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Hall & More lead at halfway stage

There was a mixture of youth and experience atop the leader board at the halfway stage of the Deutsche Bank Ladies’ Swiss Open after English players Lisa Hall and Fame More finished two shots clear of Laura Davies.

More, a 24-year-old from Sheffield, playing in only her third event as a Ladies European Tour professional, built on her overnight share of the lead to tie on nine-under-par 135 with 38-year-old Hall, a two-time Solheim Cup player who last competed on the Ladies European Tour in 2001, at the Wales Ladies Championship.

More carded a second round of three-under-par 69, while Hall had a five-under-par 67. The pair were chased by a reenergized Davies, who carded a 71 playing in her first event of the year in Europe to make it three English players in the top three positions.

After sharing the overnight lead with Davies, More went out in the second match of the day and scored five birdies and two bogeys, with three birdies on the front nine.

Hall, the 1997 LPGA rookie of the Year, went out in the afternoon and posted six birdies and a bogey. After taking a year off from competitive golf, she said: “It must have been the mountain air. I think not playing last year at all and wanting to play and being exciting about playing. I’ve been playing on the Futures Tour and just the chance to play competitive golf again I’ve enjoyed. Coming somewhere as beautiful as this, being back in Europe and seeing old friends.”

More, who missed the first two cuts of the season, admitted that she was delighted with her finish. “Coming here and turning my game around, well, I’m just overjoyed to be honest. I felt like my front nine was quite fair. I was three under after nine but then the back nine, two birdies, two dropped shots. I had one three putt on the back side and then just missed one on 14 coming back so that was a little disappointing but all in all I played well. I had 30 putts, which was a lot better than I have been,” said the two-time Curtis Cup player.

Davies carded four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey for her 71 today and outright third position. “It was good apart from that double at 16. I hit it just in the first cut of rough and I flew it over the back of the green and it was in a hole really. So I made a double. Other than that, I never looked like dropping one apart from the three putt on the sixth. I only missed two greens so to hit 16 greens is a pretty good effort.”

Davies missed seven of eight cuts on the LPGA Tour in America this season, but she turned the corner with her first cut made at last week’s Michelob Ultra Open.

She said: “Its nice to be playing back in Europe again but it’s the golf course. It gives you one side or the other. If you miss the fairway in America you lose your ball and once I had missed a couple I was struggling a bit.”

Hall, who bases herself in West Palm Beach, Florida and is married Martin Hall, coach to Morgan Pressel, admitted that she was also glad to be back in Europe. “The big thing is to enjoy playing and enjoy the shots that I’m hitting. I’ve played golf all my life and it’s a pleasure to be in a competitive situation. I missed that when I wasn’t playing. I’m very happy and it’s all good,” she said.

“I’m going back to the States for Open qualifying. Obviously my home is in the States with my husband but we like coming back to England too. A lot of players that play for the LPGA are coming back to Europe and for someone like Laura its always home and brings out a different game.”

Playing in the same match as More, Wales’ Anna Highgate retired after 11 holes in the second round with a sprained knee and she was taken to hospital. More and Highgate played on the same Curtis Cup team in 2004 as amateurs.

Spanish rookie and former Junior Solheim Cup Team member Beatriz Recari claimed fourth position on six-under-par after 36 holes, while five players tied for fifth on five-under-par.

Playing in her third event of the season, Scotland’s Claire Queen made it through to the weekend for the first time in three starts on the LET after a 68 took her to one-over-par.

She was two shots clear of the halfway cut, which fell at three-over-par and 67 players head into the final two rounds this weekend.