With her husband on the bag, as he was when she gained the title in 2018, a relaxed Ashleigh Buhai posted a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 on Thursday to stretch to a four-stroke lead at the midway mark of the Investec South African Women’s Open Championship at Steenberg Golf Club.
The reigning AIG Women’s Open champion missed 5 of 14 fairways, and hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation, however you wouldn’t have guessed it from the serene manner she went about her work.
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26 putts in spherical two for Buhai
Of course, it helps while you’re placing sublimely, and, with simply 26 putts for the second spherical in a row, as soon as she hit the entrance, there wasn’t a lot doubt that she’d be within the lead going into the ultimate two rounds of the event co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Ladies Tour and the Ladies European Tour.
“It’s always good fun to have Dave on the bag,” Buhai stated. “He caddied for me for eight years, no-one knows my game better other than my coach Doug Wood. It’s good when we can do these one-off weeks together every now and then.”
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In her first spherical, she made a bogey, and for her second journey across the course, she managed to minimise errors fully.
“It is always a good day when you have no bogeys, so that’s first things first,” stated Buhai, who’s taking intention at what can be her fourth nationwide open title. “My entrance 9 was just a little little bit of a sluggish begin, and I received a bit unfortunate on quantity 5 once I hit the flag and it ricocheted all the way in which again down the inexperienced. I stayed affected person after which managed to complete birdie-birdie on the entrance 9.
“The golf course is staying soft, so you can be a bit more aggressive, but the pins were a little bit more tucked today. At the same time, I had to be patient. I felt myself trying to push a little bit and then on seven, I hit it left and I said to myself to just hit it to my spaces and the birdies will come and that’s what I did on the back nine.”
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In second place was the German teenager Chiara Noja, who fired a course-record 62 within the first spherical to high Buhai’s opening 64. The 16-year-old Noja, who already had a Ladies European Tour title behind her identify, was solely in a position to grind out a one-under-par 71 within the second spherical which she began in heavy early morning rain.
There have been four gamers in a share of third on eight-under-par, together with final 12 months’s runner-up Magdalena Simmermacher from who out misplaced to Lee-Anne Pace in an epic six-hole play-off. The Argentinean had maybe the spherical of the day along with her five-under within the very difficult early morning situations.
Spaniard Ana Pelaez Trivino, who additionally had a five-under, however a lot later within the day, Nastasia Nadaud from France, who signed for a two-under 70; and Dutch golfer Romy Meekers, who additionally carded 70 share third with Simmermacher.
Backing up Buhai’s efforts for South Africa have been rookie Kaleigh Telfer and Casandra Alexander.
Telfer was spectacular with a bogey-free three-under-par 69, and Alexander, who has gained twice on the Sunshine Ladies Tour this season, overcame a bogey on the tenth with 5 birdies on her approach to a 68. They have been on six-under for the event in a share of sixth.
With the 2 South Africans have been Johanna Gustavsson from Sweden, who had a 72, England’s Gabriella Cowley, who had a 69, and compatriot Lily May Himphreys, who leads the Investec Order of Merit on the Sunshine Ladies Tour after her win within the Joburg Open final week. Humphreys birdied the ultimate gap for a spherical of 71.
The minimize to 60 and ties fell at level-par, leaving a subject of 60 professionals and South Africa’s No 1-ranked newbie Kyra van Kan to battle issues out over the ultimate 36 holes.
For Buhai, issues look fairly rosy with a four-shot lead, however she is aware of that issues can change within the blink of an eye fixed. “I’ll need to keep doing what I’m doing,” she stated. “I will stick to my process and stick to my steps and try and stick to my thoughts that I have in my swing, that’s all I can control and hopefully the outcome will be what we want.”
