Koch & Kung share lead into weekend

Sweden's Carin Koch heads into the weekend of the £1,000,000 Weetabix Women's British Open sharing the lead on eight under par and determined to emulate her aggressive attitude that helped win The 2000 Solheim Cup for Europe.

Koch, who has a flawless three-point record in the biennial event, rattled off a second consecutive four under par 68, this time in conditions more akin to the Ailsa courses true characteristics beside the Firth of Clyde.

First round leader Candie Kung survived her first real experience of a cold and biting Scottish wind, posting a second round 71 to add to her course record opening 65.

But the challenge will be obvious to everyone as Australia's Karrie Webb, winner of this event in 1995 and 1997, moved into the slipstream in search of her sixth major title.

Webb shares third place on seven under par with Beth Bauer and Tina Barrett from the USA and Spanish sensation Paula Marti, who rattled off an aggressive 68 to add to her opening 69.

Germany's Elisabeth Esterl closed with a one under par 71 to sit alone in seventh place on six under par with nine players sharing eighth place on five under par including Solheim Cup star Catrin Nilsmark from Sweden and defending champion Se Ri Pak from Korea.

Koch, who holed the winning putt at Loch Lomond in The 2000 Solheim Cup, laid claim at her first major title with a huge improvement on last weeks poor putting at the P4 Norwegian Masters where she missed the cut.

Despite occasional rain and a steady 15mph breeze, the 31-year-old from Kungalv who has only won twice in her ten-year career, turned at one under par with a solitary birdie at the third.

But heading for home on the downwind inward half, Koch - known as 'The Face' on Tour - turned up the gas with a red hot back nine of 33 with birdies at the 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th.

"I'm still trying to figure that one out," said Koch with quizzical eyebrows as the media asked her why she had not won more titles.

"I think first of all I haven't been good enough, and haven't been in contention enough and I think maybe I am not aggressive enough on Sundays when I have been in a good position.

"I have just gotten real defensive and to be in a position to win you also have to putt very well for a week and the times that I have been in that position and not won, you know, the putting has failed me.

"I think that's why I did so well under pressure at The Solheim Cup because it's easier to be aggressive in matchplay and that's what I have to do now."

Kung took to the links in blistering fashion, carding a birdie at the third, lobbing in an eagle for good measure at the next to move to ten under. But while everyone began to suspect the 21-year-old was playing on a different golf course, the chilly wind took control and Kung admitted to losing most of hers.

Bogies at the seventh and ninth saw her slip back, but after another birdie at the 12th and a succession of pars, she was surviving at nine under par. However, a three putt from the fringe at the final hole meant she had made her first cut in a major championship - and she was tied for the lead.

"Everything started off good and I was in control and then the wind started picking up. All of a sudden, it started getting really cold and I just lost control of my drives," said Kung, who injured a young spectator's hand with her drive at the tenth hole.

"It's good though, I made my first cut in a major and it'll be fun tomorrow
- I can't wait to see what the weather is going to be like!"

Webb made a solid bid at lifting her sixth major title with a battling 71 in the windy conditions.

Despite being 12,000 miles from her hometown of Ayr in Queensland, the 27-year-old played like she grew up on Scotland's Ayrshire coastline as she demonstrated her full repertoire of shots to survive the tougher second round conditions.

Webb hit a six iron to fifteen feet and made eagle at the 462-yards par five third hole, setting her up for a scintillating day. But bogeys at the eighth and ninth during the toughest par of her round kept her score honest and with a bogey at the windswept tenth, she slipped out of the lead.

"It was extremely cold and windy this morning, especially as we got out on to the ocean and those holes through four to 11 were probably the toughest stretch of holes I have ever played in my life," said Webb.

A string of pars followed until the former World number one executed a stunning three wood shot from 228 yards, rolling in the resulting seven footer and closed with a par for 71.

"That was actually the best swing of the day there," added Webb. "I hit that right where I wanted to and got a couple of good bounces and ended up right near the hole.

"I feel so happy to get in at one under par, I feel pretty lucky to do that, obviously two eagles in the round helped that."

Bauer, a rookie professional from Tampa in Florida, lobbed in six birdies during her best of day 67, with her only bogey at the tricky par four 16th.

"It was just a really solid round," said Bauer, a member of the victorious 2000 Curtis Cup side.

"I only missed two fairways. My putting has been great the last two days and I think that has been key for me."

Marti, who missed the cut at Sunningdale in her first visit to the British Open, was delighted at her position after two days. One bad club selection was to blame as she three putted the 11th for her only bogey, but the five birdies helped erase that blip on her scorecard.

"I played really good today, I chipped and putted really good and kept my focus all the way around and made some good putts out there. That really motivated me. Over the first few holes, I was chipping and putting really well and that got me going.

"I'm very happy to be here and up there on the leaderboard and I'm gonna fight all the way until Sunday."

TOP STARS MISS OUT AT THE WEEKEND
Some of the top names in women's golf will be watching the drama unfold elsewhere this weekend, with the biggest news that World number one Annika Sorenstam missed the cut after adding a five over par 77 to her first round 73 to finish on six over par.

The 31-year-old Swede has not missed a cut for 74 events, her first since the 1999 US Open, and only her second ever missed cut on the Ladies European Tour since the 1993 Weetabix Women's British Open in her rookie year.

"I'm disappointed, I just didn't play well at all. It's a bummer because I came here feeling good about my game and had prepared exactly the way I wanted to," said Sorenstam, who has won seven times this season.

"I had two 'unplayables' and a triple in two days and if you have that, you can't really score."

Joining her with the weekend off is US Open Champion Juli Inkster, who limped to a second round 78 in the windier conditions.

"I was struggling with my swing all week and I just didn't know where it was going," said Inkster. "But I will go home, re-group, work on my swing and I'll be fine."

And England's Laura Davies was almost heartbroken after finishing with a bogey on the 17th and a double bogey at the final hole to close on five over par, after rounds of 74 and 75, two outside the qualifying mark.

"The disappointment is massive," said the 38-year-old from Surrey, who won last weeks P4 Norwegian Masters.

"We didn't get particularly good weather on the hard holes and then I finished 6,6. At the 17th I hit a lovely drive then hit a nice little four iron about five yards too far left and into the bunker.

"I came out then three putted. And then I hit the fairway bunker on the 18th; I came out then misjudged the third shot. We hit the really hard holes at the wrong time, it was tough."

However, Sweden's Maria Hjorth is perhaps the most frustrated out of everyone and made the bravest effort to get into the weekend. The big hitting Swede opened with a 76 and rallied hard down the back nine on Friday, firing an eagle and three birdies to come home in 31 and finish agonisingly one shot shy of the mark.

Karine Icher from France, who is already booked in for her trip to The Solheim Cup, missed out after rounds of 72 and 76. And former Solheim Cup stars Trish Johnson and Alison Nicholas will be equally disappointed at not making the weekend.

Johnson never recovered from her opening 76, adding a second round 72 and Nicholas struggled again in the tougher second round conditions, adding a 77 to her opening 78.

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