Round one of the LET VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open got underway on Thursday with five Irish representatives in the field, each looking for a competitive weekend around Golfpark Holzhäusern.
24-year-old Kildare native Lauren Walsh got her week off to a stellar start with a five-under-par opening round to see her two-shots off the lead in a four-way-tie for third place.
Walsh, who celebrated her birthday the same day, began with two early birdies on the par-5 third and par-4 fifth before her only lapse of the round with a five on the par-4 sixth.
Another birdie came on the ninth followed by another on the 10th taking Walsh to three-under.
Sitting in 20th in the Order of Merit leaderboard and knowing that a spot in the Tour Final awaits, Walsh made two more birdies 15 and 16 to close out an exceptional round.
“It was a really good day”, said Walsh. “It’s my birthday too so just all smiles all day. Just got to enjoy it whatever happens… I putted it really well and held a couple of putts so good overall.”
Securing a T3 finish at Golfpark Holzhäusern in her rookie season, Walsh has fond memories of this course.
“The course is playing a little different compared to last year. Some of the holes are playing a touch longer. The greens are a little bit softer. Overall, it’s always nice to come back to somewhere you enjoy playing, where you’ve played well, and it’s just good memories. I seem to always putt well on these greens which is good. I think it’s more good memories than anything,” said the 24-year-old.
‘The first day or two of practice was tough, but again, it’s nice to come back to a course that’s familiar. I didn’t have the pressure to get a lot of prep done as I knew the golf course,’ she added.
A shot behind Walsh and needing a good result to retain status for next year, Canice Screene put together a competitive round with five birdies on the front nine and a bogey on the back nine to see the 24-year-old post a four-under round one and sit in T7 heading into round two.
Just behind Screene on three-under-par and in a tie for 12th place is Cork’s Sara Byrne as the 24-year-old is looking for a strong finish to break into the OOM top 60, as she currently sits just outside in 87th.
A double on the par-5 third hole for Annabel Wilson was enough to stunt a low round as the Armagh native posted a respectable one-under-par round to sit in 32nd place ahead of round two
It was a back nine to forget for Down’s Olivia Mehaffey as the 26-year-old posted a four-over-par round with three bogeys and a double carded on the final nine holes to put her in a tie for 97th.
A bogey-free round of seven-under for England’s rookie Esme Hamilton has the 26-year-old leading the pack after 18-holes, highlighted by a closing birdie on the last.
“It’s always nice to shoot a low score the first day”, said Hamilton. “I just played pretty steady, stuck a few close and then rolled in a couple of putts too. So, it felt pretty simple out there, which is nice.”
After missing the cut at the Aramco Houston Championship last week, Hamilton asn’t set herself any expectations.
“I’ll go out and see if I can do something similar tomorrow. Enjoy it, enjoy playing with my caddie, Alex, and just appreciate being out here,” said Hamilton.
Another bogey-free round was carded by Switzerland’s Kim Metraux who occupies the solo second position with a six-under-par round one.
“It was a really solid day overall”, said the 30-year-old who has her mother on the bag this week. “I hit most fairways and most greens, so I’m pleased with the long game and then obviously managed to drop in a few putts.”
Round two is set to begin on Friday at 7:15am Irish time.
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