, with the only bogey of her day coming at the par-four tenth, after birdies on the second and seventh.
But after that setback on the first hole of the back nine, the 25-year-old rolled in five birdies in six holes from the 12th to the 17th to lay down a marker for the rest of the field.
“I think I just have to go day-by-day. I still have so many things to work on, and to me, I just want to be chilling on the course because I know when I’m chilling on the course, everything is going to take care of itself,” she said.
It is a different story to when she tasted success three years ago for Jutanugarn, who trailed leader Tiffany Joh by three shots at the halfway point, before ultimately rising to the top of the pile by Sunday.
This time it is her who leads by three heading into the weekend, but the Thai player will be able to draw on the experience of 2018 to help her in her search for a third tour win of the season.
The leader continued: “My whole life my dream was to win on a links course because I won in Woburn, played British Open, but it’s not links. I felt like one time in my life, I want to win on a links and that’s what I did in 2018.
“I know it’s tough. I know it’s windy, but I really enjoy every moment here because links, we just know we can shoot low and we know we can shoot high, and we just never know when it’s going to be that day that we shoot low or we shoot high.
“I feel like it brings back a lot of great memory here because I won on links and proud of myself and be able to tell myself that I won on the links.”
Jutanugarn’s nearest challengers are Charley Hull, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Atthaya Thitikul with 36 holes left to play in Scotland, with the the two Europeans firing a second successive round of 69 to end the day on -6, while Thitikul shot 70 to leave her on the same score.
Pedersen endured a rollercoaster ride throughout her round, with the Dane carding two eagles, five birdies and six bogeys on Friday to leave her three shots off the lead with two days’ play remaining.
Despite going into the weekend tied for second spot, the LET Solheim Cup Points standings leader knows exactly what she needs to work on ahead of Saturday’s action.
“My putting has been an absolute disgrace the last two days. I have nine bogeys (overall) and six of them are because of three-putts,” the 2020 LET Order of Merit winner said.
“I shouldn’t be making six bogeys. When I’m striking the ball like I do, six bogeys is not good enough,” she said.
“Obviously I’m happy with all the good stuff, but I’m driving the ball so well that it should be a little bit more of an advantage for me.
“But obviously there’s two more days, and I have time to fix it. I have fixed it before for a weekend, so hopefully I can do that again.
“I think it’s good sitting at second and then still feeling like there’s a lot to gain out there. So I think that’s a positive.”
It was a much more straight forward round for England’s Hull, who only dropped a shot on the tenth hole en route to her score of 69.
Birdies on the third and fourth holes set her on the way for an impressive round at Dumbarnie Links, before picking up two more shots on 11 and 17 to keep her in the running.
“I could have been a lot lower. Left a few shots out there on the back nine. I left a seven-, eight-foot putt an inch off the hole but was dead in line,” she said.
“But the greens were slower today and they didn’t double cut them. I felt really good, it’s nice it to be around home turf, even in Europe, it feels more like home.”
Overnight leader Michele Thomson couldn’t continue her good form on Friday, as the Scottish star slipped down the rankings after a second round score of 80 (+8).
But another local favourite is still in contention after round two, as Inverness’ Kelsey MacDonald sits on -5 after a second round score of 71 (-1).
It was a round of ups and downs for the 30-year-old, who had two birdies and two bogeys in her first five holes, before a double-bogey on the 10th.
But she soon turned it round with her second successive eagle on the 15th hole, before picking up another shot on 17 to finish her round under-par.
MacDonald said: “I took a lot from my game yesterday into today. I had a difficult hole on 10 which was disappointing but I knew I deserved to be under-par today so it was great to finish with an eagle on 15 and birdie on 17, so I’m delighted with that.
“I think when the elements are so tough, you have to grind, it can eliminate half the field straightaway but you just have to grind it out. You never know what’s going to happen. I do like when it’s tougher.”
MacDonald is one of six players locked on five-under-par after Friday’s action, with Lydia Hall and Yuka Saso among those just four shots off the lead.
Ryann O’Toole, Sarah Schmelzel and Jeongeun Lee6 are also part of that group, with everything to play for heading into the weekend.
The cut fell at two-over-par, with 71 players making it through to the weekend’s action.
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