Spain’s Nuria Iturrios has raced home with four back-nine birdies to grab the lead midway through day two of the Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville.
Iturrios, a one time winner on the Ladies European Tour, is bogey-free for the opening two rounds to be 8-under and two ahead as the afternoon wave of players hits off.
The 23-year-old played steady golf on the front nine in difficult conditions as intermittent rain, and gusting winds swirled around the Bonville layout.
A solitary birdie at the par-5 7th saw her to the turn 1-under and two back of the lead before she got hot on the inward journey.
Consecutive birdies at 10 and 11 vaulted her to a share of the lead, and a further two birdies in the last three holes put her in front alone.
“I hit a lot of good shots,” she said of her 5-under 67. “After 36 holes with no bogeys, I’m feeling very good.
“I missed some putts but I made some good saves for par as well, so I’m very happy.”
Iturrios, who finished T34 at this event last year, said she was feeling confident in her game after making some swing changes recently.
“In the off-season, I changed my swing a bit to hit better low shots,” she said.
“So that’s helped a lot here because of the wind and rain.
“But I’m so comfortable with my game right now, let’s see what happens. 36 holes left.”
She said she welcomes the pressure of leading and the attention that comes with it and is excited for the weekend.
“Finally I got some cameras around me,” she said with a smile.
“I will go home tonight and eat some mangoes and sticky rice – Thai food – and just try to relax and enjoy it.
“I have no expectations for the weekend. I don’t know what might happen, so let’s see.”
A testament to the quality of her play, Iturrios was the only player to break 70 in the morning field and is the only player on that side of the draw under par through 36 holes.