Sara Byrne looked poised to enter the final round of the LET’s Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco, but despite two late bogeys, she’s just one shot back in a tie for second.
The Cork native, making her first start as a card-carrying LET member, opened with a two-under 71, carding six birdies in the process, and she had little trouble in getting birdies on the scorecard in round two either, adding another seven.
The first of these came on the par-5 second, but she gave that shot back with a ‘six’ on five. Her response to dropping a shot on a par-5 was ideal, however, as she reeled off four birdies in the next five holes, making three-in-a-row from eight through 10. Two more followed on 13 and 15, the second of these giving her the outright lead at -8.
She’ll be a little disappointed with her finish, however, making back-to-back bogeys on the par-3 17th and par-4 18th, but she’ll fancy her chances of coming out on top if she can limit the mistakes in the third and final round.
“It’s been a good day, it’s always great being in contention coming into the final day, especially as a rookie,” said Bryne. “I honestly just played really solid today, putted well, and it’s always a nice day when you have seven birdies on the cards.”
The 23-year-old has Mark Raven on her bag this week who was at the Curtis Cup, and she’s loving being back in competitive mode after the lengthy break following LET Q-School back in December.
“The course is kind of quirky in places, but honestly, the course conditions are really good, there are low scoring chances out there.
“I’ve just been loving the week. I kind of missed the competing over the break a little bit and so to have this as the first event with the senior tour as well, it’s pretty cool. I also got drawn with Olivia [Mehaffey] and Megan [Dennis] for the first two rounds. It felt a little bit of home from home with Olivia and I, so I’m just taking it all in and it’s good to be back.”
Lauren Walsh is next best of the Irish quintet having bounced back from a two-over opening round to card six birdies of her own in a four-under 69 that lifts her into a tie for 21st at -2.
Anna Foster found the going considerably tougher on day two, making just the one birdie with six bogeys as she slumped to a five-over 78, but she still made the cut at +2, the same score as Olivia Mehaffey who shot a level-par 73.
Annabel Wilson got off to an ideal start with three birdies in her first seven holes, but a double bogey on the ninth and another on 16 left her precariously placed but the cutline settled at +3, leaving her just the right side of the mark and making it all five Irish women who will compete in the final round.
Singapore’s Shannon Tan now holds the solo lead at -7. Tan, who started the day on the 10th tee, had a shaky start with bogeys on holes 10, 13, and 16, but pulled it back on the front nine. The 20-year-old had a swing of birdies on holes one, two, and three, before also putting back-to-back birdies on five and six.
“I got off to a bit of a slow start, but I just told myself to stay patient throughout today and it worked,” said Tan.
Alongside Byrne in a tie for second are German Helen Briem and Nuria Iturrioz of Spain, with a further six players one further adrift at -5.
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