Pamela Pretswell leads Scottish charge

• Pamela Pretswell second heading into final round in Turkey
• One shot behind leader Melissa Reid on ten-under par
• Sally Watson third, Kylie Walker sixth and Carly Booth tenth

Pamela Pretswell is leading the Scottish charge heading into the final round of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open – while Sally Watson, Kylie Walker and Carly Booth are also all in the top ten.

Second-placed Pretswell followed up a stunning eight-under par round of 65 on Monday with a 72, cutting the deficit to leader Melissa Reid to one shot, as she goes into the final day on ten-under.

Watson, who like Pretswell is being supported this year by Team Scottish Hydro and Scottish Golf Support Limited (SGSL), is alone in third place on eight-under after a five-under par 68, while Walker is among four players in a tie for sixth on five-under par, which also includes four-time major winner Dame Laura Davies.

Speaking after her round, Watson said: “It’s nice to have a couple of Scots up there on the leaderboard. It’s a good thing for Scottish golf and I’m still a couple back, so I’ll keep fighting on every shot and try to claw back shots as quickly as I can.”

Booth is on four-under in a tie for tenth and recovered well on the back nine after being four-over for her round at the turn.

Three birdies and a bogey coming in meant she finished with a 75 and afterwards, she posted on Instagram: “Bit of a battle out there today but managed to grind it out after a poor front nine. A bit of bad luck and not holing putts was making it tough of me. Tomorrow is another day to be better! Let’s finish strong.”

This week’s event at Carya GC is the first on any major golf tour to finish on a Wednesday and is a pioneering move by the Ladies European Tour as they aim to boost the profile of women’s golf both on television and at the event.

“I think it’s a great idea, a great innovation” – Dame Laura Davies

So far, the move has been met with enthusiasm from broadcasters and commercial partners and breaking with the traditional Sunday finish has ensured that the tournament has received extended live television coverage on Sky Sports and Golf Channel.

Speaking ahead of the event about the Wednesday finish, Davies said: “I think it’s a great idea, a great innovation, because we get live TV, which we crave for. We don’t get it, the men get it.

“It’s awkward, because if you play both tours like I do, you miss two tournaments. It’s hard to miss two for one. For the European players it’s great because if it happens more and more the TV coverage would presumably up the profile and it would help everything, so it’s a very good idea.”

Scots performing well in Turkey :: Your thoughts

Can Pamela Pretswell or any of the Scots prevail in the final round at Carya GC? And what do you make of the LET’s Wednesday finish? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.