Ursula Wikstrom fired back-to-back rounds of 68 (-5) to lead at the halfway stage of the 2024 KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Related: Opening day of KPMG Women’s Irish Open a tight affair
After some early morning fog, there was a slight delay to the tee times with morning tee times delayed by 30 minutes and afternoon tee times by 20 minutes.
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However, that didn’t stop Wikstrom, who was one of three co-leaders after 18 holes alongside Italy’s Alessandra Fanali and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes.
The Finn, who lost in a playoff at Dromoland Castle in 2022, got off to a trickier start on day two on the O’Meara Course at Carton House.
She began with a bogey on her opening hole, she then made back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 before dropping another shot on 14.
Wikstrom soon found her groove with a birdie on 18 before rolling in four more on holes two, three, six and eight to seal another round of five-under and sit at the top of the leaderboard on 10-under-par.
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“I didn’t really have a good start,” said Wikstrom who is in search of her maiden LET title in her 21st season on Tour.
“I was a little bit off and didn’t get a good handle of the greens, but then I tried to not think about it too much and tried to start making [the putts] and seeing the lines. I luckily made some putts and it was a little bit easier.
“It was just a little bit of a struggle. Luckily not too much of a struggle. I made a few bogeys in the beginning, but I started rolling them in and the wedges were good, so I was hitting wedges close enough to give me chances.
“I’ve been 21 years on Tour and I have had many chances to win. It is quite nice to be in that position again, it’s been a while. It hasn’t been the season so far where I have been in contention that much so it’s always a nice extra feeling to get in that place for a weekend. There are still two more days, but it’s nice to be in this position.”
Spain’s Sobron and Italy’s Fanali sit in second place just one shot behind the leader on nine-under-par at the midway mark in Ireland.
The duo both produced rounds of 69 (-4) on day two with Sobron having five birdies and one bogey, meanwhile Fanali had six birdies and two bogeys.
“It was very good today again, I putted very well,” said the Italian. “I three-putted once, but overall, it was a very good round and very solid. I missed a couple of irons in the back nine that we played, but it was very good and I’m very happy about it.
“I was a bit upset that when we teed off the wind came up. Yesterday morning when we teed off the rain came and then today the wind, but I handled it very well. I played very well on the back nine and am just enjoying it. I’m very confident.”
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Sobron explained: “My tee time was almost the last one, I was lucky because this morning was so cold and then with the delay, it was perfect for me and my body. I played really good, the same as yesterday.
“I missed just one shot on hole five. I hit to the bunker and then I hit again to the bunker and it was a fried egg, that’s golf. I’m really happy. I am feeling confident, I want to play the weekend and do my job shot by shot. Plan is do the same, fairways, greens, one putt and avoid the bunkers.”
England’s Annabel Dimmock and Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini are in a share of fourth place on eight-under-par.
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