Nanna Koerstz Madsen Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

From Leona Maguire to Ariya Jutanugarn: What it’s like to be the first woman from your country to win a title

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 10:48:40 +0000

By Kent Paisley
It was always going to be a big deal personally for Leona Maguire to become the first Irishwoman to win an LPGA Tour event, the 27-year-old accomplishing the feat after four years as a professional at the LPGA Drive On Championship in February. And a big deal for her country, too; in the wake of her win, Maguire — among the players considered a favourite at this week’s AIG Women’s Open — got a social-media shoutout from none other than the country’s president, Michael Higgins.

Still, it was only recently that the bigger-picture significance of her accomplishment sunk in for Maguire. Last month, a young fan and her mother approached the golfer while she was playing in the JP McManus Pro-Am charity event. The girl shared with Maguire, the lone woman competing among 50 professionals, that she had selected “Leona” as her saint name for her first communion, a tradition of the Catholic church.

“Usually, you pick a Saint, but she picked Leona, which was a little different,” Maguire said, a bit overwhelmed. “I’ve had people send me projects they’ve done or posters. It doesn’t seem that long ago I was doing that on Padraig Harrington or Serena Williams or Annika Sorenstam or whomever it was growing up. It’s a little bit full circle right now.”

Stories of players inspiring a country by becoming its first tour winner are happening more and more of late. In the LPGA’s 73-year history, women from 29 countries have won titles. Three of those countries saw their first winners come in the last two seasons, all from Europe: Ireland’s Maguire, Finland’s Matilda Castren (2021 Mediheal Championship) and Denmark’s Nanna Koertz Madsen (2022 Honda LPGA Thailand).

Nanna Koertz Madsen. Andrew Redington

“It’s definitely trending in the right direction for the European Solheim [Cup],” Koerstz Madsen said at the JTBC Classic in March. “Now there is one and a half years before for the Solheim, so we still have to continue this.”

Go back a decade, and players from six countries have recorded historic maiden wins, including three players who eventually claimed the top spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings: New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (2012), China’s Shanshan Feng (2012) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (2015).

Given the talent of all these players, the anticipation for their maiden wins left them feeling anxious, pressure building to fulfill what seemed like their destinies. Maguire’s notable amateur career — three-time NCAA player of the year at Duke, a three-time Curtis Cup participant, 135 weeks at No. 1 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking — made it seem inevitable she would give Ireland its long-anticipated first win after finally reaching the LPGA Tour in 2020. Twice she claimed runner-up finishes in 2021, duelling with LPGA stalwarts.

“I suppose at the time you tend not to focus on things like that, putting too much pressure on yourself,” Maguire said. “And obviously I wanted to win first and foremost for myself and for my family. I know I have an incredible amount of support from back home from Ireland, everybody sort of staying up late with the time changes and all that to support me.”

Social media clamoured for her success, as witnessed in the creation of a Leona Maguire Tracker account on Twitter at the start of 2022. (Yes, Maguire is aware of it and appreciates her fan’s passion. No, her twin sister Lisa doesn’t run the tracker, and as of now, she doesn’t know who is behind it.)

“Over the last year or two I’ve been on social media, if I’d been in the lead or near the lead,” Maguire said. “It was people tweeting or whatever saying: ‘Is this going to be the week? Are we finally going to have an Irishwoman win?’ or all those questions. So I guess the nice part now is, that question’s kind of over, which is a nice sort of feeling to have.”

Matilda Castren. Gregory Shamus

Castren became Finland’s first winner in June 2021 at 26 during her second year on tour. Her victory put her in an unusual spot. She was not yet a member of the Ladies European Tour so, despite being an LPGA winner she wasn’t eligible to play on the European Solheim Cup team that coming September. Her only avenue to membership, given LET qualifying school wasn’t until after the Cup’s conclusion, was to win an LET event.

Impressively, in Castren’s first opportunity, she won the Gant Ladies Open in her home country. Her spot on Team Europe was locked in, and she helped the visitors take down the Americans in the United States for the first time since 2013.

“I think last year I was just going with the flow,” Castren said, “and now I kind of look back and I’m like: ‘Wow, how did I, how did I do all that? How did I like survive the whole year?’ Because it was a long year and a lot of these very special events. I think I have a different perspective now. Obviously, last year I thought it was so cool and I was so excited and everyone around me were so excited. Now, it just feels a little bit more special, if it can.”

