Ladies Open de Portugal Top Player Take to the Links of the Algarve

The only women's professional golf tour in Portugal, the Ladies Open de Portugal is underway at Gramacho Pestana Golf Resort near Carvoeiro in the Algarve, with more than 200,000 euros in prize money, and the sponsorship by do Turismo de Portugal and Antnio Carmona Santos. Five Portuguese woman will play this year, PGA - Portugal pro Mnia Bernardo and Federao Portuguesa de Golfe amateurs Carla Cruz, Ana Melo, Marta Ramalho and Marta Vasconcelos.

The program kicked off with a 'Pro-Am', including international soccer goalie, Ricardo, and retired soccer stars Frederico Rosa and Humberto Coelho.

Ricardo said that it was his first Pro-Am' with women professionals: "It was great, and the course was amazing." Ricardo's team ended up in 2nd place and was headed up by Spanish player Paula Marti.

Jade Schaeffer from France and Sophie Giquel shared the early lead along with Swede Louise Stahle and Australia's Joanne Mills after the second round of play. The four were tied on seven-under-par after 36 holes at the, leading by three strokes over Swede Johanna Westerberg. Giquel and Stahle both carded best of day 67s while Mills had a 68 and Schaeffer a 69. Stahle, who currently leads the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year race, for the best newcomer to the LET, carded six birdies and one bogey. She was pleased to have hit 17 fairways and 16 greens, with her longest putt from 20 feet.

"I'm excited. I'm playing very steady and according to my plan for each hole," said 22-year-old Stahle, who joined the tour at the end of last year after turning professional in August 2005. "The putter is working and I'm having a lot of fun. I have my coach on the bag Katarina Vangdal. We're having a lot of fun so it's hard to beat."

Although a tour rookie, Stahle is an experienced competitor. She lists playing with Jeong Jang at the Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale in 2005 and playing in the penultimate group at the 2006 ANZ Ladies Masters, where she finished joint third, amongst her career highlights.

Schaeffer however is playing in only her eighth start on Tour as a professional with a previous best finish of joint 28th in the recent KLM Ladies Open. Schaeffer is embracing life as a touring professional. She said her best experience on Tour so far was watching a bull fight in Castellon, Spain, with several other players.

"I cried it was so horrible, but I think it was a good cultural experience. For the bullfighters, that is their dream. For me, golf is my dream," said Schaeffer.

The French rookie claimed to be a girls' girl who likes shopping, go carting and going to the seaside. Giquel, playing in her fourth year on Tour, carded six birdies and one bogey in her second round and like the two rookies she was aiming for a maiden Tour victory. Her career best finish was second in the BMW Ladies Italian Open.

"I hit some very good shots near the pin and I made lots of great putts contrary to the rest of the year. I only had one bogey on number two, the par five. It was a good round and I was confident. I wasn't stressed. I was just quiet," said Giquel, who married Axel Bettan, her full time caddy, on 28th December 2006 at her city hall. She is planning a church ceremony and party for the 14th September this year, which is the first day of The 2007 Solheim Cup in Sweden, however she was in no doubt as to what she would do should she make the 12-woman European team. Mills, a 14-year Tour veteran, last won ten years ago at the 1997 German Open. She came close to a second tour victory at the recent Northern Ireland Ladies Open but eventually took joint third position.

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