Women's British Open: The Swedish amateur Louise Stahle shot 65 in the second round of the Women's British Open, a brilliant performance that raised the possibility that the best female to join the professionals in the coming months might not be the most famous.
Seven birdies and no bogeys, to add to a first-round 73, left the 20-year-old with a total of 138, four behind the tournament leader, Jeong Jang of South Korea.
"I would have turned professional this week, but I qualified through winning the British Amateur in June," she explained.
After Thursday's wild and windy weather, Stahle was relieved to encounter a relatively still day. "It was much easier and I made all the putts I needed," she said.
"I think I have a chance to win. It's tough, but you have to believe in yourself. You have to aim high if you want to accomplish something," Stahle said.
To do so she will have to overcome Karrie Webb, a former winner who finished on three under; Christie Kerr, fourth on the LPGA money list and well-placed on five under; and Jang, who described her performance over the past two days as the best of her career. "I drove the ball really well and was hitting amazing iron shots," Jang said.
Win or lose, Stahle, who has won the British Amateur title for the past two years, turns professional on Monday. What awaits her is a handful of introductory events in Europe before the daunting prospect of trying to win her playing rights on the LPGA Tour at qualifying school.
Her performance this week and her pedigree - she was also player of the year at Arizona State University in Phoenix - suggest she will be a success.
Nevertheless, her transition into the world of paid players is in stark contrast to that of Michelle Wie, who is expected to turn professional on her 16th birthday in October.
For Wie there await invitations into events of her choosing on the men's and women's tour and multi-million dollar sponsorship deals - a wonderful cushion that might get even more feathery should the 15-year-old American win what looks certain to be her last event as an amateur.
The player herself was not ruling out such an outcome, especially not after yesterday's 67 - a terrific round which might have been even better had she not been forced to endure the antics of her father, BJ Wie, her caddie this week.
Wie's ever-changing rota of caddies has been the subject of some speculation, not least because the last occupant, Brian Smallwood, lasted one round.
Whatever his alleged failings - apparently he and the player had "no chemistry" - Smallwood is an LPGA Tour caddie of some experience. Mr Wie is a professor of transport at the University of Hawaii, which has clearly not stopped him developing a firm idea of what is required of a bagman. His theatrical performance, which involves standing three feet behind his daughter as she goes through her pre-shot routine, has bemused many, not least his daughter.
"I have no idea what he is doing. You would have to ask him that," she laughed. "It is entirely in his mind. If he wants to line me up (for putts) then he does, if he doesn't then he doesn't. Sometimes I listen to him."
It is tribute to Wie's temperament that she played so well despite the distraction, although one wonders how she might have done if she had had a more conventional caddy toting her clubs around.
Guardian Service
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