Sally Watson hoping for Victorian Open victory
The Scottish star shares the lead at the halfway stage in the Oates Victorian Open after carding a second four-under-par 69 on the Beach Course at Barwon Heads.
Leading outright after day one, Watson was joined at the head of affairs by Australian teenager Su Oh (65) and Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord (68).
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Hide AdWatson, who was up at 3am for her 7am start as she battles with jetlag, opened with a brace of birdies from the tenth.
Another birdie on the par 3 17th saw her go out in three-under par 34.
Her inward journey was an up-and-down affair as the two-times Curtis Cup player went birdie-bogey-birdie- bogey-birdie from the second before finishing with two pars.The LET player said after her round that things could still get better, which is ominous for the rest of the field.
“I was pretty happy with how I played overall, but I definitely could have done a few things better, so I will work on them this afternoon.” said Watson.
“The game is in good shape, so I don’t necessarily think I have to change any of that. It’s just continuing to push myself to attack when the opportunities present itself.
“My tendency not just today but everyday is to play a little too conservatively.“
All three Scots in the field made the cut - Kylie Walker (73) and Michele Thomson (72) sitting in a tie for 29th on two-over.
On the European Tour, Marc Warren is the leading Scot heading into the third round of the Maybank Malaysian Open after a rare recent disappointment for Stephen Gallacher.
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Hide AdWarren, who has just moved up to 50th in the world as he chases a Masters debut in April, had four birdies in Kuala Lumpur as he signed for a 71 to sit joint-15th on three-under.
One ahead of his compatriot at the start, Gallacher is now five behind him after a 77 that saw him drop five shots in four holes around the turn.
Lee Westwood maintained a familiar position at the top of the leaderboard with a five under par 67 in the second round, but he has Alejandro Cañizares for company after the Spaniard birdied the last for a wonderful 65.
The 41-year-old Englishman has now led or co-led for the last six rounds at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, having completed a wire-to-wire victory in this event last season, and his strong affinity with the venue continued as he notched six birdies and a bogey.
“I played nicely again,” said Westwood. “It was pretty solid again and I probably only hit one poor shot all day, from the middle of the fairway on the fifth hole. I was going in with a 5-iron and blocked it right into the water.”
Scott Jamieson, one one-over, made the cut along with Warren and Gallacher but there were early exits for Alastair Forsyth, a former winner, and Asian Tour player Simon Yates.