Jessica Korda and Tvesa. Pics: Tristan Jones/ LET
Sotogrande, Spain, August 19: Tvesa Malik grabbed a late birdie on the 17th hole to get on the right side of the 36-hole cut at the Aramco Team Series Sotogrande.
Tvesa, who made a big comeback from 3-over to even par in the first round, was once in trouble at 3-over at the turn in the second round and it became 4-over after 11 holes. She managed to claw back with a birdie on 13th but a bogey on 14th pushed her down yet again before the birdie on Par-3 17th saved the day. She was T-52nd after two rounds as Top-60 and ties made the cut at La Reserva Club de Sotogrande.
Meanwhile, Jessica Korda maintained her bid for Aramco Team Series Sotogrande crown with a second-round 68. She led her quartet to victory in the team event and is also leading the individual event.
Jessica shot a 61 in the first round and added a 68 in second. She is six shots clear from Pauline Roussin (67-68).
Korda, 29, started day two at the 10th hole and traded a birdie brace for a pair of bogeys as she went out in level-par for the day. But she regained some of that first-day magic on her back nine, recording four birdies, including three on the spin from the fourth.
In the final round, Jessica will be joined by Roussin and her sister Nelly. The younger Korda made a couple of late gains to get to eight-under, one back from Roussin.
Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivino is in fourth place on seven-under-par having shot a round of 69 on day two at La Reserva. Sweden’s Linn Grant and Belgium’s Manon De Roey sit in a tie for fifth place on six-under-par, Johanna Gustavsson and Pia Babnik are one shot further back in T7 with six players in a share of ninth place with one round remaining.
The cut fell at +4 with 65 players making it through to the final day of competition and the third round will begin at 8.50am local time on Saturday.
Jessica Korda’s quartet won the team event with a 33-under-par total, one better than runners-up led by Roussin. Korda also captained the winning side in the Aramco Team Series New York last October. In Spain she was partnered by Tereza Melecka, Noora Komulainen and amateur Malcolm Borwick, who is an English international polo star.
There is a new format this year for the Aramco Team Series, which launched in 2021. For this season, the teams will compete over only 36 holes – the Thursday and Friday of the tournament – with $500,000 prize money being split between the lowest scoring fourballs.
Saturday’s final day of play will see only the lowest scoring 60 players and ties from the opening two days return to the course to battle it out for a share of another $500,000, this time in individual earnings.
