Lauren Walsh is five shots off the lead after the opening round of the Australian Women’s Classic at Coffs Harbour Golf Club.
Walsh carded a one-under-par round of 69 to lie in a share of eighteenth place and she will have to move through the gears quickly if she is to arrest the five shot gap to the leaders as this tournament was reduced from 72 to 54 holes after the course was damaged by last week’s cyclone storm.
It was a relatively uneventful day for Walsh who opened with eight pars and a bogey on the ninth. Five successive pars would have only tested her patience but she kept her emotions in check and finished with a flourish as she birdied the 15th and 17th to end the day in red figures.
Welsh rookie Darcey Harry, Sweden’s Moa Folke and Austria’s Emma Spitz are the early leaders after the trio all opened with superb 64s.
With the sun shining and fairways dried up, Harry got the ball rolling as she lit up the putter converting four birdies to go out in 30 (-4). The 21-year-old, competing in only her second LET event, followed this up with back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th. Despite dropping a shot at the par-4 13th, Harry bounced back well birdying the 14th to post a 64 (-6).
“It was really good,” Harry said. “I think it benefited me not having a practice round because you’re going out, you’re not worrying about certain holes.
“You’re playing it blind, so you don’t have any worries. You’re kind of just going for it. You can play aggressive. I got off a really good start out there. The greens are playing amazing. I can’t believe how dry the course is getting so quickly. It was a lovely day. I mean, the sun’s out, so it’s brilliant.”
Two groups behind, Folke led a charge of her own putting on a relentless display of fairway and green hitting. After a steady start – the Swede was one-under par at the turn – Folke capitalised on her great target play rolling in birdies at the 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th to fire a bogey-free scorecard.
“I don’t think I missed a fairway out there today!” the Swede said. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss many greens either. It makes such a difference.”
Hours later the ever-consistent Spitz joined the leaders thanks to seven birdies including four in a row on her back-nine at the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. After missing the green short on her final hole, the par-4 9th, the Olympian was close to chipping in to take the outright lead.
“I hit a lot of fairways, maybe I missed two or so,” Spitz said. “I hit some really nice iron shots and wedges. I hit a flag once, had a tap-in, had another tap-in on the par-five, and two four-footers for birdies.
“I think the job that [staff and greenkeepers] did here is amazing. You couldn’t tell that it rained so much on this course. I mean, the greens are fantastic.”
LET rookies Anna Foster and Annabel Wilson are both one-over after rounds of 71.
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