Halfway minimize made at Steenberg
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SECOND ROUND RESULTS
129 – Ashleigh Buhai 64 65
133 – Chiara Noja (GER) 62 71
136 – Magdalena Simmermacher (ARG) 69 67, Ana Pelaez Trivino (ESP) 69 67, Nastasia Nadaud (FRA) 66 70, Romy Meekers (NED) 66 70
138 – Kaleigh Telfer 69 69, Casandra Alexander 70 68, Lily May Humphreys (ENG) 67 71, Johanna Gustavsson (SWE) 66 72, Gabriella Cowley (ENG) 69 69
139 – Nicole Broch Estrup (DEN) 69 70, Nadia van der Westhuizen 68 71, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 70 69, Lisa Pettersson (SWE) 72 67, Michele Thomson (SCO) 72 67, Elena Hualde (ESP) 70 69
140 – Laura Beveridge (SCO) 70 70, Alessandra Fanali (ITA) 70 70, Alexandra Forsterling (GER) 72 68, Eleanor Givens (ENG) 69 71, Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ) 69 71, Anna Magnusson (SWE) 72 68, Vani Kapoor (IND) 72 68
141 – Patricia Isabel Schmidt (GER) 68 73, Pranavi Urs (IND) 70 71, Sara Kouskova (CZE) 70 71, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 72 69, Kylie Henry (SCO) 68 73, Cara Gorlei 72 69, Christine Wolf (AUT) 72 69
142 – Alice Hewson (ENG) 72 70, Alexandra Swayne (ISV) 72 70, Klara Davidson Spilkova (CZE) 72 70, Liz Young (ENG) 71 71, Anais Meyssonnier (FRA) 71 71
143 – Julie Boysen Hillestad (NOR) 69 74, Nicole Garcia 70 73, Madelene Stavnar (NOR) 71 72, Moa Folke (SWE) 75 68, Smilla Tarning Soenderby (DEN) 68 75, Sarah Schober (AUT) 70 73, Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP) 69 74, Sanna Nuutinen (FIN) 70 73, Tandi McCallum 72 71, Lee-Anne Pace 70 73, Chloe Williams (WAL) 70 73, Emie Peronnin (FRA) 70 73, Nuria Iturrioz (ESP) 72 71, Helen Kreuzer (GER) 73 70
144 – Olivia Cowan (GER) 73 71, Sara Kjellker (SWE) 76 68, Agathe Sauzon (FRA) 68 76, Cara Gainer (ENG) 72 72, Vanessa Knecht (SUI) 72 72, Amy Taylor (ENG) 74 70, Jane Turner (SCO) 69 75, Noora Komulainen (FIN) 72 72, Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR) 73 71, Kyra van Kan (a) 74 70, Camille Chevalier (FRA) 75 69
Missed the minimize:-
145 – Luna Sobron Galmes (ESP) 68 77, Momoka Kobori (NZL) 72 73, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 74 71, Sofie Bringner (SWE) 73 72, Hayley Davis (ENG) 70 75, Ana Dawson (IMN) 73 72, Wenyung Keh (NZL) 74 71, Maria Hernandez (ESP) 74 71, Jana Melichova (CZE) 71 74, Linnea Johansson (SWE) 70 75, Hannah Burke (ENG) 72 73, Kim Metraux (SUI) 73 72, Linnea Strom (SWE) 74 71, Mireia Prat (ESP) 73 72, Nikki Hofstede (NED) 71 74
146 – Carmen Alonso (ESP) 73 73, Rosie Davies (ENG) 72 74, Elin Arvidsson (SWE) 73 73, Sophie Witt (GER) 70 76, Lauren Holmey (NED) 71 75, Lindi Coetzee 73 73, Lejan Lewthwaite 72 74, Laura Gomez Ruiz (ESP) 71 75, Emma Spitz (AUT) 72 74, Tiia Koivisto (FIN) 73 73, Louise Duncan (SCO) 74 72, Ridhima Dilawari (IND) 71 75, Kirsten Rudgeley (AUS) 78 68, Amandeep Drall (IND) 72 74
147 – Thalia Martin (ENG) 70 77, Katja Pogacar (SVN) 71 76, Trichat Cheenglab (THA) 71 76, Lora Assad 71 76, Emma Nilsson (SWE) 72 75
148 – Ivanna Samu 72 76, Michelle Forsland (NOR) 74 74, Verena Gimmy (GER) 74 74, Laura Fuenfstueck (GER) 71 77, Diksha Dagar (IND) 75 73, Tiffany Arafi (SUI) 74 74, Lea Anne Bramwell (WAL) 73 75, Meghan MacLaren (ENG) 80 68, Jenny Haglund (SWE) 73 75, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 73 75
149 – Paz Marfa Sans (ESP) 73 76, Lauren Taylor (ENG) 75 74, Stacy Bregman 72 77, Tereza Melecka (CZE) 75 74, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 71 78, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 78 71, Cloe Frankish (ENG) 76 73
150 – Anne-Charlotte Mora (FRA) 73 77, Emma Grechi (FRA) 72 78, Lydia Hall (WAL) 80 70, Leonie Harm (GER) 73 77, Genevieve Ling (MAS) 79 71
151 – Kiera Floyd 77 74
152 – Gabrielle Venter 75 77, Carolin Kauffmann (GER) 74 78, Amalie Leth-Nissen (DEN) 71 81
153 – Benyapa Niphatsophon (THA) 77 76
154 – Kelsey Nicholas 77 77, Samantha Whateley (a) 75 79, Georgia Iziemgbe Oboh (NGA) 77 77
155 – Dorthea Forbrigd (NOR) 77 78, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 78 77, Larissa Du Preez 77 78, Isabella van Rooyen 81 74
158 – Olivia Mehaffey (NIR) 79 79
159 – Zethu Myeki 77 82
RTD – Linette Holmslykke (DEN) 74 RTD – Sunshine Ladies Tour
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