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| The 2011 PGM champion Jade Schaeffer finishing her second round |
The 2011 Prague Golf Masters champion Jade Schaeffer from France carded rounds of 64 and 69 to share the clubhouse lead with Russia’s Maria Baliokeva (67 and 66) midway through the second round of the Honma Pilsen Golf Masters.
The pair finished on nine-under-par after playing almost two rounds in hot and sunny conditions at Golf Park Plzn on Saturday.
They returned to course to resume play at 7am after their first rounds were cut short by thunderstorms at lunchtime on Friday.
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| Maria Baliokeva of Russia |
Baliokeva fired seven birdies and one dropped shot to get in contention for her first Ladies European Tour title.
Meanwhile, Schaeffer, who began the second round two strokes behind the leader Laura Cabanillas, double bogeyed the third hole, but responded with five birdies and a bogey to keep in the hunt for her third LET title.
The 27-year-old Parisian won her last LET trophy two years ago at Albatross Golf Resort in Prague and said: “I have a good feeling in the Czech Republic!”
Her boyfriend François Calmels won his second Challenge Tour title of the season two months ago at the D+D Real Czech Challenge Open at Golf & Spa Kunetická Hora.
Schaeffer added: “Maybe it’s a sign, because I won here two years ago, my boyfriend won here and now I’m close to the lead, but the leader will change, I think, after the second round.”
She continued: “I played 15 holes this morning. I started on the back and I think it’s good because you don’t feel too tired. Afterwards you have a lot of ups and downs. This afternoon in my second round, after 14 holes I was tired, but I fought to be here. I wanted to make birdies and it was a strange sensation.”
Denmark’s Malene Jorgensen ended two strokes back alongside Australians Rebecca Artis and Alison Whitaker on seven-under-par, with Italian Veronica Zorzi, Australian Sarah Kemp and England’s Henrietta Zuel one shot further behind.
Of those playing later in the afternoon, LET ISPS HANDA Order of Merit leader Lee-Anne Pace, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Germany’s Ann-Kathrin Lindner were all in the hunt.
Miyazato, who opened with a six-under 65, dropped a shot at the first hole after her drive took a hard bounce off a tarmac cart path and plopped straight into a lake right of the fairway. However, she recovered well to make a bogey followed by a birdie at the second.
The defending champion Melissa Reid was one-under for the day through six holes, while the first-round leader Cabanillas began her second round at 16:50 local time.
