Latorre started with two consecutive birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes and added a third on the par-five 4th. The golfer from Álava came out determined to win on a course she knows well, despite the accumulated fatigue after a long season on the Ladies European Tour. After two pars on the 5th and 6th, she birdied the par-four 7th again to record her fourth birdie of the day and create a gap over Italy's Valentina Albertazzi, who had already turned in a three-under-par round after a second round of 32 strokes. Two more pars on the 8th and 9th allowed Amaia to complete a front nine of 32 strokes, four under par.
Her playing partners were also keeping pace, especially Nuria Iturrioz. The Mallorcan, who had completed her first 18 holes walking during Tuesday's Pro-Am, responded in her return to competition with birdies on the par-five 4th and 8th holes to reach the halfway point of the day at two under par, two strokes behind Latorre.
In the second round, Amaia maintained her momentum with two consecutive pars on the 10th and 11th holes before launching another attack. The par-five 12th gave her her fifth birdie, and after a par on the 13th, she followed it up with another birdie on the 14th to reach six under par. With incredibly precise short game and immense confidence on the greens, the player from Álava finished her round with four consecutive pars and a 65, making her the player to beat on the final day.
«"From the start, I was pretty strong, with quite a few birdies and many clear opportunities. Overall, I played quite well. Obviously, it's not perfect, and I hope that tomorrow those swings I didn't quite like will be better. But the truth is, I really liked my short game, especially three bunker situations that I historically wouldn't have taken advantage of. Today I did, and it was a comfortable round," Latorre explained afterward.
The leader also highlighted the work she did on her putting ahead of her tournament debut: «Yesterday in the Pro-Am my putting was absolutely dreadful, and I spent the afternoon practicing quite a bit. I came in well in advance today. I’ve done a lot of work on my putting this year, although there have been some pretty rough weeks. But I think there were some improvements in my game today, although there are still things I need to work on a little more.».
Her arrival in Seville, with fewer demands after a long season, has also been reflected on the course. "In the end, it's all about mindset. When you lower your expectations, when you're more relaxed... I came here mainly because I had about a month off and the Santander Golf Tour has several events that were perfect for me. Plus, this is a course that's always a pleasure to play on; I'm quite good at it," she noted. Sharing the day with Iturrioz and Pina was another incentive: "I especially wanted to play with those two, because I've actually never played a tournament with Ana. And with Nuria, who's been away for so many months, I also wanted to see how her game was.".
In second place, with 68 strokes (-3), were Valentina Albertazzi, Alejandra Llaneza, and Nuria Iturrioz. The Italian secured her result with a back nine that included birdies on the 13th, 15th, and 17th holes, while the Mexican added five birdies, three of them on the back nine, to compensate for bogeys on the 3rd and 6th. Iturrioz, for her part, added a birdie on the 12th to the two she had on her front nine and, after dropping a stroke on the 15th, closed with a birdie on the 18th, allowing her to recover to three under par and remain among the contenders for the title.
Louisa Carlbom, Rosie Belsham, Constanza Guerrero, and Teresa Díez Moliner share fifth place with 70 strokes (-1). Seville native Ana Pina, the circuit leader, finished at even par, one stroke ahead of Marina Escobar, her closest rival in the rankings. This seventh event of the Santander Golf Tour will be decided tomorrow at Club Zaudín Golf, before the circuit heads to its final event, the Santander Golf Tour LETAS, at Empordà Golf from November 12-14.
SOURCE: Tournament organizers.