Despite some fans asking for photos and sharing she’s motivated them, Castren doesn’t feel like a celebrity. “I just hope that I can inspire others,” she said. “It’s always kind of hard to come over to the states to play if you haven’t gone to college or like other connections. Over here, but I hope I can inspire the next generation to want to reach for the stars and try to be playing amongst the best. I’m just trying to find different ways to help the juniors.”

Castren can look to fellow recent first-time winners for advice on how to help grow the game in her country. Ko partnered with New Zealand Golf in 2015 to create a scholarship programme for two teen players to train with her in the US. Feng created a golf academy in 2017 to help more Chinese kids get into golf. Jutanugarn and her older sister Moriya partnered with Habitat for Humanity in 2018 to assist Thai families.

Ariya Jutanugarn

“So many times that I’ve spent time with the kids, they came up to me and said: ‘You’re really inspiring,’” Jutanugarn said at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. “So that just makes my day and makes my life, because I feel like that’s all I want to do.”

So which country could be the 30th to have its first LPGA winner? India’s Aditi Ashok has the potential and has already seen a substantial impact from her play within her homeland. When golf returned to the Olympics in 2016, the then 18-year-old shot back-to-back 68s to sit T-8 through the first 36 holes. Then, in November, she won the LET’s Hero Women’s Indian Open, taking down Brittany Lincicome to become the first Indian player to win a LET event.

“I’m just so happy that it was my first win,” Ashok said, “because I didn’t get to grow up looking at that trophy with an Indian girl’s name on it. I feel like now, anybody who is going to play in that event or who looks at history on the European Tour, they can see an Indian girl has won there. So I think it gives you a little more belief in yourself that it is possible.”

Aditi Ashok. Chris Trotman

At last summer’s Olympics, Ashok finished T-4, a stroke out of a playoff for a medal. Following the inspiring performance, more and more kids have taken pictures alongside the Indian golf star on the driving range at the courses she practises at, the Bangalore Golf Club and Karnataka Golf Association. She’s since claimed an LPGA career-best T-3 at the 2021 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

“Before [the Olympics], I guess they would just look at me as another golfer practising, or maybe they didn’t even know who I was,” Ashok said. “I think the Olympics made that different, and they’d all try and get a picture with me, because I had been at the Olympics and because I had finished fourth. That has definitely done more than my three wins on European tour.”

The inspiration from the first-time winners stretches beyond their homeland. Some players are focused on becoming their country’s first LPGA members, let alone winners. For example, Epson Tour member Pilar Echeverria is working to become the first Guatemalan on tour. Those first-time winners serve as beacons that her dreams are possible.

“Even in central America,” Echeverria said, “we don’t have that many professional golf players. So we support each other a lot. There are some other Central American players on Epson Tour, and we’re always cheering on each other.

“It’s just a lot of excitement and looking forward to working hard, and hopefully make that first come true.”

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Solheim Cup heroes to join Nelly and Jessica Korda at star-studded Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande

Matt Smith — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 09:49:05 +0000

Bronte Law. ATS

By Matt Smith
The Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande is shaping up to be the ultimate teaser for the 2023 Solheim Cup, with a host of big-name Europeans joining the likes of US stars Nelly and Jessica Korda on the Spanish coast next month.

Triple-major-winner Anna Nordqvist of Sweden leads the latest big names announced for the $1million tournament, where the hero of the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles – England’s Bronte Law – will also compete.

They will be joined by Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew, plus fellow legend Laura Davies. Nanna Koertz Madsen of Denmark and Matilda Castren of Finland – both 2021 Solheim Cup-winning rookies – will also play, as will Team Europe alumni, Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands.

Alison Lee

+Caroline Masson, a regular mainstay on the European Solheim Cup team with four appearances in the last 10 years, is another star name to commit to Sotogrande, alongside AIG Women’s Open champion and fellow German, Sophia Popov.

At La Reserva Club, located just 20km from Finca Cortesin, host venue of next year’s Solheim Cup, that European field will come up against a US pack led by the Korda sisters — former world No. 1 Nelly and six-time LPGA winner Jessica — and featuring the likes of defending Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande individual champion Alison Lee, Lindsey Weaver-Wright and record-breaker Kelly Whaley, whose eight birdies in a row during competition play earlier this year set a new LET benchmark.

