Australian rookie Sarah Kemp held a one stroke lead after day two of the Estoril Ladies Open of Portugal after gale force winds caused havoc at Quinta Da Marinha Oitavos Golfe.
Ladies European Tour officials suspended the second day's play at 3.25pm local time after golf balls were moving on the greens at the extremely exposed cliff-top course on the west coast of Portugal . Play was due to resume at 5.15pm but conditions remained unplayable and so the second day's play was abandoned at 5.30pm.
With 14 matches completed, Kemp was one of only 42 players to have completed 36 holes. The remaining 84 players will resume their second round at 7.30am tomorrow but the last match teed off at 3.10pm today and had played only one hole in their second round. It was uncertain whether the third round would be played.
Kemp, a 20-year-old from Tuncurry in New South Wales , led on three-under-par after 36 holes and she carded a level par 72 today after a 69 yesterday.
She admitted to feeling right at home on the rugged Portuguese layout, which reminded her of New South Wales Golf Course.
I'm actually from a golf course that is exactly like this I've learned to keep the ball really low so that's what I've been doing. It's unbelievably so much like this. I'm used to hitting it low, she said.
This place is my favourite place in Europe so far. As soon as I got here I loved the airport, the coastline and everything; it reminds me of home. It's clean and they don't drive so fast like they do everywhere else!
It's pretty windy out there. The practice round on Tuesday was probably the windiest conditions I've ever played in my life. I can't explain how ridiculous it was. It's hard golf to play both into and down wind out there.
Kemp, who earned the second card at the LET's Q School for 2006, managed pretty well. The first year Tour player announced her professional debut by winning three times on the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour at the beginning of this year so she's a proven winner, but she explained: It's a little bit different as they were pro-ams and I feel this is a completely different level but I'm not going to complain. I'll lack a bit o f experience tomorrow but I'll go out there and try to make pars because that's a good score in these conditions.
South African golfer Laurette Maritz remained well in contention after completing her second round. The joint overnight leader carded a three-over par 75 today after a 67 yesterday, which saw her at two-under-par for the tournament.
It was tougher today. We were getting blown around a lot; it was much windier and you needed at least another club, said Maritz, who began the day badly with four bogeys at the fifth, sixth, ninth and 11 th holes. She took a double bogey seven at the par-five 13 th, after her second shot found a bunker. But she staged a remarkable come-back by firing three birdies in a row at the 15th, 16 th and 17 th holes as she did yesterday.
I played pretty steady but I had a couple of three putts on the front nine which just threw me a little bit. It was just as windy this morning as this afternoon so never say die, she said. I missed an eagle opportunity at the 17 th so I made a great comeback and I was very pleased with that.
Australia 's Anne-Marie Knight, who held the joint first round lead with Maritz, was also two-under par after six holes played in her second round. England's Kirsty Taylor and Trish Johnson; France's Gwladys Nocera and Maria Beautell; were all two-under-par after three holes today and Wales' Becky Brewerton was the next best in eighth place on one-under-par after three holes.
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