JODI Ewart leads a group of three golfers from the North East who are on track to qualify for this year’s Ladies European Tour after yesterday’s second round of final stage at La Manga.

The five-round tournament ends on Thursday and the top 30 earn their cards. Ewart, who learned her golf at the Catterick club, leads the field on seven under with a total of 137 following rounds of 70 and 67.

Ellie Givens, the amateur from the Blackwell Grange club in Darlington, who has her golf club pro father Ralph on her bag, is in a two-way tie for tenth place on two under after signing for two rounds of 71.

Consett’s Anna Scott, level par following two scores of 72, is one of ten players tied for 16th place.

Ewart (pictured right), a 24-year-old, mixed six birdies with two bogeys. The former Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup player is now poised to achieve a dream double after earning her LPGA Tour card in December.

Ewart said: “I hit 16 greens and had 30 putts so it was just really steady and I birdied my last two holes so that helped a lot. I felt like I left a couple of shots out there so that’s always good when you shoot four under. Everything is really steady and I’m just taking it one shot at a time.”

Living in Sarasota, Florida, where she trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Ewart is used to playing golf in sunny weather.

But she was prepared for the heavy rain and strong winds which were predicted for the second round.

“There was not too much wind so it was perfect really,” said Ewart, who spent four years studying psychology at the University of New Mexico.”