Caroline Hedwall tied the low round of the week with a seven-under-par 64 to move into contention on day two at the Evian Championship in France.
The 30-year-old Swede bogeyed the first hole but then blitzed the course with eight birdies, including five on the front nine and three on the back nine.
She faced a left-to-right nine footer for eagle on the 18th green, which lipped out, but she tapped in for birdie, just before a delay of one hour and five minutes due to electrical storms in the area.
At six-under-par, she is four behind the second round leader, Mi Hyang Lee (65).
Hedwall, a six-time winner and three-time Solheim Cup player, was clearly delighted with her lowest round since a 62 in the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open last September a fortnight after she carded a final round of 62 to win the Lacoste Ladies Open de France at Golf du Medoc.
She said: “I was playing well yesterday, too, hitting good drives and stuff; I just didn’t make as many putts. The greens are a bit slower than in the past, or they might not be, but I just feel like I missed a couple just because I thought they were going to be quicker and turn more, so today I was a bit more aggressive. Actually, it suits me to be able to hit my putts a bit harder. So I just started hitting a couple close and rolling in some putts.”
Like Charley Hull, she has also been suffering from illness coming into the championship. “I started off with like a belly virus at KPMG that I had for two and a half weeks, and then a normal cold and then a throat infection. Just been taking over each other.”
After an injury sustained twisting her wrist at a baggage belt in 2014 and wrist surgery to remove a ganglion in 2017, Hedwall feels that she is back to playing as well as in 2013, when she was the first player from either team to win all five matches in the Solheim Cup as a member of the last victorious European team at Colorado Golf Club.
With two more days to go at The Evian Championship, she said: “I’m not going to have too high expectations. Right now I’m enjoying playing, and that’s what I’m going to try to keep doing.”
She is also enjoying working with caddie, Jack Clarke, a former Alps Tour player, who allows her to play her natural ‘feel’ game.
“I need to be sort of in my own bubble on the course and Jack really lets me do that. He’s there if I need help. That’s key for me. Like I go a lot off my gut when I play, especially when I play well.
“Sometimes the number may be saying 7-iron but I feel like it’s an 8. I just hit a hard 8. I just need a caddie that can trust me in what I’m doing. I feel like Jack is definitely doing that.”
Sweden has claimed more Evian titles than any other nation…with seven from 25 events, three more than equal second ranked Korea and the United States, with four wins each.
Hedwall could join the illustrious list of Swedish past champions at Evian, which includes Helen Alfredsson (3), Catrin Nilsmark (1), Annika Sorenstam (2) and Anna Nordqvist (1).
On winning a major, she added: “Well, that’s always been a goal growing up, so, yeah, it would mean everything. I haven’t even won on the LPGA yet, so it would be sort of — it would be huge.
“This is one of those tournaments that I remember watching on TV when I was young. I always wanted to come here. Now I think this is my eighth time here. I mean, I love coming here. It’s such a beautiful city and the course. It’s just a great venue. I love it being a major as well.”
With four top 5 finishes from eight starts on the LET this year, Hedwall started the week fifth on the order of merit and is the joint leader of the LET Solheim Cup points list with Anne Van Dam, so coming into form at just the right time.
