- Charlotte Heath carded a 7-under 65 to take the clubhouse lead at the La Sella Open.
- Maddison Hinson-Tolchard holds second place after a second-round 67.
- Darkness stopped play at 8.09pm, leaving the second round to be completed on Saturday morning.
England’s Charlotte Heath opened a four-shot clubhouse lead at the La Sella Open before darkness brought the weather-affected second round to an early finish in Spain.
Heath produced a 7-under 65 at La Sella Golf on Friday to reach 11-under for the tournament. The 24-year-old was 9-under for her round after 12 holes and within range of the course record before bogeys at the 15th and 16th checked her progress.
Play was suspended at 8.09pm because of fading light. An earlier delay of one hour and 40 minutes, caused by dangerous weather, left several players unable to complete their rounds.
Australia’s Maddison Hinson-Tolchard sits alone in second place on 7-under after a 67. England’s Alice Hewson shares third place on 6-under with Germany’s Helen Briem, the 2024 champion, who still had four holes remaining when play stopped.
Heath Races Out in 30
Heath began the second round at 4-under and made six birdies across the opening nine holes for a front-nine 30. Another birdie followed at the 11th before she made eagle at the par-5 12th, moving to 9-under for the day.
“I just played boring golf. Fairways and greens,” Heath said. “The greens are good so you can roll in some putts. I hit it pretty close and had a nice eagle that was a kick-in, so that’s always nice.”
She said the proximity of her approach shots removed much of the pressure from her putting.
“I went on a stretch where I don’t think I hit it outside ten feet, really, so that makes it a lot easier.”
She closed with pars at the 17th and 18th to set the clubhouse target.
Heath Makes Small Changes to Ball Position
The former Smyth Salver winner at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open is playing her rookie Ladies European Tour season after earning promotion through the LET Access Series in 2025.
She arrived in Spain after working with coach Jason Baile on her ball position and address following an uncomfortable week in Ireland.
“In Ireland I struck the ball terribly and spoke to my coach,” Heath said. “It was just the simplest things, like checking my ball position and having a little more tilt at address.”
Heath has also returned to a familiar blade putter after struggling on the greens earlier in the season. She said an improved putting performance in Ireland helped restore confidence before La Sella.
Saturday Restart Will Set the Cut
The suspension continued a disrupted week at the Dénia venue. Thunder, lightning and torrential rain caused a two-and-a-half-hour stoppage during Thursday’s opening round, which also had to be completed the following morning.
Conditions became calmer for Friday’s later starters, allowing Heath to capitalise in the afternoon sunshine. Briem remains the closest player to the lead among those still on the course, although she must make up five shots over her final four holes to draw level.
The second round will resume on Saturday morning. The cut will be confirmed once every player has completed 36 holes, with the final two rounds then scheduled to begin at La Sella Golf.
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.