The Aramco Team Series returns to Spain with its mixed team and individual format for the second year in a row, taking place August 18-20.

Bronte Law, who claimed the individual title at last month’s Aramco Team Series London event, said: “It should be quite the week. These Aramco Team Series events are so different to the golf we usually play. There’s something about competing both as a team and as a solo golfer at the same time that I feel almost brings out the best in a lot of us, so I can’t wait to get out on that first tee and under way in another one next month.

“The quality of the field really does speak for itself. I think some of us would be lying if we said we won’t be thinking about being back in this part of the world a year later for the Solheim. It’ll be a chance for quite a number of the players competing to go out and show what they’re made of and I’m looking forward to it.”

Matthew — who Law has chosen as her captain’s pick at no fewer than three previous Aramco Team Series events — said: “When the ATS events were first added to the LET calendar last year, we were told they wanted to try to raise women’s golf as best they could. I don’t think anyone can argue in saying that they really have done that and then some.

“Every tournament comes with a real air of grandeur, they are so well organised and the prize money is obviously fantastic, too. But it’s the golf side of it that I think us as players enjoy the most. Playing as a team is something we do rarely but is a format that brings so much added excitement and opportunity, for us as players and for those watching live or on TV. The vibe of these events in particular is so different, and we really love being part of them.”

Further big names announced include Australian Steph Kyriacou, Pia Babnik of Slovenia and Linn Grant of Sweden, who is currently sitting second in the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol rankings and in June became the first ever woman to win on the men’s DP World Tour with victory in the Volvo Scandinavian Mixed.

They will join a packed field that will also feature a host of Spanish stars, including Solheim Cup hero Carlota Ciganda, rising talent Ana Peláez Triviño, Nuria Iturrioz and Carmen Alonso.

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Five players to watch at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — from Korda to Ko

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 07:08:11 +0000

Jin Young Ko. Yong Teck Lim

By Keely Levins

The 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is being played at Congressional Golf Club, marking the first time the iconic venue will host a women’s professional golf tournament. Two LPGA majors have already been played in 2022, with Jennifer Kupcho winning her first major at the Chevron Championship and Minjee Lee winning the US Women’s Open at Pine Needles. As the best women golfers in world prepare to compete for a $9 million purse, we’re mapping out five players who we’ll be watching at the third major of the year.

Brooke Henderson

Gregory Shamus

At the LPGA Classic, just a few weeks before the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Henderson won her first tournament of 2022. In a season where a rule change required her to change the length of her driver shaft, Henderson’s been looking for the right driver setup. In New Jersey, it was clear she’d found it. She hit every fairway on Sunday and said she’s gotten her driver distance back up where she likes to see it. Another change which seemed to be working was her putting grip: She’s switched to left-hand low. With the driver and putter dialled in, Henderson is worth watching at the KPMG, a championship she won in 2016.

Jin Young Ko

Sarah Stier

The No. 1 player in the world is worth watching at any tournament, but she’s especially interesting at Congressional because as we enter the second half of the LPGA season, Ko has only won once and hasn’t won a major since 2019. In other words, she’s due for a win and it only feels fitting for it to happen on a big stage like Congressional. Though her driving distance is relatively low (108th on tour) she makes up for it with accuracy, hitting 82 per cent of fairways and 74 per cent of greens. That level of accuracy keeps her out of trouble and greatly diminishes the potential for big numbers, which is key at any major championship.

Nelly Korda

NurPhoto

Korda is defending this championship, having won the 2021 edition at Atlanta Athletic Club. Her 2022 season has not gone as anyone could have expected. In March, Korda’s season came to a halt when she was diagnosed with a blood clot. She later underwent surgery to get the clot removed. At the US Women’s Open, Korda made her return and the time off didn’t appear to have slowed her down: She finished T-8. Now, having gotten back into the rhythm of tournament golf, she could be primed to defend at Congressional.

Nanna Koerstz Madsen

Sean M Haffey

As noted, this is the first time Congressional will host a women’s professional tournament, so we don’t have the luxury of pointing to a past winner as a player to watch. But, historically, Congressional has favoured good drivers of the ball. While Korda and Henderson certainly fall into that category, Koerstz Madsen is actually ranked just higher than both in strokes gained/driving. She’s fourth on tour in the key stat and finished T-15 in the championship in 2021. The 27-year-old Dane has won once on the LPGA Tour and has not yet won a major.

