Reto on the rise again at Glendower

Paula Reto edged into a two-stroke lead with a gritty putting performance on Thursday after a second round of four-under-par 68 at Glendower Golf Club in the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Jabra Ladies Classic.

Home in South Africa to visit family, Reto will be heading back to the U.S.A to compete on the LPGA Tour after this week.

Paula Reto lined up a second successive Sunshine Ladies Tour title when she moved two shots clear in the second round of the R1-million Jabra Ladies Classic at Glendower Golf Club; credit Sunshine Ladies Tour.

She comfortably won the SuperSport Ladies Challenge last week and her five birdies and a bogey on one of the most respected championship courses in South Africa took her to five-under for the tournament and a slim lead over first-round leader Linn Grant of Sweden.

“Today was a little up and down. I felt like the putter didn’t work as well as it has – only on the last few holes, actually,” said Reto.

“I was struggling with the lines a little bit, but the speed has been good. Yesterday as well, so I’ve been hitting some shots close, which is nice. I told myself I’ve got to keep on doing that, keep giving myself the opportunities, and a couple fell, and that changed the momentum a little bit.”

Behind her, Grant carded a level-par 72 with three birdies and three bogeys to stay at three-under for the tournament, and a stroke clear of Nobuhle Dlamini of Swaziland and reigning Investec South African Women’s Open champion Lee-Anne Pace on two-under.

Dlamini came racing through the field with a superb five-under-par 67, which included an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys, and Pace signed for a level-par 72.

In a share of fifth on one-under were Germany’s Caroline Kaufmann, Moa Folke of Sweden and Florentyna Parker of England. Four players tied for eighth finished a further stroke back, including two South Africans in Casandra Alexander and Cara Gorlei. The others on level-par were Nikki Hofstede of France and Germany’s Verena Gimmy.

GolfRSA No 2 Kiera Floyd followed an opening round of 72 with a 76 but managed to hold on the lead in the amateur line-up. The SA Women’s Stroke Play champion will start the final round in a tie for 17th alongside Sunshine Ladies Tour winners Stacy Bregman and Tandi McCallum, who both carded 72, and big-hitting Namibian Bonita Bredenhann, who signed for 74.

Reto got her round going with a run of five consecutive pars before making her first birdie on the par-three sixth. She dropped a shot immediately after that, however, but picked up another birdie on the eighth, and reached the turn in one-under-par 35.

Her homeward nine was bogey-free as she picked up birdies on 13, 15 and 18.

It was a good display for Reto’s family, there to get a rare chance to watch her in action in the flesh. “It’s cool having my family here supporting me,” she said. “I was a little nervous because I usually don’t play with my family watching me.”

She has attempted to put last week’s win behind her as she looks to try and win a second tournament in two weeks. “I tried to think of this week as a new week, because sometimes I get ahead of myself,” she said.

“So tomorrow, I just want to do more of the same thing. I do want to practice a little putting to make sure I can see my lines and get the speed. They’re breaking a little more than last week, and I think I’m still in last week’s putting mode.”

And, although she has yet to win on the LPGA Tour, winning, and contending here in South Africa is invaluable for her. “I’m getting a lot of confidence, especially from being able to see my shots and do what I want under pressure,” she said. “Doing it at home feels like a little bit more pressure, and this is building confidence that I can do it on the LPGA Tour too.”

ROUND TWO SCOREBOARD

139 - Paula Reto 71 68

141 - Linn Grant (SWE) 69 72

142 - Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ) 75 67, Lee-Anne Pace 70 72

143 - Carolin Kauffmann (GER) 74 69, Moa Folke (SWE) 72 71, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 71 72

144 - Nikki Hofstede (NED) 73 71, Verena Gimmy (GER) 72 72, Casandra Alexander 72 72, Cara Gorlei 71 73

145 - Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 73 72, Celine Karlung (NOR) 72 73

146 - Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR) 73 73

147 - Kristyna Napoleaova (CZE) 75 72, Lora Assad 74 73

148 - Stacy Bregman 76 72, Tandi McCallum 76 72, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 74 74, Kiera Floyd (a) 72 76

149 - Kim Williams 76 73, Linette Holmslykke (DEN) 75 74, Vani Kapoor (IND) 74 75, Corinne Viden (SWE) 73 76, Kyra van Kan (a) 73 76, Sideri Vanova (CZE) 73 76

150 - Emie Peronnin (FRA) 78 72, Marine Legentil (a) 78 72, Michelle Forsland (NOR) 75 75, Franziska Friedrich (GER) 74 76, Nicole Garcia 73 77

151 - Lauren Taylor (ENG) 76 75, Ivanna Samu 76 75, Zethu Myeki 73 78

Missed the cut:-

152 - Thalia Martin (ENG) 77 75, Lejan Lewthwaite 78 74, Jane Turner (SCO) 80 72

153 - Marion Duvernay (FRA) 75 78, Tara Griebenow 75 78

154 - Kirsty Mitchell (SCO) 75 79, Nadia van der Westhuizen 75 79, Lindi Coetzee 80 74

155 - Lenanda van der Watt 76 79

156 - Alexandra Bonetti (FRA) 77 79

157 - Crizelda van Niekerk 80 77, Brittney-Fay Berger 74 83

158 - Lara Weinstein 77 81, Stephanie Barbaglia (a) 79 79, Tijana Kraljevic 81 77, Kelsey Nicholas 82 76, Mae Cornforth 82 76

159 - Michelle Leigh 81 78, Siddhi Kapoor (IND) 81 78, Larissa Du Preez 82 77

162 - Yvie Chaucheprat (FRA) 79 83, Romy Meekers (NED) 80 82

163 - Julie Berton (FRA) 78 85, Shawnelle de Lange 82 81, Yolanda Duma 83 80

164 - Stina Resen (NOR) 83 81

165 - Kim Turgut (a) 82 83, Kim de Klerk 83 82

167 - Grace Mitchell (CAN) 82 85

168 - Lynette Fourie 84 84

169 - Carey Dodds (a) 85 84

170 - Emily Laskin (USA) 83 87

172 - Cassidy Williams 85 87

173 - Madeleen Grosskopf 87 86

177 - Kayla Saunders (a) 95 82

189 - Alet de Langen 89 100

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