Lauren Walsh had a tale of two nines on day one of the Joburg Open but she was pleased to bustle her way into contention thanks to a birdie barrage on the back nine at Modderfontein Golf Club.
After opening her day with nine successive pars from the tenth, Walsh got some momentum going in her round with a tap in birdie on the second. After that the floodgates opened and she birdied four of her next six to card a five-under 68 to lie just three shots behind Mimi Rhodes.
The Castlewarden woman was bogey-free but after birdieing the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th it was a clutch sand save on the closing par-3 9th which could prove crucial with low scoring expected over the next three days.
“It was pretty solid round, bogey-free which is always nice. I hit the ball ok on the front nine and in the end just kept it to pars which kept me going. Then I just stayed patient and knew the chances would come in on the back nine. I was able to hit one close on two which kick-started the back nine, then made five birdies which was great”, said the Irishwoman who shares fourth place.
Dromoland Castle star Sara Byrne was first out at 6.35 am and she got in the clubhouse with a one-under 72 before she headed off for a well earned afternoon nap.
Annabel Wilson has work to do to make the cut after a round of 75 before play was suspended due to flooding.
At the top, Rhodes was able to finish 18 holes and continue her dream start to her rookie season, to lead with a round of 65 (-8).
The 23-year-old, who started on the 10th tee, opened her round with a birdie which set the tone for the rest of the day.
Rhodes carded a bogey-free round, making back-to-back birdies on 12th and 13th, followed by a further birdie on 16. The rookie then had a further birdie blitz on the front nine, with four more to finish the round eight-under par.
“I’m really happy with how today went”, said Rhodes. “I just think that you need to place yourself well on the fairway and then you’ll have a really nice shot onto the green. I had a lot of putts inside 10 feet that I happened to hold today, and I still think that I left some out there.
“My putts seemed to be rolling in today really nicely, and I hope they continue to do that for the rest of the week. I’m not going to get ahead of myself and just want to keep having fun out there, she continued.”
Just two weeks ago, Rhodes secured her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title at the Ford Women’s NSW Open in Australia. She is hoping this momentum continues for the rest of the week.
“The momentum is definitely still there from Australia and it’s helping me for sure at the start of this tournament. It’s only a week later so it has really boosted my confidence and especially my putting. I’m in a really good headspace right now and it’s just positive vibes out there”, said Rhodes.
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