Karen Stupples takes halfway lead

Although temperatures nearly touched 100 degrees in the foothills of the French Alps, England’s Karen Stupples kept a cool head Thursday as she posted a second-round, 6-under-par 66 to take the lead at the $2.5 million Evian Masters.

At 10-under par, Stupples holds a one-shot lead over Annika Sorenstam, who added a 3-under-par 69 to her opening 66 to shared second place with Laura Davies.

Davies, the first-round leader, was 4-over par after five holes of her round, but she bounced back with a back-nine 33, which included a stunning eagle 3 at the final hole.

Wendy Doolan from Australia shot a 4-under 68 to cement fourth place at 8 under. Three players share fifth place: Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa and America's Kim Saiki.

Stupples made an inauspicious start with a birdie at the opening hole and a bogey at the second. However, thanks to an incredible run of six holes, starting from the fifth, the former Curtis Cup player racked up birdies at five of them.

The last time Stupples and Sorenstam were paired together in a final group came at the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia in February. Sorenstam prevailed with two spectacular rounds of 65 over the weekend.

Stupples went on to win her first event on the LPGA Tour in March at the Welch/Fry’s Championship in Arizona.

“Annika doesn’t play against you,” said Stupples when asked if she learned anything from the world’s best after her Australian experience.

“She plays against the course and if she can win by 20 shots, she’ll win by 20. She always wants more. That’s an important lesson to learn to win. You just don’t know when someone will go on a birdie barrage.

“I’d love to win again -- why not? That would be fantastic. Fortunately, I’ve won before and my main goal is that if I can play how Karen Stupples can play, I think I’ll be fine and will have a chance.”

Sorenstam offered a wry smile when she was reminded of her 65s in Australia to deny Stupples her maiden win.

“I played really good in Australia and I feel I’m playing really good right now,” said the Swede, who had five birdies and two bogies in her round, adding that she felt she hit the lip of the hole on nearly every putt.

“I’d love more of the same and I’m sure Karen would love that, too!”

Davies, who played the annual football match the previous evening and let in six goals in a one sided first half, endured what can only be described as a nightmare start with four bogies in the first five holes to slip out of the lead.

“I considered heading off to the beer tent at that point,” quipped Davies. “I could smell it from down there and I thought what would I rather do?

“But at the time I said to my caddie we were four off the lead, so it’s not so bad. I know starting the day two shots ahead and all of a sudden we’re behind, it wasn’t good. But we had to build from there and we did, and I made a fantastic putt there at the last and now I’m just one off the lead, so it was a good turnaround.

“Putting was the difference after those first holes. I holed a tremendous par putt at the sixth. I hit a shot about 40 feet away but left it 6-foot short. Thankfully I made it; otherwise, I would have been 5 over after six and the wheels might have come off completely, and it would have been hard to get them back on again.

“There’s always one point in a round where it can go either way and luckily for me it went the right way.”

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