Clare Queen two shots off

pace with two-under 69

in Finnair Masters

FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Spain’s Beatriz Recari shot a four-under-par 67 to lead by a stroke after the first round of the Finnair Masters in Helsinki, Finland today.

Clare Queen, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, is only two shots off the pace after a strong finish of birdies at the 14th, 16th and 17th for a 69. She had earlier boge3yed the fourth, birdied the short eighth and bogeyed the 12th.
Playing in cold conditions, Recari, the 21-year-old third year Ladies European Tour player from Pamplona carded five birdies on the back nine at Helsinki Golf Club for an outward total of 32, before playing the front nine in one-over 35.

Recari, who has completely remodelled her swing with her coach Ian Triggs over the last 12 months, was delighted to be leading a Ladies European Tour event for the first time. She posted a career best tie for 12th at the SAS Masters in Norway last week and on her current form she said:

“I think my game is just coming together. My attitude is better and I am enjoying it much more. I am more relaxed. My coach is always saying about seeing the shot and then hitting it. I shot seven-under in Norway and that was great. When you keep on shooting lower and lower and lower it helps you in the coming week. That was a great learning experience for me.”

Working on her co-ordination and biomechanics in the golf swing, along with adding muscle in the gym and a healthy new diet has helped Recari to add 20 metres of carry to her drives in recent months.

She added: “Not on this course, because it’s wet, but in Germany I was getting like 270 (metres). I am like, “Wow! This is a new life”.
Local player Ursula Wikstrom, 28, from Helsinki, shared second with 12-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn on three-under-par 68. Wikstrom’s round included three birdies, two bogeys and an eagle at the par-5 17th hole, but Jutanugarm fired three birdies and no bogeys.

Along with her 14-year-old sister Moriya, the golfing prodigy is playing in Finland on an invitation this week and she is rapidly gaining tournament experience after finishing in a share of 51st place at the 2007 Honda LPGA Thailand.

Jutanugarn was the youngest ever golfer to compete in an LPGA tournament when she played in the event last year at the age of 11 years, 11 months and 2 days. The previous record was held by Michelle Wie who played in the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic at the age of 12 years, 4 months and 14 days.
Now aged just short of 12 years and nine months, she is one of the youngest players to ever compete on the Ladies European Tour.

The Irish Maguire twins, Lisa and Leona, played in the BT Northern Ireland Ladies Open last year aged 12 years and 6 months, but they missed the cut. With her opening 68 Jutanugarn has a chance to win a professional event. “I wanted only to shoot even for the three days. This is a very good result,” she said, through an interpreter.

“I am very surprised. I feel it was very good fun today.”

Six players finished the day in a share of fourth place on two-under 69, including Finnish star Minea Blomvqvist and England’s Rebecca Hudson, who has already won in Tenerife and England this year. “It was up and down today,” said Hudson. “I’m very pleased with the result because I had some very good shots and some bad ones. I’ve been playing nicely for the last few weeks but not holing any shots.”

Lynn Kenny shot a level par 71 and Kathryn Imrie a 72 but Jenna Wilson had a 75 after a bouble bogey at the short third. She did birdie the second, 10th and 14th but a joint 62nd position after one round means she still has work to do beat the cut.

SCOREBOARD

Par 71

67 B Recari (Spa).

68 A Jutanukarn (Thai) (am), U Wikstrom (Fin).

69 C Queen (Sco), R Hudson (Eng), E Cabrera-Belo (Spa), M Blomqvist (Fin), N Reid (Swe).

70 G Nocera (Fra), M Arruti (Spa), J Mills (Aus), J Kuosa (Fin), H Kavanagh (Ire), J Greciet (Fra), D-C Becker (Ger), E Ohlsson (Swe), A Larranteta (Spa), S Turnbull (Aus), A Rawson (Spa), S Yang (Jap) (am).

71 M Eberl (Ger), M Verchenova (Ru), B Brewerton (Wal), L Kenny (Sco), C Coughlan-Ryan (Ire), O M Jonsdottir (Ice), S Head (Eng).

72 E Smets (SAf), K Imrie (Sco), D Luna (Ita), A S Le Nalio (Fra), K Lynn (Aus), C Grady (Eng), H-L Salonen (Fin), L-A Pace (SAf), C Lundgreen (Nor).

Other scores:

73 J Head (Eng), N C Booth (Eng), S Walker (Eng) (jt 37th).

74 K Matharu (Eng), M Gillen (Ire), G Simpson (Eng), R Coakley (Ire) (jt 47th).

75 J Wilson (Sco) (jt 62nd).

76 T Johnson (Eng) (jt 81st).

77 K J Fisher (Eng) (jt 99th).

78 J Clingan (Eng) (jt 109th).

79 L Hall (Wal) (jt 115th).