Ashley Grier

Kevin C Cox

There are eight PGA and LPGA teaching pros in the field at Congressional, and while it’s fun to watch each of them to see who might make the cut, eyes will be on Ashely Grier because she’s a local. She teaches not far from Congressional, at Ying Ling’s Golf Centre. This is her sixth major championship, and when interviewed by the PGA before the tournament, she’s full of confidence and belief. Her second-round 72 at the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is a sign of her ability on the major stage.

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Here’s how to avoid shanking your next high-pressure bunker shot

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 05:47:02 +0000

Nanna Koerstz Madsen didn’t pull off the bunker shot she hoped for on the final hole of the AIG Women’s Open. Warren Little/R&A

By Matthew Rudy
It’s OK to admit it: As hard as it was to watch Nanna Koerstz Madsen shank a bunker shot while tied for the lead on the last hole of the AIG Women’s Open, part of you could identify with what happened. We’ve all been there.

One of the biggest challenges for any player—from the LPGA down to weekend amateurs—is to perform a precise movement when the pressure is on. Nervousness tends to cloud decision-making and tighten muscles, two things that produce a chain reaction of (often negative) unanticipated consequences—especially on a high-difficulty shot like Madsen’s long downhill bunker shot.

THE UNTHINKABLE BUNKER SHANK ON THE FINAL HOLE OF THE WOMEN’S OPEN???

Tough shot Nanna Koerstz Madsen tried pulling off here but man, awful feeling. pic.twitter.com/AJlZ4aaLND

— The Plugged Lie (@PluggedLiePod) August 22, 2021

“Two things happened here,” says top New Jersey coach Terry Rowles. “She was too far away to use a shot where you swing hard to the left and hold the face open, and she hit too close to the ball.”

That’s fine to say, but what should she have done instead—and what should YOU do the next time you need to get out of the sand in a high-stress moment?

Stabilize yourself

“Even on run-of-the-mill bunker shots, players tend to back up, meaning they shift back or hang back to try to help the ball out,” says Rowles, who is based at Mountain Ridge Country Club in Caldwell, N.J. “Stabilize your weight at the start and keep it where it is, which produces the consistent entry point.”

Another element of stability? Committing to the style of shot you want to play early and sticking with it. “The more nervous you are, the farther behind the ball you want to hit with a harder swing and more release,” Rowles says. “Under pressure, it’s easier to do something faster than slower, and release is a ‘can-do’ thing that doesn’t deteriorate with speed. Relax your arms as much as possible and release. A lot.”

Get more open than you think. Dom Furore / Golf Digest

The fail-safe that works with stability? An open clubface. That might seem counter-intuitive—after all, a shank comes when you clack it off the hosel, which is aimed at the ball as you open the face more. “Opening the face ‘too much’ at address and doing it more as you take the club back encourages you to release more and harder, which is what you want,” Rowles says. “For the rest of the swing, you’re after a hook feel. You’ve built in loft so that you’re safe to accelerate with the adrenaline you’re feeling.”

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Euros surge onto Solheim Cup team with captain’s picks remaining

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 03:15:14 +0000

Warren Little/R&A
Anna Nordqvist qualified for the Solheim Cup with her Women’s Open victory.

By Tod Leonard
Catriona Matthew, Europe’s Solheim Cup captain, stood behind the 18th green at Carnoustie on Sunday as the final group finished in the Scottish sunshine. After Anna Nordqvist prevailed with a par, while Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen suffered a double bogey on the cruel finisher, Matthew reached up to deliver a warm, smiling hug to the Swede. It was a congratulation for the win, but felt like something more: a welcome to the European squad that will take on the United States in two weeks’ time at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

The captain’s picks for both 12-women sides will be announced on Monday, but Nordqvist won’t have to nervously wait that out. By becoming the top-ranked European in the world with her third major victory, the 34-year-old earned an automatic spot for her seventh Solheim Cup appearance.

Nanna Koerstz Madsen, meantime, gave Matthew something to ponder. The Dane, who fell into a tie for fifth in the Women’s Open with her final-hole travails, moved up to No. 4 on the Ladies European Tour Solheim Cup points list. That doesn’t earn Koerstz Madsen the automatic spot secured by the first two LET finishers, but she certainly made a strong case on the heels of her ninth-place showing in the Tokyo Olympics.

