Scandinavians on top in Wales Ladies Open

(Royal Porthcawl, August 13 2004) Two Swedes and a Dane take the lead after the second round of the £350,000 Wales ‘Golf as it should be’ Ladies Open at Royal Porthcawl GC.

Gottmo

The Swedes have a good record here with two winners out of the last three hailing from the land of the Vikings and Ekelundh will be looking to rediscover her form of earlier in the season when she won the Ladies Open of Portugal.

Her five under 68 was faultless as Ekelundh negotiated one of Britain’s finest links courses with the guile and cunning needed on a blustery day by the Bristol Channel. And despite dipping in form due to a back injury and a bout of Salmonella poisoning mid-season, the 26-year-old from Solvesborg is determined to make an impact at the weekend.

“I certainly putted better today than I did yesterday,” admitted the Swede, who played a total of 22-holes as she had to finish her opening round at the crack of dawn.

“In the first round, I hit 17 greens in regulation and had 37 putts but I was still two under…go figure that out. But in this round, I played much the same, didn’t putt as good and shot 68. I suppose I took advantage of the par fives and I’m excited about the weekend.

“I’ve been in this position before in Portugal and I enjoy it, so I’m looking forward to the weekend, but beforehand, I’m going for a bout of serious shopping in Bridgend!”

Juul, who graduated earlier in the year in Civil Engineering in Chemistry and Microbiology, needs a good week here to retain her playing privileges for 2005 and with rounds of 69 and 70, the 28-year-old from Esbjerg is well on her way to securing her card.

“It’s been an awful season really,” admitted Juul, the 1997 British Amateur Champion at Silloth-on-Solway who admitted to her love of seaside golf.