Denmark’s Pedersen recovers after early stumble to lead French Open

Denmark’s Pedersen, 19, from Smoerum, bogeyed the first and third holes, but quickly recovered after gauging the speed of the greens at Golf de Chantaco.

She picked up her first birdie on the fifth hole and eagled the seventh before making five more birdies at the eighth, 10th, 12th, 15th and 17th.

At nine under par, Pedersen is three strokes ahead of Frenchwoman Celine Herbin, with fellow Dane Malene Jorgensen and first-round leader Gwladys Nocera, also of France, two strokes behind on four under.

“After the rough start I was very happy about finishing six under,” said Pedersen, who received an invitation to play in the limited field event, featuring 78 players.

“It’s given me extra motivation to prove I’m good enough to be here, because I wasn’t good enough to get into the tournament. It’s a narrow course so you have to be accurate with your irons and shots into the greens.”

Herbin set the clubhouse target earlier in the day with a second round of two-under-par 68. She made birdies on the par-5 sixth and seventh before dropping shots on the ninth and 11th. She eagled the 15th and immediately double bogeyed the 16th before finishing with birdies on 17 and 18.

Doncaster’s Rebecca Hudson missed the cut after a second consecutive 74.