Round one of the Aramco Houston Championship got underway on Friday in hot and humid conditions at Golfcrest Country Club.
Lauren Walsh, Sara Byrne and Annabel Wilson would have been hoping for better starts, as all three youngsters sit on the wrong side of the leaderboard after round one.
Kildare native Lauren Walsh kept a clean scorecard throughout the first four holes, but her work was undone over a stretch of three bad holes, making back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes and a double-bogey on the par-4 seventh.
The 24-year-old did well to close out her back nine by throwing in a couple of birdies as the 2023 NCAA Division One champion posted a three-over-par round of 75, tied for 89th.
Four bogeys on the front nine for Armagh’s Annabel Wilson left a lot of work for the 24-year-old if she was to pull together a low round but that chance was taken away after a double bogey on the par-4 11th.
Wilson did well to finish strongly, making birdies on 17 and 18, carding on four-over-par in T93, as she will be hoping that a strong finish will light a fire in her to move up the leaderboard on Saturday.
Cork’s Sara Byrne made a couple of bogeys early on in her round, but the 24-year-old shot even-par between holes five and 14.
It all unraveled for Byrne in a topsy-turvy final four holes which saw two bogeys, a birdie and a sore triple bogey to see the two-time Irish national champion post a six-over-par round one, in a tie for 98th.
It’s England’s Mimi Rhodes who holds a two-stroke lead over the field with a six-under-par round one, showing pinpoint accuracy with her approach shots and even chipping in for birdie on the par-3 eighth hole.
The 23-year-old currently leads the LET Order of Merit but didn’t let the sweltering heat slow her down to take the top spot.
“I played really solidly out there… had a bit of a distraction with my feet because I had blisters,” said Rhodes.
“It really helps playing with pain because it distracts you from everything. The heat was tough to handle, but I was drinking water every hole. Overall, my game was really good, and my putting is back to where it is good,” she added.
Four players are in a share of second place with Spanish duo Nuria Iturrioz and Luna Sobron Galmes, Malaysia’s Ashley Lau, and Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands all on four-under-par.
It was a flawless day for four-time LET winner Iturrioz as she rolled in birdies on the fourth, eighth, ninth and 14th holes.
“It was a good round,” said Iturrioz. “I played really solidly, but I did miss quite a few putts, so I felt like there were more chances out there. Overall, I’m happy with how I played, and it gives me confidence for tomorrow,” she added.
2026 PING Junior Solheim Cup captain Van Dam had an excellent start to her round and finished the day with six birdies and one double bogey on her scorecard to also be in T2.
“It was one of those rounds where you blink and suddenly everything goes straight and everything you hit close goes in the hole,” said five-time LET winner Van Dam. “It was one of those nice rounds where you get off to a super-hot start and try to hold on.”
Alongside the 54-hole individual competition, the Aramco Houston Championship will also see a 32-hole teamed competition which is currently being led by Team Boutier who sit two strokes ahead of the rest at 18-under.
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