Ursula Wikstrom fired back-to-back rounds of 68 (-5) to lead at the halfway stage of the 2024 KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
After some early morning fog, there was a slight delay to the tee times with morning tee times delayed by 30 minutes and afternoon tee times by 20 minutes.
However, that didn’t stop Wikstrom, who was one of three co-leaders after 18 holes alongside Italy’s Alessandra Fanali and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes.
The Finn, who lost in a playoff at Dromoland Castle in 2022, got off to a trickier start on day two on the O’Meara Course at Carton House.
She began with a bogey on her opening hole, she then made back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 before dropping another shot on 14.
Wikstrom soon found her groove with a birdie on 18 before rolling in four more on holes two, three, six and eight to seal another round of five-under and sit at the top of the leaderboard on 10-under-par.
“I didn’t really have a good start,” said Wikstrom who is in search of her maiden LET title in her 21st season on Tour.
“I was a little bit off and didn’t get a good handle of the greens, but then I tried to not think about it too much and tried to start making [the putts] and seeing the lines. I luckily made some putts and it was a little bit easier.
“It was just a little bit of a struggle. Luckily not too much of a struggle. I made a few bogeys in the beginning, but I started rolling them in and the wedges were good, so I was hitting wedges close enough to give me chances.
“I’ve been 21 years on Tour and I have had many chances to win. It is quite nice to be in that position again, it’s been a while. It hasn’t been the season so far where I have been in contention that much so it’s always a nice extra feeling to get in that place for a weekend. There are still two more days, but it’s nice to be in this position.”
Spain’s Sobron and Italy’s Fanali sit in second place just one shot behind the leader on nine-under-par at the midway mark in Ireland.
The duo both produced rounds of 69 (-4) on day two with Sobron having five birdies and one bogey, meanwhile Fanali had six birdies and two bogeys.
“It was very good today again, I putted very well,” said the Italian. “I three-putted once, but overall, it was a very good round and very solid. I missed a couple of irons in the back nine that we played, but it was very good and I’m very happy about it.
“I was a bit upset that when we teed off the wind came up. Yesterday morning when we teed off the rain came and then today the wind, but I handled it very well. I played very well on the back nine and am just enjoying it. I’m very confident.”
Sobron explained: “My tee time was almost the last one, I was lucky because this morning was so cold and then with the delay, it was perfect for me and my body. I played really good, the same as yesterday.
“I missed just one shot on hole five. I hit to the bunker and then I hit again to the bunker and it was a fried egg, that’s golf. I’m really happy. I am feeling confident, I want to play the weekend and do my job shot by shot. Plan is do the same, fairways, greens, one putt and avoid the bunkers.”
England’s Annabel Dimmock and Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini are in a share of fourth place on eight-under-par.
Dimmock fired the round of the week with a bogey-free 66 (-7) and birdies on her first, fifth, seventh, eighth, 11th, 13th and 17th holes.
“It was really fun,” said Dimmock, whose mum is from Ireland. “It was actually stress-free, which normally I don’t play stress-free golf. I have been struggling the last couple of weeks and I think it was coming from me hitting it too hard
“Me and my coach, we’ve tried to slow my swing right down and I actually played better probably yesterday, but I couldn’t get the ball in the hole. Today, I sunk a couple of nice ones which got me going and I just played solid and rolled a couple of putts in. It was an easy day.
“I have completely slowed my swing right down. Me and my dad keep saying to each other ‘Lydia Ko tempo’. It rhymes and it sticks. I’ve been trying to have a really good tempo out there and not think about technical things. I think that’s what I’ll be doing from now on.
“It feels really nice to be around the top of the leaderboard. It’s more of a relief after being out for so long, it’s like I still have it, I’m back and that’s a really good feeling.
“They support me so well. I love the Irish fans and they seem to like me as well which is really nice. I think I play best when I’m most comfortable and relaxed and to be honest with you I feel that in Ireland.”
LET winner Tamburlini backed up her opening 70 with a round of 68 (-5) on day two in Ireland to be shots behind leader Wikstrom.
“A really solid day, I built on from yesterday,” said the 2024 Joburg Ladies Open champion. “I’ve had one bogey in 36 holes.
“I made a couple of par putts today, more than I had to yesterday, but overall, really solid. I feel like I’ve been getting more dialled in today with my yardages.
“I felt like I struggled yesterday with my yardages just coming in from links golf. Today I feel like I got a better idea of how far my clubs are flying again, so I will hopefully be able to build on that tomorrow.”
Four players are in a share for sixth place with France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley and Swedish duo Moa Folke and Corinne Viden all on seven-under-par.
There are five players in a tie for 10th place with Thailand’s Trichat Cheenglab, Sweden’s Linda Wessberg, England’s Lily May Humphreys, and French pair Agathe Sauzon and Celine Herbin all on six-under.
The cut fell at even par with 65 players making it through to the final two days of action at Carton House.
Round three will begin at 7.45 am (local time) with the leading group teeing off at 11.55 am (local time) on the O’Meara Course.
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