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Saturday, August 30, 2008

Clare Queen falls back to six behind
triple joint leaders in Finland

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Italy’s Diana Luna shot a six-under-par 65 to share the second round lead with Finnish duo Minea Blomqvist and Ursula Wikstrom at the Finnair Masters in Finland today.
Luna, Blomqvist and Wikstrom, who are ranked 32nd, 33rd and 34th on the New Star Money List respectively, all finished on a two-round total of five-under-par 137 at Helsinki Golf Club. Australia’s Karen Lunn, the 1993 British Open champion, finished the day on four-under-par 138 in a tie for fourth with the recent BMW Ladies Italian Open winner Martina Eberl of Germany.
All is set for an intriguing Sunday in Helsinki with the top two Finnish players going head to head for their national title. Blomqvist, the 2004 OTP Bank Ladies Central European Open champion, managed four birdies and a solitary bogey for a second round of 68, sinking a clutch 15 footer to save par at the last hole.
“I don’t think it was a great round of golf because I hit only seven greens in regulation and it was a very tough day,” said the 23-year-old from Espoo, adding: “I’m very happy with the score. I think I got everything out of the score that I could today.”
Blomqvist was delighted to be grouped with Wikstrom in the final three-ball on Sunday. In four years on tour her Finnish friend is yet to win a professional tournament, but was a runner-up in Finland in 2005. She carded five birdies and three bogeys for a 69 on day two, with a disappointing three-putt bogey at the par-4 18th hole.
“I didn’t finish this round that well so it doesn’t feel like a great round,” said the 28-year-old, who lives 15 minutes’ away from the golf course. “It’s great to finally get in contention and finally see how it’s going to be to play for a win.”
Luna, the 2004 Tenerife Ladies Open champion, fired four birdies and an eagle at the 17th hole for her 65. She is hoping to make amends for last week’s performance in Norway where she finished in a tie for fourth place having held a one-shot lead going into the final round. “I think last week I didn’t play that great in the last round,” said the 25-year-old from Rome.
“It was just not my day and I didn’t play as well as the first two days. I just hope to play a good round tomorrow. Last week I didn’t play a good round on the last day. I hope to play like I played today tomorrow.”
Luna’s round was helped by her putting, as she had 30 putts in her second round, compared to 34 on Friday.
Six players shared sixth place on three-under-par heading into the final day: Spanish trio Emma Cabrera-Bello, Beatriz Recari and Marina Arruti, England’s Rebecca Hudson, Sweden’s Nina Reis and Becky Brewerton of Wales. Ariya Jutanugarn, a 12-year-old Thai amateur, finished the day in a share of 15th place on one-under-par.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERS
Par 142 (2 x 71)
137 U Wikstrom (Fin) 68 69, D Luna (Ita) 72 65, M Blomqvist (Fin) 69 68.
138 K Lunn (Aus) 72 66, M Eberl (Ger) 71 67.
139 R Hudson (Eng) 69 70, E Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 69 70, B Brewerton (Wal) 71 68, N Reis (Swe) 69 70, M Arruti (Spa) 70 68, B Recari (Spa) 67 72.
140 A Larraneta (Spa) 70 70, S Yang (am) 70 70, A monke (Ger) 74 66.
Selected other scores:
141 S Head (Eng) 71 70 (jt 15th).
143 C Queen (Carrick at Cameron House) 69 74 (jt 21st).
144 J Head (Eng) 73 71 (jt 22nd).
145 S Walker (Eng) 73 72 , R Coakley (Ire) (jt 31st).
146 L Kenny (Archerfield Links) 71 74, H Kavanagh (Ire) 70 76, G Simpson (Eng) 74 72, M Gillen (Ire) 74 72 (jt 41st).
147 R Bell (Eng) 76 71, N C Booth (Eng) 73 74 (jt 52nd).
MISSED THE CUT
148 T Johnson (Eng0 76 72, K Matharu (Eng) 74 74, K Imrie 72 76.
149 K S Taylor (Eng) 76 73, C Grady (Eng) 72 77.
150 C Coughlan-Ryan (Ire) 71 79, J Wilson (Strathaven) 75 75.
152 F Johnson (Eng) 76 76, J Clingan (Eng) 78 74.
155 L Hall (Wal) 79 76.

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