Plenty of fight in Stacy Lee
Effects of a burst eardrum cannot stop South African from posting a 70
There’s plenty of fight in former karate champion Stacy Lee Bregman and it was evident on the golf course yesterday in round two of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open.
The little South African is still feeling the after effects of a burst eardrum and viral infection suffered while playing in China last week, but she mustered all her strength yesterday to post a three-underpar 70 on a sultry afternoon at Carya Golf Club.
Following her opening level-par 73 she is now on 143 and in the top 10 on the leaderboard, albeit nine strokes adrift of leader Melissa Reid
(pictured) of England who added a 69 to her opening eight-under 65 and she is on 12-under 134.
“I’m happy with the way I played today and at least I’ve put myself into a good position for a strong finish over the next two days,” said Bregman who birdied all three par-5s on the back nine of th is stunning, treelined layout, rated among the top 100 courses in the world.
On a sun-baked afternoon with three greens playing hard and fast, Bregman did well to avoid dropping a shot at the tough par-4 16th when she holed from off the green.
“I missed short birdie putts at holes one and two but then nearly holed a nine-iron approach at the third to pick up my first shot,” she said.
And she felt her best birdie of the day was at the par-3 seventh where she coaxed in a slippery 25-footer for a two.
For the first time Bregman has former Sunshine Tour professional and World of Golf teacher David Ryan on the bag, and she remarked that it was useful to have someone caddying for you who knows the game inside out.
Three other South Africans - Melissa Eaton (7274 for 146), Nicola Garcia and Monique Smit (both after a pair of 75s for 150) made the cut.
Port Shepstone’s Eaton is playing her first event as a full-fledged card-holder on the European Tour and struck the ball beautifully yesterday, apart from a double-bogey seven at her last hole, the punishing par-5 ninth.
“I was a bit tentative with my long putts but overall I’m really pleased to be around for the next two days,” she said.
Garcia, who finished second in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco in March in her only other start this year, was mortified to four putt (not hard on these tricky greens) her first hole of the day (No 10) for a triple- bog e y seven. But she put her head down and grounded out a solid round after that. Connie Chen and Laurette Maritz both missed the cut - set at plus-5 - as did Namibia’s Bonita Bredenhann.
Scotland’s Pamela Pretswell (yes, she plays well too) is lying second on 137 after a fabulous, career-best 65 and is three back of leader Reid. France’s Gwladys is third on 138.
The 51-year-old former world No 1 Laura Davies, who shot 66 on day one, struggled in the heat yesterday and could only manage a 77 to be with Bregman on 143.