Virginie Lagoutte leads round two of Finnair Masters
France 's Virginie Lagoutte shot a second successive 68 to lead by one after the second round of the Finnair Masters at Helsinki Golf Club in Finland .
The 27-year-old from Montpellier fired five birdies and two bogeys to sit on a total of six-under-par 136.
The French woman, who won the 2005 KLM Ladies Open in Holland , is looking for her second win on the Ladies' European Tour and hopes to improve on her third place finish last week in Norway .
I'm very happy! I'm playing the best golf of my career and I hope to keep it going, said Lagoutte, currently ranked 29 th on the New Star Money List. My putting was good and I hope this will be a good week.
Mianne Bagger of Denmark, Elin Ohlsson of Sweden and Kris Lindstrom from the United States share second place on five-under-par 137. Bagger fired a flawless five-under 66 the best score of the tournament. Ohlsson, the first round leader, had a 70 and Lindstrom carded a 69. All three players are hoping to claim their first Ladies' European Tour title in the final round on Sunday.
Bagger, 39, whose previous best finish in a Ladies European Tour event was seventh in Hungary seven weeks ago, was looking forward to being in contention for the first time.
I'm just learning and every time there's something new the nerves pick up. It's something you've got to get familiar with so I hope I get at ease with it pretty quickly, she said.
Bagger missed the cut in last year's Finnish event but admitted that she felt ready to win.
She said: I think I'm capable. Whether it's realistic the first time out, I don't know. It would mean a lot, it would be fantastic.
I don't really know how to put it into words. I mean, to win a tournament is what everyone is out here for. For me, to come out and actually win would be indescribable.
Ohlsson, 27, whose best finish on the LET was tied 19 th in the 2004 KLM Ladies Open, hoped for a strong result in order to her retain her card for the 2007 season.
She said: It wasn't quite as good today. I didn't putt as well as yesterday and that can make a big difference. I missed a lot of birdie chances. I didn't hit my wedges in as close but I was really thankful for my short game. I hit a good chip on 15 which was my best shot of the day.
Lindstrom, 33, who was born in the USA but is three quarters Swedish, is aiming to better her best previous finish of tied fifth at the 2005 Siemens Austrian Open on the Ladies' European Tour.
The Minnesota resident reached six-under after she birdied the sixth hole, which played as her 15 th , to tie for the lead with Lagoutte but dropped a shot at the ninth, playing as her last hole, to move back to five-under.
It was up and down today and I had lots of birdies but also lots of bogeys, she said.
Like Bagger and Ohlsson she admitted that going into the final round one shot off the lead would be a new experience.
New Zealander Lynn Brooky, a four-time winner on the LET, had a 67 for a 36-hole total of four-under-par 138 and finished fourth.
Brooky has decided to shorten her first name to Lynn after consultation with her uncle, a numerologist. According to him, the name Lynn Brooky represents the number one, her lucky number.
Gwladys Nocera, who has won three times this season, is alone in fifth on two-under-par after a 72 and a further five players tied for seventh on one-under-par including the two-time Solheim Cup captain Catrin Nilsmark.
Laura Davies, the current leader of the New Star Money List, was six shots off the pace on level par heading into the final round after a 72.
A total of 77 players and ties made the cut, which fell at six-over-par.
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