England’s Lisa Hall grabbed the outright lead after a faultless six under par 66 in the third round of the Deutsche Bank Ladies’ Swiss Open at Golf Gerre Losone.
The 38-year-old, more commonly known by her single name of Hackney, moved to fifteen-under-par 201 to finish one shot clear of French woman Gwladys Nocera.
Nocera, who started the day on five under par, shot a course record and personal best of nine-under-par 63 in wet conditions to take second position after carding two eagles, six birdies, and a bogey.
English players Laura Davies and Fame More tied for third position on ten under par after carding a 69 and 71 respectively. Denmark’s Karen Magrethe Juul had a 68 to tie for fifth position with Spaniard Marta Prieto, who had a 67. Becky Brewerton from Wales tied with Spanish rookie Tania Elosegui Mayor on a seven-under-par.
Hall, who held the overnight lead with 24-year-old More, started her day at nine-under-par and both players were neck and neck after they birdied the first hole. But Hall, with experience on her side, picked up two further birdies at the fifth and sixth holes to move to twelve under par with a three shot lead by the turn.
She made three further birdies on the back nine, at the 10th, 15th and 18th holes to post her best score of the week, with a two putt at the last to clinch the lead from Nocera.
“I struck the ball better than I ever have and I made some good pars in the conditions,” admitted Hall, the 1997 LPGA rookie of the year.
“There were three or four holes where it was raining quite a lot and I think perhaps not making bogeys was more important than making birdies.”
After a year off from tournament golf, where she seriously considered getting a ‘normal’ job, Hall was delighted to be in pole position heading into the final round.
“It’s a bit like riding a bike: you don’t forget!” she joked, admitting that she had recently won the Florida Open on a US mini-tour in March.
Hall’s last victory on the LET was at the 1996 Women’s Welsh Open and she was also a Solheim Cup player in 1996 and 1994. With no playing privileges on the LET or LPGA Tours, she is playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week and a win would secure her full card for three years as well as a place in the US $3 million Evian Masters.
Nocera, who beat American Cristie Kerr in last year’s Solheim Cup in America, also has to win to qualify to play in Evian and she admitted that it is a big incentive.
The 30-year-old has amassed four second place finishes in her last two seasons, including one at last week’s Ladies Spanish Open, but is still searching for her maiden victory. She was spurred on by the words of one of her Solheim Cup team mates before her round today.
“Trish Johnson asked me on the range this morning why I hadn’t won yet and I said, ‘I’m trying my best!’ But she said, ‘well play better than your best!’ So that was what I was thinking today. I had a ruling on the sixth, so after that I was really mad and I thought, ‘Use this in the right way’ and I started to fire it at the pins.”
Nocera carded her first eagle of the day at the third, where she hit her five-wood to 18 feet and then three putted for bogey at the fourth hole. She turned her game on from the ninth, which she birdied, and proceeded to romp home in seven-under-par 30 with five birdies and an eagle on the back nine. She holed an eagle putt from 75 feet to great applause at the final hole.
Davies, playing in the penultimate pairing, admitted that she was slightly disappointed after her 69 today, which included four birdies and one bogey.
“I was top draw today and missed absolutely everything. It was an okay round but it should have been so much better. I only missed one green and that was just a slightly poor tee shot. It’s still nice to play well but its very disappointing walking off 18. On the back nine my longest birdie putt was 12 feet and I made one on 15 from about two feet and two putted at the last and that was it.
“I lipped out five times, left it on the lip, I didn’t leave one putt short, apart from the one on 12 by about an inch. I’m only five behind. Who knows what could happen tomorrow.”
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