Mo Martin of the United States fired a second successive round of 69 to take a three stroke lead midway through the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport.
On a second day of clear blue skies and sunshine, the 31-year-old Californian posted a two-round total of six-under-par, to end the day ahead of Spain’s Beatriz Recari (67), South Korean So Yeon Ryu (70).
Martin is not one of the longer hitters, but she has been the most accurate driver of the ball on the LPGA for the past two seasons. Her strategy of aiming for the widest parts of the fairways has been paying off this week.
“It’s always nice when your plan pans out. So it’s fun to be here,” said the 5’3” third year LPGA player, who has three wins on the US Symetra Tour.
Martin birdied the sixth, seventh, 10th, 15th and 18th and bogeyed holes 11 and 12. She has been sticking to her plan and avoiding the penalising rough and added: “My caddie, Kyle, and I, just figured out where the widest parts of the fairway were, where I would have the best approaches into the greens. I don’t hit it particularly long, so just capitalising on my accuracy. And then on a course like this, I think I hit the last two ‑‑ I think I hit one more 3‑wood today, so four and five 3‑woods off the tee, and that’s particularly unusual for me. I’m usually driver all the time. But just picking good targets, that’s really key on this golf course, and executing it.”
European Solheim Cup player Recari and Sun Ju Ahn, who led the LPGA of Japan money list in 2010 and 2011, tied for the low round of the day with their 67s. It was an encouraging sign for Recari, who won twice on the LPGA in 2013 but has made only four cuts from 12 starts this year, citing hip and back injuries.
She also strained her wrist carrying four pieces of luggage at Edinburgh airport on Monday, claiming that the locals were ‘not gentlemen.’ However due to some sterling work from the tournament’s physiotherapy team, her wrist was pain free by Wednesday and her swing has been corrected thanks to the help of new coach, Jorge Parada.
Ahn and Julieta Granada of Paraguay tied for fourth spot on two-under-par. Sharing seventh with South Korean Amy Yang on one-under-par were Gwladys Nocera of France and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, who both finished eagle, birdie. They were later joined by Amelia Lewis, who dropped back after a double bogey on 18.
Nocera, with 12 titles on the Ladies European Tour, said: “I played pretty solid. I didn’t miss too many greens. My driver, just made one mistake on 11. The rest was pretty solid. My putting is here, so that’s good. And I just love this place, so I just try to make the most of it. It’s so beautiful here, it’s the best.”
English amateur Georgia Hall, 18, was the best placed of the home players on one-over-par in a share of 16th place.
The shot of the day was by Scotland’s Vikki Laing, who played in the last group and had an albatross on the par-five 17th. Laing used her 5-wood to hole her second shot from 240 yards away.
It was the second albatross in the space of three weeks on the Ladies European Tour after Florentyna made an albatross on her way to winning the Italian Open two weeks earlier and the 10th anniversary of Karen Stupples’ famous albatross recorded during the final round of the 2004 championship at Sunningdale, which she won by five shots.
Collated second round scores:
138 – Mo Martin (USA) 69 69
141 – So Yeon Ryu (KOR) 71 70, Beatriz Recari (ESP) 74 67
142 – Sun-Ju Ahn (KOR) 75 67, Julieta Granada (PAR) 72 70
143 – Amelia Lewis (USA) 72 71, Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 75 68, Amy Yang (KOR) 71 72, Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 73 70
144 – Jessica Korda (USA) 72 72, Inbee Park (KOR) 72 72, Shanshan Feng (CHN) 73 71, Azahara Munoz (ESP) 72 72, Morgan Pressel (USA) 70 74, Eun-Hee Ji (KOR) 74 70
