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Jeong Jang extends lead to four shots
Korean Jeong Jang fired a six under par 66 to extend her lead to four shots in the second round of the £1.05million Weetabix Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale GC.
The 24 year old from Daejeon, who has never won a professional tournament and has little experience of playing links golf, finished at ten under par, four shots clear of Swedish amateur Louise Stahle.
The reigning Ladies British Amateur Champion, Stahle, 20, from Lund , seized the early lead after a faultless seven under par 65 took her to a six under for the tournament, but was then overtaken by Jang.
Christie Kerr from the USA shot a clean six under par 66 to finish alone in third position at five under par.
World no. 1, Annika Sörenstam from Sweden is eight shots off the pace at two under par after a 69, alongside 15-year-old Hawaiian amateur Michelle Wie, who had a 67 and four other players including Sweden's Sophie Gustafson, who had a 73.
Jang, whose best individual finish this season was fourth at the Wegmans Rochester LPGA, was feeling relaxed about leading the final major championship of the season, ahead of 149 of the world's finest female players.
“I like this course, its kind of scary, so I have to pay attention,” said Jang, who finished tied second at the Women's World Cup of Golf in South Africa in February with fellow Korean Bo Bae Song.
“I didn't really hit a good driver today and irons were awesome, so that makes it a lot easier. So I made a lot of birdies”.
The pint sized Korean, who is 5' 2” tall, admitted that the only previous time she has played on a links course was at Turnberry: “I think that's kind of links, but different than this course,” she admitted.
Jang's birdie blitz began at the par-three fourth hole, from where she hit five-iron to two feet. She fired four straight birdies, at the fourth, fifth, sixth and seven holes. Her only mistake coming at the par-four eighth hole where she hit her seven wood 20 yards short, chipped and two putted to turn in 32.
Three birdies then followed on the 11 th , 14 th and 15 th holes for Jang to return in 34 and record her best 36 holes: “I guess 10-under,” she said.
Stahle, in second position, will play in her first event as a professional at next week's Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika, on the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour, which takes place at her home course of Barseback G&CC.
“I wanted to turn professional before this tournament obviously, but I had my invitation from the British amateur in June. So I had to stay amateur and obviously you want to play,” she said.
Her defence of this year's British Ladies Amateur Championship at Littlestone Golf Club in Kent earned her an exemption into the Weetabix Women's British Open this week.
Having previously won the Ladies British Amateur in 2004, at Gullane GC in Scotland , with her win, she became the first player to defend the title since Mickey Walker in 1972.
Stahle also claimed victory with the Swedish team at the World Amateur Team Championship in 2004.
Having just finished her freshman year at Arizona State University in the United States where she recorded three victories; at the Wildcat Invitational, the PING/ASU Invitational and the Pac-10 Championships, Stahle was named both Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year in women's collegiate golf for the 2005 season.
She became the first player since Lorena Ochoa (2001) to win both awards in the same season and Sorenstam also achieved the feat, in 1991.
“Annika was always my idol,” admitted Stahle, who carded seven birdies in her second round at Birkdale.
“She went to the rival school in Tucson ( University of Arizona ) It was a great freshman year.”
“I had a good pairing, I think that's one of the keys. I played with Juli ( Inkster ) and Laura (Diaz), and they were really nice to me. Yeah, I'm really happy.,” said Stahle.
“I feel this is like St Andrews , more bumpy than I thought it would be.”
70 players head into the third round tomorrow and the cut fell at five over par.
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