Delasin stays in hunt, fires 3-under 69

For the second straight time, Dorothy Delasin came away with an eagle-aided round. And like in the first day, she floundered on her homeward trip.

But the good thing was Delasin had built enough cushion to salvage a three-under par 69 as she stayed in the hunt for a first-ever major crown in the rich British Open in Sunningdale, England Friday (Saturday in Manila).

Together with her opening 71 that once stood at six-under, Delasin, who retained the Giant Eagle Classic in Ohio last week, pooled a 36-hole aggregate of 140, four-under at the par 72 Sunningdale Golf Club as the Fil-Am shotmaker stood five shots of halfway leader Catriona Matthew of Scotland, who spiked his stirring round of 65 with an ace.

A 7-wood at the 215-yard 15th took a huge bounce at the front of the green and rolled into the hole to send the Scot up from six-under to eight-under. She also birdied the last and goes into Saturday’s third round with a two-stroke lead at nine-under 135.

"I just got a good bounce and it popped into the hole," said Matthew, winner of this year’s Hawaiian Ladies Open whose husband, Graeme, is also her caddy.

"I was kind of telling it to get down as it took a big bounce. It kept going and, when I saw it on TV later, it was going quite hard (into the hole).

"At the time I realized I had taken the lead but I was not thinking that. I was just pleased I had holed in one."

The Scot turned the screw on her rivals by landing a 7-iron only three feet from the pin for her sixth birdie in a one-bogey round of 65.

"I didn’t miss any fairways. That’s the key around here," said Matthew, who has also finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth in LPGA Tour events this year. "And also birdie the par 5s."

Her two-round total of 135 gives her a two-stroke advantage over South Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim, England’s Trish Johnson and Scotland’s Janice Moodie with another Englishwoman, Johanna Head, a stroke back at six-under.

The 20-year-old Delasin, who eagled the par 5 No. 2 Thursday, made a 2 on the par 4 No. 3 and went on to fire four more birdies against a bogey to go five-under after 14 holes. But she bogeyed Nos. 16 and 18 in another finish that brought to mind her sputtering windup in the first round.

Delasin, who will tee off sixth-to-last in the third round in a twosome with rookie Elizabeth Esterl, stood ahead of fancied Aussie bet Karrie Webb, firing a 67 for 141, and Swede Annika Sorenstam, carding a for 142.

On a day when no one other than a Brit had the outright lead, the home fans are anticipating a first British triumph since the now retired Penny Grice-Whittaker won at Woburn 10 years ago.

The powerful American challenge hasn’t yet materialized although Rosie Jones is four off the lead at 139 after a 69. Jill McGill is 4-under after her second round of 70 and is tied with Dorothy Delasin, winner of last week’s LPGA Classic, who carded a 69.