Beyond Nordqvist, Georgia Hall made the biggest statement to Matthew. Needing a top-10 result to guarantee a Solheim spot, the Englishwoman closed with a 67 at Carnoustie for a T-2. That powered Hall into the LET’s No. 2 position and secured her third Solheim Cup appearance. Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen had the most LET points, and she’ll be on her second Europe team.

Both teams entered the Women’s Open week with the final positions to be decided before the captains made their selections. The U.S. and captain Pat Hurst have seven players coming off the American points list, another two from the Rolex Women’s Golf World Rankings, and three captain’s picks. Europe’s team will be comprised of the two from the LET, four from the World Rankings and six captain’s picks.

After the Open, Europe’s World Rankings qualifiers are Nordqvist, Germany’s Sophia Popov, England’s Charley Hull and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda.

The U.S. automatic points qualifiers, in order of their finish, are Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Ally Ewing, Austin Ernst, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda and Megan Khang.

Lizette Salas needed a victory in the Women’s Open to jump into America’s automatic top seven, and she nearly pulled it off by finishing T-2, one shot back of Nordqvist. Still, Salas, who entered the week at No. 25 in the world, made her fifth Solheim team on the strength of her ranking. The official rankings were not yet updated on Sunday afternoon, but the LPGA said that Jennifer Kupcho earned her first Solheim spot. Kupcho, a Solheim Cup first-timer, started the week at No. 27 in the world. Yealimi Noh was 29th but applied pressure in the Open with a T-13, while Kupcho placed 64th out of 66 on the weekend.

Come Monday’s announcement of the captain’s picks, the 20-year-old Noh figures to get strong consideration by Hurst. Veteran Stacy Lewis, 57th in the World Rankings before the Open, looks to be a logical choice, and maybe Brittany Altomare, who was eighth on the U.S. points list. Other potential picks for Hurst would be Angel Yin, Marina Alex, Amy Olson and Lauren Stephenson.

With six picks still to make, Matthew’s Sunday was going to be much more thought-provoking. Beyond the result of Koerstz Madsen in the Women’s Open, Swede Madelene Sagstrom tied for second. Mel Reid, at 47th in the world entering the Open, figures to be a near-lock, with strong pre-pick chatter about Matilda Castren, Leona Maguire and Celine Boutier.

For both teams, there are far more quality players than there are Solheim Cup honours. This is where it gets interesting.

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LPGA pro uses unconventional (and absolutely gross) method to handle her emotions during rounds

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:08:30 +0000

Yong Teck Lim

By Christopher Powers
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Golf is a sport than can cause a lot of emotional reactions: anger, frustration, sadness, anxiety, etc. It can be a lot to handle, even when you’re playing well, because knowing it could all unravel at any moment is always on the back of your mind. LPGA pro Nanna Koerstz Madsen has figured an unconventional (and absolutely disgusting) method to deal with it all: Lemon wedges.

That’s right, the 24-year-old from Denmark sucks on lemon wedges when her nerves, and sometimes temper, are getting the better of her. This gross method was first pointed out by Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols last month during the LPGA’s HUGEL-AIR Premia LA Open, where Koerstz Madsen played her way into the final group by shooting a third-round 67. After three putting the 11th hole that day, Koerstz Madsen pulled out a lemon wedge and started sucking, then finished her round with three birdies on her last seven holes.

“It’s like taking your senses away from whatever you’re on and thinking about this lemon,” she told Golfweek, “which is really disgusting and not very nice.”

No kidding. Madsen struggled on that Sunday, eventually finishing in solo 13th after posting a final-round 76. But it still marked the second-best finish of her LPGA career, so she was on to something with the ridiculously sour fruit.

This week, the Dane is making her second appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open at Country Club of Charleston, and she brought the lemons with her. Following rounds of 73 and 71, she fired what is currently the best round of the day, a five-under 66 that vaulted her into the top 10. Afterwards, she further explained the unusual practice that she and her mental coach came up with prior to the 2019 season.

“Well, it’s just if I get nervous or too angry or something, it’s just to take my mind off that stuff. So, yeah, bite a lemon.”

She didn’t appear to be nervous, or angry, on Saturday, when she made five birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to climb the leader board. She didn’t even need the lemons.

“Not today, no.”

