A blistering 8-under par 64 – the best score of the week by two shots – has seen Belgium’s Manon De Roey bolt to a two stroke lead through 36 holes of the Worrell’s Women’s NSW Open.
The 29-year-old scorched the Dubbo Golf Club course with five birdies and two eagles against a lone dropped shot to jump to 9-under-par and two ahead with two rounds remaining.
De Roey – who has never won on the Ladies European Tour – said she was pleased with her driving on the narrow Dubbo course and said finding fairways would remain key for the weekend.
“My tee shots are pretty good normally,” she said, “but this course is very tight.
“I’m confident about my driving but I still didn’t hit too many fairways today.
“So for the weekend I will just try to keep doing what I’ve been doing…finding the fairways, hitting the greens and trying to get close to make some birdies.”
De Roey is two shots clear of three players, Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth, India’s Diksha Dagar and France’s Agathe Souzan at 7-under.
A further shot separates them from overnight co-leader Michele Thomson and Julia Engstrom. Lennarth, who was one shot out of the lead overnight, righted the ship on the back nine after a poor start to her second round.
Two over through eight holes, she reeled off five birdies on the inward journey to sign for a 3-under 69.
Thai star Atthaya Thitikul is alongside Germany’s Olivia Cowan at 5-under and sharing seventh, Slovenia’s Katja Pogocar and Scot Gemma Dryburgh rounding out the top 10 at 4-under.
Last week’s winner at Bonville, Steph Kyriacou, missed the cut in her first professional start with disappointing rounds of 75-76.
Soo Jin Lee is the leading Australian at 3-under the card sharing 11th.
