Foursome line-up for final day at Stoke by Nayland

Pole position in the WPGA International Challenge at Stoke by Nayland Hotel Golf and Spa proved a popular and over-populated place at the end of the tournament’s second round.

No fewer than four contestants occupy it to set up a potentially tense and thrilling climax in the chase for the €4,800 first prize.

England’s Charlotte Ellis,  Tonje Daffinrud of Norway, Denmark’s Daisy Nielsen and Melodie Bourdy of France are all on five-under,  two strokes clear of the 93-strong field.

However, it was Daffinrud, bidding to claim a top five place in the rankings and earn her Ladies European Tour card for next season, who produced the round of the day.

A brace of birdies in the outward half of the Gainsborough course at the Suffolk resort, followed by another on the inward nine gave the 23-year-old a blemish-free four-under round of 68.

And given her recent form – successive victories in the Azores Ladies Open and Grecotel Amirandes Ladies Open – her display sends out an ominous warning to her rivals.

Nielsen, who lies fourth in the rankings and is on course to secure her Tour card, also carded four birdies but the downhill par three ninth appears, quite literally, to be her bogey hole. Having recorded a bogey there in the first round, she followed suit in day two.

Whereas Nielsen was left to rue just one bogey, Bourdy suffered a comparative epidemic of them. The satisfaction of recording six birdies was dampened by three bogeys and the sister of European Tour pro, Gregory, was left to ponder what might have been. Likewise Ellis, the joint overnight leader, whose six birdies were tempered with four bogeys.

The leading quartet will be joined in the final round by Alison Nicholas the former US Open champion. Nicholas, who is also the leading PGA Professional in the field, made the cut comfortably after following up her opening round of two-over with a one-under-par 71.

Hannah Ralph, will also get the chance to defend her title successfully after a level par second round left her on two-over for the tournament while Stoke by Nayland member Hannah Moul also made the cut on eight-over.

There will be no place on the last day, however, for Scotland’s Noni Stephen, above right, despite having  Sir Clive Woodward, England’s World Cup winning rugby coach, above left, on the bag. Stephen, an amateur, will have the weekend off after respective rounds of six and eight over.