Martin, Mehaffey and Casey chasing Austria's Holpfer at Roganstown
Killarney's Mairead Martin is the leading Irish player heading into Sunday's final round of the Irish Under 18 Girls Open Strokeplay Championship at Roganstown.
As Austria's Isabella Holpfer fired rounds of 73 and 71 to lead the 72-strong field by two shots on two over par 144, Martin made four birdies in a one under 70 in the afternoon to share second spot with Swedish trio Ebba Bjornberg, Pi-Lillebi Hermansson and Elsa Lundquist and English challenger Samantha Fuller.
While 38 players carded scores in the 70’s during the first round, lower scores prevailed in the second round with 42 players shooting in the 70’s.
Seeking a hat-trick of wins, defending champion Olivia Mehaffey from Royal County Down Ladies and Shannon McWilliam (Scotland) carded the two best opening first round scores of one over par,72.
However the leaderboard changed significantly at the end of round two with all players vying for a place in the top 50.
The wind died down, making birdies and low scores a little more achievable and both Martin and Bjornberg took advantage, carding four birdies apiece for one-under par 70s as Mehaffey shot 75 and Hermitage's Ciara Casey added a 74 to her opening 73 to lie just three shots behind Holpfer on five over 147.
Irish Under 18 Girls Open Strokeplay Championship
Roganstown Golf Club (Par 71, CSS Rd 1 74, Rd 2 73)
144 Isabella Holpfer (AUT) 73 71
146 Ebba Bjornberg (SWE) 76 70, Mairead Martin (Killarney) 76 70, Pi-Lillebi Hermansson (SWE) 74 72, Elsa Lundquist (SWE) 74 72, Samantha Fuller (ENG) 73 73
147 Ciara Casey (Hermitage) 73 74, Shannon McWilliam (SCO) 72 75, Olivia Mehaffey (RCDL) 72 75
148 Amanda Linner (SWE) 74 74 Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little) 74 74
149 Elisabeth Haller (GER) 73 76
150 Beatrice Wallin (SWE) 74 76
151 Emma Allen (ENG) 79 72 Louise Henningsson (SWE) 74 77
152 Sophie Lamb (ENG) 75 77, Martha Lewis (ENG) 74 78
153 Linda Lundqvist (SWE) 78 75, Chloe Goadby (SCO) 78 75, Magdalena Cervinkova (CZE) 74 79
154 Olof Einardottir (ICE) 79 75, Ebba Nilsson (SWE) 78 76
155 Niamh McSherry (Lurgan) 79 76, Anna-Maria Diederichs (GER) 79 76
156 Linn Grant (SWE) 77 79, Emma Hale (SCO) 76 80, Hazel MacGarvie (SCO) 75 81, Chiara Vikkula (BEL) 74 82
157 Hannah Karg (GER) 81 76, Cloe Frankish (ENG) 81 76, Nicole McGavisk (Donabate) 79 78, Lucy Walton (ENG) 78 79, Valerie Clancy (Killarney) 78 79
158 Jessica Hall (ENG) 80 78, Marie Luise Kuschke (GER) 80 78, Katie Rafferty (Tipperary) 80 78, Clodagh Jones (Roscrea) 78 80, Carolin Kauffmann (GER) 77 81 Sofie Babic (SWE) 76 82
159 Jelina Fernando (ENG) 82 77, Tilda Green (SWE) 82 77
159 Jillian Farrell (SCO) 81 78, Alice Gotbring (SWE) 81 78, Claire Robertson (SCO) 80 79, Annabel Wilson (Lurgan) 78 81, Iveta Posledni (CZE) 78 81, Joanne Free (SCO) 77 82
160 Alice Hutchinson (St. Anne's) 83 77, Nicola Fall (FIN) 80 80, Kirsty Brodie (SCO) 80 80
CUT
161 Mirren Fraser (SCO) 83 78, Sara Byrne (Douglas) 80 81, Valerie Serrien (BEL) 79 82
162 Lauren Mackintosh (GER) 81 81
164 Esther Henseleit (GER) 89 75, Victoria Craig (Royal Belfast) 85 79, Matilda Wahren (SWE) 84 80 Lilly Koester (GER) 83 81, Katie Aherne (Waterford Castle) 81 83
165 Murielle Frischknecht (SUI) 84 81
166 Clodagh Walsh (Castlewarden) 84 82, Maeve Rooney (Co. Sligo) 82 84
167 Elisa Corcoran (Grange) 87 80, Lauren Watson (SCO) 85 82 Ella Stromfelt (SWE) 81 86
168 Lisa O'Shea (Shannon) 82 86
170 Velia Hoever (GER) 87 83 Ainee O'Connor (ENG) 79 91
173 Yella Hammer (GER) 85 88
174 Clare Calvert (RCDL) 86 88
175 Kirsten Brown (SCO) 88 87
189 Carlotta Overheu (GER) 98 91
Draw Sunday 19 April
- 07:30 Kirsty Brodie (SCO) Nicola Fall (FIN)
- 07:40 Alice Hutchinson (St. Anne's) Joanne Free (SCO) Iveta Posledni (CZE)
- 07:50 Annabel Wilson (Lurgan) Claire Robertson (SCO) Alice Gotbring (SWE)
- 08:00 Jillian Farrell (SCO) Tilda Green (SWE) Jelina Fernando (ENG)
- 08:10 Sofie Babic (SWE) Carolin Kauffmann (GER) Clodagh Jones (Roscrea)
- 08:20 Katie Rafferty (Tipperary) Marie Luise Kuschke (GER) Jessica Hall (ENG)
- 08:30 Valerie Clancy (Killarney) Lucy Walton (ENG) Nicole McGavisk (Donabate)
- 08:40 Cloe Frankish (ENG) Hannah Karg (GER) Chiara Vikkula (BEL)
- 09:00 Hazel MacGarvie (SCO) Emma Hale (SCO) Linn Grant (SWE)
- 09:10 Anna-Maria Diederichs (GER) Niamh McSherry (Lurgan) Ebba Nilsson (SWE)
- 09:20 Olof Einardottir (ICE) Magdalena Cervinkova (CZE) Chloe Goadby (SCO)
- 09:30 Linda Lundqvist (SWE) Martha Lewis (ENG) Sophie Lamb (ENG)
- 09:40 Louise Henningsson (SWE) Emma Allen (ENG) Beatrice Wallin (SWE)
- 09:50 Elisabeth Haller (GER) Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little) Amanda Linner (SWE)
- 10:00 Olivia Mehaffey (RCDL) Shannon McWilliam (SCO) Ciara Casey (Hermitage)
- 10:10 Samantha Fuller (ENG) Elsa Lundquist (SWE) Pi-Lillebi Hermansson (SWE)
- 10:20 Mairead Martin (Killarney) Ebba Bjornberg (SWE) Isabella Holpfer (AUT)