Olivia Mehaffey slipped back slightly but still remained very much in contention in the Amundi German Masters on the Ladies European Tour, as the Co Down golfer – who held the first round lead – added a second round 71 to her opening 64 for a 36-holes total of nine-under-par 135 to lie in tied-third, two shots adrift of leader Johanna Gustavsson of Sweden.
Mehaffey, who was a standout player for Arizona State in her collegiate career, took time out last season due to the death of her father Philip and has looked to ease her way back into life on tour, concentrating on the European circuit for the time being before aiming again at the LPGA Tour.
The 25-year-old put a new driver into her bag for this week’s event in Brandenburg and admitted: “I had been struggling off the tee, so it’s a new driver and it is much better. That had been letting me down, so it’s nice to see that change is working nicely. I’ve been slowly getting a little bit of confidence. I felt like my old self, which was really nice.”
And Beth Coulter – once a teenage camogie star who made the transition to golf with telling success – is another product of Arizona State making an impact, following up her medallist honours in the 120th British Women’s championship at Princes by advancing on to the quarter-final stages.
Coulter (19) is making her fifth appearance in the Women’s Amateur and continued the form that saw her top the 36-holes stroke play qualifying by overcoming Lucy Lin, the talented 13-year-old from Cyprus, at the first extra hole of their last-32 encounter before also coming through a close contest with France’s Justine Fournand by two holes. Three birdies in the last seven holes helped Coulter defeat Fournand and set up a quarter-final meeting with Sweden’s Elin Pudas Remier.
“In match play it’s never over until it’s over. I’ve always held that value and I think it’s so important because even when you get down it’s important to not let it get away from you. I battled back a bit this morning when it got away from me and this afternoon I tried to keep my foot on the gas when I got up. I’m really happy. I love playing these championships and we’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”
