There was no sign of nerves from fearless youngster Anna Huang as she produced another fine performance in the humid Spanish heat to go three shots clear of Nastasia Nadaud at the halfway point of La Sella Open.
The Canadian shot a second consecutive bogey-free round to finish 14-under, holding off Nadaud as frontrunners stretched clear of Shannon Tan who finished on 7-under, with duo Nuria Iturrioz and Kirsten Rudgeley a further shot back.
Huang said: “I think my ball striking these past few days has been really good; I’m bogey free so far, so that’s a new record for me.
“Just being able to hit the fairways and greens is I think the most important thing out here, because the rough is pretty tough.”
On leading into the weekend, she said. “Yeah, I’m trying not to think about it too much, though, just because I don’t want any added pressure; I’m just going to play my own game and not think about the scoreboard too much.”
Nadaud, who birdied her final hole to back up her strong round yesterday with a 5-under 67, said: “It’s been a great day. Today I started off pretty bad. I had that free putt on the first, I think, a two feet putt, and then made it back for the birdie on three.
It’s been a pretty windy afternoon to be honest, so it wasn’t really easy, but I managed to get my way through it and get a couple birdies in.”
Nadaud is being caddied by fellow professional Michele Thomson, who she believes has contributed to her success so far this week.
“It definitely helps (having her here); she knows what a player expects and she’s also from Scotland as well so I think she’s also used to the wind, so she knows better than me how to calculate into wind or down wind. I think it’s a real advantage.”
Iturrioz, who claimed her fifth Ladies European Tour (LET) title in Houston earlier this month, fought back after combatting some windy conditions in the first round, four birdies in a row to storm back into contention.
She said: “I thought it was pretty easy (today)! Yesterday I missed some putts, I didn’t end up on the greens but today I felt great.
“I hit really good shots from the tee with the driver and the irons also because I was on the fairway, so it was better than being in the rough here.”
While Iturrioz is in a fine vein of form, she is managing her expectations for the final two rounds after what has been a gruelling few weeks on tour.
“I’m feeling great, of course, because I’m doing good the past weeks; I’m a bit more tired than in Houston, but I’m just trying to be calm and this afternoon I’m going to enjoy some tapas in the city.”
LET Order of Merit Race Continues to Heat Up
Shannon Tan, who currently sits second in the Order of Merit (OOM) with two wins this season, went one shot better than her previous round as she looks to challenge OOM number one Mimi Rhodes, who remained on two-under after a mixed round that included four birdies and a double bogey.
Tan said: “I’m quite happy with the past two days, like the way I’ve played and I mean, just overall, I think I’m just focused on just giving my best and having fun this week.
“We’ve been hosted really well (at La Sella) and I think all the players really enjoy this week.”
Voted Tournament of the Year by the players in 2023, and Best Player Services in 2024, La Sella Open has quickly become renowned for its commitment to elevating women’s golf through the standards set across every aspect of the event, including the largest purse for a women’s golf event in Spain and one of the largest in Europe.
On her gameplan for the rest of the tournament, she said: “I think probably go out there and do more of the same, have fun out there, hit the greens and hope the putts drop.”
Spanish Amateur Carolina Lopez-Chacarra Makes Cut
On her LET debut, amateur Lopez-Chacarra gave the Spanish fans more reason to be excited as the talented 22-year-old’s second round included a standout eagle on hole two, bettering yesterday’s score of one-over-par to finish the day tied for 36th.
She said: “I think my favourite hole was two today! I played it really nice and it was actually the first putt outside six feet that I made in the last two days so I was happy with that and then it gave me some momentum to keep fighting to make that cut.”
La Sella Open 2025 is free to enter for spectators, who can sign up for tickets here.
