Pajaree Anannarukarn fired a gritty 69 at Dundonald Links, climbing into fourth place and keeping her Women’s Scottish Open hopes alive for the weekend.
Pajaree Anannarukarn didn’t overpower Dundonald Links on Friday. She outlasted it.
The bitter wind, cold temperatures and unpredictable links conditions turned the second round of the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open into a patience test, and Anannarukarn passed it with a 3-under 69.
The Thai standout reached the weekend at 4-under 140, moving into a share of fourth place with 36 holes remaining.
Jenny Shin owns the lead at 11-under, leaving Anannarukarn seven shots back. That’s a significant gap, but links golf can turn a comfortable advantage into chaos before lunch.
Anannarukarn started on the back nine and absorbed her only bogey of the round at the par-4 13th. Instead of allowing the mistake to snowball, she responded with birdies at Nos. 17 and 18, flipping a sluggish beginning into a productive opening nine.
The momentum followed her through the turn.
She added another birdie at the par-4 second and took advantage of the par-5 fifth, reaching 4-under for the tournament. Four closing pars completed a card featuring four birdies, one bogey and 13 pars.
That kind of restraint mattered in conditions that punished anyone trying to force the issue.
“It was windy, really windy this morning,” Anannarukarn said. “I was very pleased how I was able to stay warm out there and focus one shot at a time.”
Her formula was simple: hit fairways, avoid ugly positions and wait for the course to offer something.
Anannarukarn said she concentrated on giving herself enough room to recover rather than chasing risky shots in the wind.
“I’m trying to hit one shot at a time,” she said. “Just be patient and give myself a lot of room to play.”
The 27-year-old’s ball-striking numbers suggest Friday’s performance wasn’t a fluke. Anannarukarn ranks 12th on the LPGA Tour in strokes gained on approach at 0.77.
She has made 11 cuts in 14 starts this season, highlighted by a tie for eighth at the U.S. Women’s Open.
She also knows how to finish. Anannarukarn owns two LPGA Tour victories, including the 2023 Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play and the 2021 ISPS Handa World Invitational.
More importantly, she enjoys this style of golf. Anannarukarn has become a regular on the European swing and openly embraces the creativity required on links courses.
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Shin has the cushion. Anannarukarn has the experience, patience and iron play to make the weekend uncomfortable.
At Dundonald, that’s enough to stay dangerous.
