Matt in Wales

Last updated: 13th August 2010

FRIDAY

Pernilla Lindberg

One of the most impressive under-that-radar performances two weeks ago at the Ricoh Women's British Open was that of Pernilla Lindberg, the young Swede who turned pro at the start of the year having graduarted succesfully from both LET and LPGA Tour Q-Schools.

She has been able to split her time between the two tours easily because of the slightly fractured nature of the LPGA schedule, but has enjoyed the benefits of being a rookie on both, learning her trade as she travels around the world.

"I think I've also been able to see some differences," she told me after her round today. "The LPGA plays slightly tougher courses, the standard is a little higher, the challenge more tough. But I also had experience of the LET as an amateur which makes me a little more at home. The two tours have combined well for me this year."

She played college golf in the States and has little doubt it helped her career. "For sure. It meant I could play a lot of competitive golf, in the States, on great courses, getting excellent coaching. It was great preparation for this life and I feel I've got used to being a rookie really quickly as a consequence."

Talking about her effort in Birkdale she said she always knew she was playing well but one very bad hole ruined her first round which contributed to an 86 and then she had a double bogey on the second hole of her Friday round. She was facing a horrible score but determined to prove she was better than she was playing and promptly reeled off six birdies in the next ten holes.

"I really didn't want the 86 to my memory of that day or two bad rounds to be my memory of the tournament. I was playing better than I had scored. And I don't like to quit. I really wanted to bounce back and head to Ireland thinking good thoughts."

She did just that using the experience to score well at Killen Castle; well enough, indeed, to play in the penultimate group of the final round amongst a high quality field.

She's clearly a determined and gritty player, but she also has plenty of talent.

Windy again - but less so

Once more the wind has whipped the Conwy course, but conditions on Friday were not as brutal as Thursday morning.

England's Melissa Reid took advantage to post some early birdies and move up the leaderboard. She revealed in a recent feature on Golf365 that she and caddie Lee analyse every round, aiming to improve on shot selection and execution. She proved as much today, explaining that she had changed the clubs she had used for some shots in the first round and totally changing her game plan on some holes. The result was a four-under par round of 68.

She joined Scotland's Vikki Laing on level par for the tournament, one shot behind the morning leader Christel Boeljon from Holland.

All three players were striking the ball superbly on a course that fully tests the ability of players to cope with wind, given that holes track in all directions.

South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace is alone in fifth place which is interesting given that, like the Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, she grew up playing golf in Mossel Bay, a very blustery venue. She's had a great 2010 season and will be worth watching closely at the weekend if it continues to blow.

Early on in the day the young amateur Amy Boulden was playing well again but her round slowly unravelled leaving Sahra Hassan as the leading local challenger. A first year LET professional she has played on the Ladies Asian Tour to gain experience and this is her best performance to date in Europe. Her level par round of 72 left her in a tie for sixth as she signed her card.

The Welsh challenge is quite strong this year with Becky Brewerton and Becky Morgan right in the mix.

But the rounds of the day were completed late in the afternoon by playing partners Carin Koch and Anja Monke. Swede Koch equalled Reid's figure to take sole lead of the tournament on two-under par whilst the German Monke scored a flawless five-birdie effort of 67 to finish in a tie for sixth.

Ryder Cup Wales

It was quite a busy day at Nefyn yesterday. Not only was there a mixed fourball competition plus a challenge match between myself and the man from the Daily Mirror (see below), but there was also the launch of a new driving range at the course, funded by the Ryder Cup Wales Legacy Fund.

The new covered driving range and short game facility will allow the iconic club to attract more people in the area to the game and is typical of what the fund, financed by the Welsh Assembly, has been able to do since the principality won the rights to the 2010 Ryder Cup.

28 clubs have received funding for over 200 new holes and 32 new chipping and putting greens which has helped introduce 750,000 youngster to the game.

In addition to the work achieved within Wales the Ryder Cup has also seen Welsh golf highlighted across the world, as Simon Dennis, secretary-manager of Nefyn, explained.

"The results have been more than we could have hoped for in some ways. We have seen a terrific increase in the footfall and visitors from North America and Europe, even from Japan, and that is the result of the imagery of the course being publicised at events outside Wales.

"That can only be positive, but in a way we cannot judge the short term impact because this is the beginning of what the Legacy Fund is aiming to achieve and the results will really be seen over three to five years."