By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Playing in the Ladies European Tour Final Qualifying School is rated by many of the competitors the toughest, nerve-jangling test of all of because their livelihood over the next 12 months depends on whether they gain one of the 30 players' card awarded after a 90-hole marathon at La Manga, Spain.
Clare Queen,
pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency, it would seem, is in "the zone" at the moment after two rounds of 70 for four-under-par 140 have her sharing seventh place in the field of 101. US-based former Curtis Cup player Jodi Ewart from Yorkshire is setting the pace on 137 with rounds of 70 and 67.
Queen, attached to The Carrick at Loch Lomond, shot three-under par at the more difficult South Course today, boosting her bag of birdies over the first 36 holes to nine with sub-par figures at the first, 10th, 14th and 16th. Her one bogey, at the 15th, came too late to knock her off course for the day.
The first target for all the players is to survive the cut after four rounds to the leading 50 and ties. Apart from Queen, none of the other four Scots is within that mark going into the third day although Carly Booth (Comrie), Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links) and Glasgow's Gemma Webster all raised their game from disappointing first rounds to return 72s.
Booth is sharing 52nd place after a three-birdie, two-bogey one-under par 72 at the South course for 148.
Dunblane's Kenny is in joint 56th position on 149.
Webster had three birdies and four bogeys over the North Course to be joint 65th on 150.
GB and I amateur international Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) is a certainty for selection for the Curtis Cup match at Nairn should she fail to gain pass marks at the Q School.
That might well be affecting her psychologically because two rounds of 76 for eight-over-par 152 and joint 79th place does not represent her normal form. It's too much of a coincidence that Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), who is in the same amateur-waiting-to-turn pro position as Pretswell, is also having a dire tournament so far at La Manga. The 2010 British women's open amateur champion is lying 91st equal on 153 after scores of 74 and 79.
LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (1x71, 1x73)
137 Jodi Ewart (Eng) 70 67
138 Alexandra Vilatte (Fra) (am) 69 69, Sharmilla Nicollet (India) 68 70, Heather Bowie Young (US) 70 68.
139 Marjet Van der Graaff (Net) 71 68, Carlota Ciganda (Spa) 72 67.
140 Clare Queen (Sco) 70 70, Piyaphida Ployumsri (Thai) 70 70
OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
148 Carly Booth 76 72 (T52).
149 Lynn Kenny 77 72 (T56).
150 Gemma Webster 78 72 (T65)
152 Pamela Pretswell (am) 76 76 (T79).
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
