It was a day of mixed emotions for the Irish as the second round got underway at the Centurion Club on Saturday.
Lauren Walsh finished her second round two-over-par which sees the Kildare native into the final round on Sunday and the 24-year-old started strong with a birdie on her opening hole but was unable to gain momentum throughout the front nine as she struggled on the par-4s, making three bogeys.
A birdie on the par-3 14th hoped to set up a strong finish but Walsh could not capitalise as another bogey followed on the 17th which left the 2023 NCAA championship winner in a tie for 49th heading into the final day.
Also making the cut was Derry’s Annabel Wilson but the 24-year-old will undoubtedly be disappointed as she could not find the form she had in round one.
A triple bogey on the par-3 fifth proved to be damaging as the rookie had to take on flags to try and reduce the deficit – making four bogeys as she carded a five-over-par round two, putting her at 3-over for the tournament and in a tie for 56th place.
With the cutline at +3, only two of the four Irish golfers tee off on Sunday as Cork’s Sara Byrne and Dublin’s Anna Foster dropped to five-over-par and seven-over-par respectfully.
Meanwhile it was second round delight for Germany’s Laura Fuenfstueck as the 30-year-old extended her lead at the top to three strokes after a three-under-par day two took her to nine-under-par for the tournament.
A blistering front nine saw four birdies for Fuenfstueck as the German seemed to be in a flow state and two bogeys on the back nine felt like a mere bump in the road as she finished her round with a statement of intent with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
“We have worked on a lot of things and tried to make changes. Our coach was here for three days leading up to this event. We had a long chat after the AIG Women’s Open last week and there were a lot of things going in the right direction,” said Fuenfstueck.
“I’m sure we will have some crowds out tomorrow. I’m excited to be in that position again, it’s been a while and it’s always fun to be contending,” she added confidently.
Round two saw the end of the teamed competition as Team Du Toit pipped the field to win by one stroke, finishing on 29-under-par.
The quartet of Danielle Du Toit, Sarah Kemp, Marta Sanz Barrio, and Megan Dennis began the day in a share of 11th place on 13-under-par.
“It has been such an up-and-down season, I played well on the Sunshine Ladies Tour… coming over to the LET has been rough,” said Captain Du Toit. “To get this win, I’m still speechless. I’m going to have to be pinching myself for a while,” she added.
It was a huge turnaround for South Africa’s Du Toit, considering the 26-year-old was only drafted in last minute to fill in for the injured Charley Hull.
“I can’t even describe it. I had played one round on LETAS, and I had to withdraw. At that point, I was first reserve. Then I got on a plane and when I landed, I was in. I just showed up, played the course blind. I have no words,” added an emotional Du Toit.
The final round of the PIF London Championship tees off at 8:30am on Sunday morning.
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