Koerstz Madsen did have them just in case though, and her caddie and boyfriend Nicki Hansen showed the (unbitten) ones off after the round:

Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who just shot a 66 in the third round of the US women’s Open, sucks on lemon wedges to calm her nerves / temper during rounds. Yes, seriously. here’s her caddie with them after the round (she didn’t have to use them today) pic.twitter.com/nfOtxoMgYc

— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) June 1, 2019

Hansen, like any good caddie/significant other, has tried them too, and he keeps them as fresh as possible in tightly packed foil. That doesn’t make them any less gross, of course, but that’s the whole point according to Koerstz Madsen.

“It is [gross], yeah. That’s why I’m doing this,” she said.

It’s working so far this week, as Koerstz Madsen is at three under overall, four off the current lead. She’s looking for her first win on the LPGA Tour, and if she pulls it off she’d be the first player from Denmark to ever win a LPGA event, let alone a major. In addition to helping her golf game, there are also a number of health benefits to what she’s doing, like reducing inflammation, improving your circulation, fighting fatigue, and many more. If Koerstz Madsen has taught us anything, it’s that when life gives you lemons, do not make lemonade, just eat the lemons instead.

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Thai treat as Sangchan serves up a 67 to lead Ladies Classic

Kent Gray — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:27:57 +0000

By Kent Gray
Shy Thai Supamas Sangchan was happy to let her golf do the talking after grabbing the early clubhouse lead and keeping it all the way to the end of an absorbing opening day at the 12th Omega Dubai Ladies Classic.

The 21-year-old may have been attired in loud golf-themed trousers but her limited and quietly-spoken English meant there were slim post-round pickings for the press following her five-under 67 on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club.

Rest assured Sangchan is fluent in Siamese and super low scoring. She’ll take a one shot buffer into Thursday’s second round over five players – Scot Kelsey MacDonald, Finland’s Minea Blomqvist and Noora Tamminen, Australian rookie Celina Yuan and Dane Nanna Koerstz Madsen – while Dame Laura Davies and Solheim Cupper Florentyna Parker are among a group of seven players a further stroke back after 69s.

Sangchan’s media huddle afterwards lasted all of five questions, the first of which was clearly lost in translation. Paraphrasing the rest, she arrived in Dubai feeling pretty chipper about her game, stayed in the moment and found the Majlis greens “really fast”.

To flesh that out a little, know that the world’s 228th ranked player arrived in Dubai fresh from four top 30 finishes in her last four events, highlighted by T-11 and T-12 efforts in Abu Dhabi and China, the latter in defense of her thus far sole Ladies European Tour title at last month’s Sanya Open. Her pursuers will also be aware that the Thai won the Hong Kong Ladies Open in June so clearly knows how to get the job done.

With two LET titles, Blomqvist is the most decorated of those closest to Sangchan on the leaderboard but it was her compatriot Tamminen who had the most to cheer about on the centenary of Finland’s independence after acing her second hole, the 11th, with a seven iron from 140 yards.

Elsewhere, newly crowned European No.1 Georgia Hall escaped a tiring day with a pleasing two under 70, a score matched by last December’s Dubai runner-up Charley Hull. Brittany Lincicome and Aditi Ashok signed for 71s but reigning order of merit champion Beth Allen won’t have been thrilled with a 75 on her 36th birthday.

Hall can’t be beaten in this season’s OOM race and it’s just as well as she is running on empty at the LET’s season decider after successfully negotiating last week’s final stage of LPGA Tour Q-School.

“I landed from Orlando at like one o’clock yesterday [Tuesday] afternoon. Didn’t get to the hotel until three. It’s a 13-and-a-half-hour flight and I didn’t sleep. So I had a good sleep last night but still a bit jet-lagged,” said the 21-year-old Englishwoman who is still searching for her maiden LET title.

“I kind of struggled on the back nine today but I played okay. Just some approaches to greens weren’t that great, but I’ll sort it out tomorrow and see what happens.”

In-Kyung Kim is another looking for a big Thursday after signing for a one-over 73. It left the reigning British Open champion sitting on the projected cut line but at least the South Korean slept easier than Camille Chevalier. The Rookie-of-the-Year title is the 23-year-old Frenchwoman’s to lose but she won’t be pleased with her opening 75. It gives Swede Jenny Haglund (76) and third placed Luna Soburn (70) hope, albeit of the slim variety as they’d both need Chevalier to miss the cut as well as finishing at least second. Yuan has a mathematical shout too if Chevalier misses the weekend but would also need Haglund, Soburn and others to finish down the standings.

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