Ladies Scottish Open: Mi Jung Hur storms into lead as Anne van Dam stays in hunt

Korea’s Mi Jung Hur produced an incredible scoring burst on a rain-softened Renaissance Club course to storm into the lead in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open in East Lothian.
Anne van DamAnne van Dam
Anne van Dam

The morning starters in the second round faced appalling weather conditions before play was suspended for a spell early in the afternoon as heavy rain took its toll on the fairways and greens.

But, as the sun appeared, Hur made the most of heading out as the conditions improved dramatically for the later starters in the $1.5 million tournament.

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Beginning her second circuit at the tenth, the 29-year-old had already made two birdies before chipping in for an eagle-3 at the long 12th.

She went on to make nine birdies in total as she signed for a brilliant 62 to reach the halfway stage sitting on 14-under-par.

Hur, a two-time winner on the LPGA, leads by a couple of shots from Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn (66), with Dutchwoman Anne van Dam (69) two shots further back.

It was a quiet day for van Dam compared to her opening 63, but the 23-year-old is on course to secure one of the automatic spots on Catriona Matthew’s team for next month’s Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.

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She came into this event sitting third on the European points list and a top-10 finish will see her become just the second Dutch player to appear in the biennial event after Christel Boeljon in 2011.

In the worst of the weather, 55-year-old Laura Davies rolled back the years with a 68 that included a hole-in-one - the 12th of her career - at the fifth hole.

“People say, ‘oh, should you give up and commentate, you’re a rubbish golfer now’, but I still know I can hit shots and play like that,” said Davies, a Solheim Cup vice-captain, after an effort that left her on two-under for the tournament.

Carly Booth, the 2012 winner, is sitting just outside the top 10 on five-under after a 67, with Kylie Henry and Pamela Pretswell Asher also on course to make the cut.

But two-time champion Matthew (71-78) is set to miss out along with Leith-based American Beth Allen (72-79).