145 – Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 72 73, Ai Miyazato (JPN) 72 73, Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA) 76 69, Stacy Lewis (USA) 71 74, Jenny Shin (KOR) 73 72, Emma Talley (USA) 72 73, Georgia Hall (ENG) 73 72
146 – Vikki Laing (SCO) 78 68, Hannah Jun (USA) 75 71, Chella Choi (KOR) 73 73, Angela Stanford (USA) 74 72
147 – Jeong Jang (KOR) 73 74, Ayako Uehara (JPN) 68 79, Erina Hara (JPN) 73 74, Jiyai Shin (KOR) 72 75, Pornanong Phatlum (THA) 73 74, Laura Davies (ENG) 75 72, Miki Saiki (JPN) 76 71
148 – Diana Luna (ITA) 76 72, Xi Yu Lin (CHN) 74 74, Hee Young Park (KOR) 76 72, Lee-Anne Pace (RSA) 75 73, Haru Nomura (JPN) 75 73, Lydia Ko (NZL) 72 76, Paula Creamer (USA) 75 73, Meena Lee (KOR) 73 75, Brittany Lang (USA) 73 75, Karine Icher (FRA) 76 72, Jee Young Lee (KOR) 76 72, Mina Harigae (USA) 70 78, Marina Alex (USA) 72 76, Ayaka Watanabe (JPN) 76 72, Brittany Lincicome (USA) 76 72
149 – Belen Mozo (ESP) 77 72, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 76 73, Austin Ernst (USA) 76 73, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 74 75, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 79 70, Sarah Kemp (AUS) 70 79, Dori Carter (USA) 73 76, Lexi Thompson (USA) 72 77, Nikki Campbell (AUS) 77 72, Ji Young Oh (KOR) 76 73, Charley Hull (ENG) 73 76
150 – Kristy Mcpherson (USA) 74 76, Rikako Morita (JPN) 75 75, Alison Walshe (USA) 74 76, Mika Miyazato (JPN) 78 72, Anna Nordqvist (SWE) 72 78, Christina Kim (USA) 79 71, Alena Sharp (CAN) 74 76, Il Hee Lee (KOR) 76 74, Beth Allen (USA) 77 73, Thidapa Suwannapura (THA) 76 74, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 77 73
Missed the cut:
151 – Stephanie Na (AUS) 79 72, Candie Kung (TPE) 76 75, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 75 76, Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA) 76 75, Shiho Oyama (JPN) 79 72, Maria Balikoeva (RUS) 75 76, Karrie Webb (AUS) 72 79, Sandra Gal (GER) 78 73
152 – Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 79 73, Sophie Walker (ENG) 77 75, Hannah Burke (ENG) 79 73, Amy Boulden (WAL) 78 74, Haeji Kang (KOR) 78 74, I.K. Kim (KOR) 77 75, Mi Hyang Lee (KOR) 75 77, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 74 78, Stacey Keating (AUS) 74 78
153 – Su-Hyun Oh (AUS) 76 77, Lucy Williams (ENG) 76 77, Sun Young Yoo (KOR) 79 74, Ashleigh Simon (RSA) 81 72, Gerina Piller (USA) 76 77, Pernilla Lindberg (SWE) 78 75, Line Vedel (DEN) 78 75, O Sattaya (THA) 79 74, Amy Anderson (USA) 76 77, Stephanie Meadow (NIR) 77 76, Katie Futcher (USA) 75 78, Michelle Wie (USA) 75 78, Cheyenne Woods (USA) 78 75, Na Yeon Choi (KOR) 78 75, Holly Clyburn (ENG) 71 82
154 – Lauren Taylor (ENG) 79 75, Liz Young (ENG) 82 72, Mariajo Uribe (COL) 83 71, Kim Kaufman (USA) 78 76, Yani Tseng (TPE) 82 72, Joanna Klatten (FRA) 78 76, Minjee Lee (AUS) 83 71, Danielle Kang (USA) 75 79
155 – Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 78 77, Camilla Lennarth (SWE) 77 78, Laetitia Beck (ISR) 78 77, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG) 75 80, Mirim Lee (KOR) 77 78
156 – Christel Boeljon (NED) 75 81, Trish Johnson (ENG) 78 78, Katie Burnett (USA) 80 76, Misuzu Narita (JPN) 77 79
157 – Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 79 78, Tiffany Joh (USA) 79 78, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 76 81, Kylie Walker (SCO) 82 75, Jacqui Concolino (USA) 81 76, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 78 79, Klara Spilkova (CZE) 77 80, Catriona Matthew (SCO) 74 83
158 – Louise Larsson (SWE) 76 82, Mamiko Higa (JPN) 78 80, Karen Stupples (ENG) 77 81, Dewi Claire Schreefel (NED) 82 76, Paz Echeverria (CHL) 76 82
159 – Marion Ricordeau (FRA) 76 83, Brooke Pancake (USA) 83 76
160 – Emily Kristine Pedersen (DNK) 82 78
161 – Patcharajutar Kongkraphan (THA) 78 83, Sally Watson (SCO) 80 81
163 – Sarah-Jane Smith (AUS) 85 78
166 – Bree Arthur (AUS) 82 84
167 – Cathryn Bristow (NZL) 85 82
168 – Holly Aitchison (ENG) 84 84
