Johanna Sjursen followed up her record-tying 64 with a second round six-under-par 66 to preserve her three-shot lead ahead of Friday’s final round at the Iberdrola Catalayud Ladies Open on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
The Swede, who sits on an overall score of 14-under-par, leads compatriot Elsa Svensson (65) on 11-under-par while three other players are another three strokes back on eight-under-par.
Sjursen’s blistering two rounds totalling 130 overall is a tournament 36-hole record, smashing the previous mark set by France’s Lucie Malchirand (134) last year.
“I tried to be foot on the gas,” Sjursen said. “I think it’s a little bit easy to be a little bit hesitant in it. I just tried to be patient when the putts didn’t drop and take advantage when I had the opportunity.
“I’ve never been bogey-free before, so this was awesome. I mean, great follow up from yesterday so I’m super proud of myself.”
Sjursen played a flawless round, splitting her six birdies equally on both nines at holes 4, 7, 8 and 12, 13, 15.
“I think the longest par putt I made was probably four feet,” she said. “I don’t really know how many greens I missed, but I can think of me having two chips, maybe three.
“I think it was just great. I mean, my speed was good, my approach shots were good. It was pretty stressful. I had like two or three four-footers that I was a little bit nervous over, and I felt my pulse, but it was good. I rolled them well.
“I think it’s really easy to try to play safe, so I just tried to go out with the same mentality as yesterday. Like I said yesterday, stomp on the gas and just try to play my game and just make as many birdies as possible.
“But obviously it was a little bit safer. Maybe certain tee shots and certain approach shots, I didn’t take too much risk.”
For the first time in her professional career, Sjursen will sleep on the final round lead in pole position to claim her maiden LETAS victory.
“I’ve never had the overnight lead, so I don’t really know how I’m going to react tomorrow,” she said. “I guess try to keep the foot on the gas again, like if I just keep doing my thing and it’s going to be a good round playing with Elsa too.
“Today I was surprisingly not nervous, but maybe tomorrow it’s going to be worse. I remember I had the lead one time in college and I was so sick. I couldn’t even eat anything in the morning.
“So hopefully it’s going to be a little bit better today or tomorrow. I’m just going to eat dinner with my roommate, stretch a little bit, do my pins and go to bed.”
Svensson will be the biggest threat to Sjursen’s chances on Friday after a round of 65 comprising an eagle, six birdies and a bogey.
“I started off good with a birdie two-putt on the par-5 1st,” Svensson said. “Then I struggled a little bit, had to make a few ups and downs and then another birdie two-putt on (hole) 7.
“That kind of got my round going a little bit. I chipped in on (hole) 10 for eagle, and then on 17, I made another chip in. Honestly, I didn’t make anything special today. I just made the putts that were close and played well.”
Svensson was greenside in two at the par-5 10th before holing out from about 15 metres from the rough.
About her eagle, she said: “I didn’t hit a great approach, but it was right next to the bunker. Kind of like a standard chip from the rough. But it was a perfect roll and kept going. It just rolled in.”
Svensson continued with birdies on holes 12, 15, 16 and 17, before putting the only blemish on her scorecard by bogeying the closing par-3 18th hole.
Following her first LETAS win on home soil at June’s PGA Championship, Svensson will have an opportunity to win for the second time this season.
Currently in sixth position in the LETAS Order of Merit (OOM) standings, a good result this week would put the Swede within touching distance of securing one of the seven LET cards for 2027.
“I try to not think about (the OOM) too much, but obviously it’s hard to not think about it,” she added. “I’m just trying to play my game and see what happens. It’s my first time this year in a final group.
“It will be a new experience, which I’m excited about. I’m just going to keep doing what I was doing today and see if that’s enough.”
Joining Sjursen and Svensson in the final group is Spain’s Marina Escobar Domingo, who was first into the clubhouse at eight-under-par.
The Almeria-native shot a bogey-free five-under-par 67 with birdies on holes 5, 7, 8, 9 and 15.
Norway’s Silje Torvund Ohma (68) and Australia’s Belinda Ji (68) are also in tied-third at eight-under-par and six shots behind Sjursen.
Another shot behind in a tie for sixth come the duo of Finland’s Anna Backman (68) and Spain’s Clara Moyano Reigosa (69).
At five-under-par for the tournament in tied-ninth are Scotland’s Lorna Mcclymont (69), England’s Bel Wardle (69), France’s Marine Griffaut (66), England’s Rebecca Earl (68), Germany’s Theresa De Bochdanovits (72), United States’ Antonia Malate (67) and England’s Ellie Gower (68).
OOM leader Lauren Holmey (68) is tied-16th at four-under-par overall with eight other players — Spain’s Maria Villanueva (69), Finland’s Tiia Koivisto (70), United States’ Katherine Schuster (70), Singapore’s Aloysa Atienza (69), Australia’s Kristalle Blum (70), Germany’s Lisa Marie Schumacher (73), Brazil’s Lauren Grinberg (68) and England’s Megan Dennis (70).
The final round of the Iberdrola Calatayud Ladies Open resumes at 8.45am on Friday with the final group of Sjursen, Svensson and Escobar Domingo teeing off at 10.05am.
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