Johanna Gustavsson currently leads by one at the Ladies Open by Pickala Rock Resort after firing back-to-back 66s (-6) on a lengthy day in Finland.
After finishing her first round early on Friday following yesterday’s storm suspension, the Swede got straight to business when she made three birdies in a row on the 5th, 6th and 7th.
With Carmen Alonso leading the way ahead of her, Gustavsson then piled pressure on the Spaniard when she posted two more red numbers on the 11th and 12th.
She said: “We played until 22:00 yesterday evening and we were up early this morning finishing the first round so I didn’t sleep as many hours as I liked.”
A bogey on the 13th briefly halted Gustavsson’s momentum before two brilliant birdies on the 16th and 18th catapulted the 30-year-old into the lead on 12-under-par.
“I holed a lot of putts today,” she continued. “Yesterday I hit it a bit closer but today I rolled in more putts. I’m playing solid. One dropped shot. Very solid.
“I like the grass around here. It’s obviously very similar to Swedish grass – probably the same – so I enjoyed the chipping but it helps when the putter is also hot.”
Johanna Gustavsson moves to within two of the lead
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) June 30, 2023#RaiseOurGame | #LETsRockPickala pic.twitter.com/Iv2cHOSZnz
One behind her is the before-mentioned Alonso, who produced another stellar display to fire a 69 (-3) despite bogeying her final two holes.
“I played really good,” the Spaniard said, who also eagled the par-5 8th for the second day in a row. “The front nine was four-under so I was very happy, but then on the back nine I finished with two bogeys that make me a little bit crazy, but that’s golf.
“The course is obviously for the long hitters. You can hit it everywhere and the ball is still going to be there. When you arrive to the 17th it’s a different golf course, maybe that’s why I made the two bogeys. But no, it was just two bad shots today and that’s it.”
Austria’s Christine Wolf currently sits in solo third on nine-under-par and is still out on the course.
Six players share a tie for fourth on six-under including home favourite Noora Komulainen who matched the round of the day with a super 66 (-6).
“I played 24 holes today, and was bogey-free,” the Finnsh star said. “I’m very happy about that. I think I only slept five hours last night! But overall a very good day, I hit it very solid and only missed one green.
“It was very nice to see a lot of crowds cheering for me. The atmosphere was amazing, I just love it, best week of the whole year! For me it’s also very special to have my husband on the bag.”
With the afternoon wave still out on the course chasing Gustavsson’s target, play is scheduled to conclude today at around 21:00 local time.
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