Annabel Wilson is the best of the Irish after a largely frustrating opening round at the LET’s Amundi German Masters, but the Castlerock woman is outside the cutline and tied for 72nd at +2.
Wilson found herself at +4 with four to play after making two bogeys and a double over her first 11 holes at Green Eagle Golf Course, just outside Hamburg in northern Germany, but she clawed her way back towards the cutline with birdies on 15 and 18 and sits a shot outside the provisional mark.
Anna Foster is one further adrift at +3. The Elm Park woman started brightly and birdied the 11th – her second – but made the turn at +2 and fell to +5 after going double bogey-bogey on three and four, but she too finished the round strongly with birdies on five and seven to give herself a chance in round two.
Sara Byrne, making her first start of the year after she fractured and partially tore two ligaments in her elbow in a freak fall on icy ground during the winter, is tied for 96th at +4. Having feared that she might never be able to play again, she can’t be too disappointed at her opening effort, nor can Olivia Mehaffey who, despite shooting a seven-over round of 80, will still class this as a good week regardless having earned herself a U.S. Women’s Open berth by winning the Qualifier at Buckinghamshire Golf Club before hopping on a plane and arriving in Hamburg.
In calm but cold morning conditions, 28-year-old home favourite Leonie Harm conquered the North Course – known as the Green Monster – rolling in eight birdies to shoot a course-record setting eight-under 65.
Harm went out in the first group of the day from the 10th tee and made birdies at the 11th, 13th and 15th holes to make the turn in -3.
She then made further birdies on the second, fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth to seal a round of eight-under-par in her homeland.
“I’ve had a splendid ball striking day,” said Harm. “I don’t remember hitting it that close to your flag, potentially ever. It’s been a long time, and my putter was really hot.
“I’ve had a friend on the bag helping me, confirming my reads, which really helped because I was struggling a little bit lately to really get them to find the centre of the hole and they did today, which was great.
“I’m really proud of myself because I do tend to still just be in my own way if the conditions are slightly easier, and then if it’s harder, I actually hang in there quite well, so I just shoot the same score pretty much whatever the conditions are. Today, I really went after the flags, and that was such a good feeling that it worked out. I’m really happy right now.
“I just love having some German supporters out there. It’s so fun seeing the kids, being all happy and cheery about golf. It’s just a good atmosphere. I like the vibe of the event.”
She leads fellow German and Solheim Cup star Esther Henseleit by one, with a further two-stroke gap to another German in Laura Feunfstueck and Denmark’s Sofie Kibsgaard.
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