The fifth and final major of the LPGA TOUR season got underway at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in England on Thursday and it was first round struggles for the Irish on the links course, as Leona Maguire, Lauren Walsh, and Anna Foster each ended day on in plus figures.
Maguire was the best of the Irish bunch. The two-time LPGA winner is here on the back of an impressive top-10 finish at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open last week but the 31-year-old’s form shown last week is yet to creep out.
Maguire was briefly under-par on Thursday thanks to a birdie at the sixth but the harshness of the firm and windy conditions began to fight back as that was followed by bogeys at the seventh, 10th, 13th, and 14th as she began to see herself fall down the leaderboard.
Maguire squeezed in her second birdie at the par-4 18th to post a two-over-par 73 to sit T52 heading into the second round.
Lauren Walsh suffered a back nine calamity as the 25-year-old shown to be good form throughout the front nine, making two birdies and a bogey. The wind began to pickup and Walsh then endured a horror run of holes between the 11th and 16th, making four bogeys and a double bogey to take her to +5. Walsh also birdied the last as she posted a four-over-par 75 to sit T92.
Anna Foster sits one stroke back from Walsh at five-over-par. It wasn’t the Dubliner’s day as she only managed one birdie in a round that saw five bogeys and a double. Foster occupies T113 heading into Friday’s second round.
Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul shown why she was world no.1 as the 23-year-old posted a bogey-free seven-under-par first round to lead by two strokes.
Thitikul’s birdies came like buses on the front nine as she made four in five holes. Thitikul then birdied every other hole between the 10th and 16th to post a 64.
“I think major is really tests our games, you know, like mentally-wise, physically-wise. I do enjoy it when golf is good. I mean, it’s kind of really nice that I knew I hit some good shots,” said Thitikul.
“I mean, like when I always step up in the major week. What I can control is if I beat the course every day, I should have a really good chance to be on the leaderboard,” she added.
Both Shiho Kuwaki and Haeran Ryu follow closely as the pair share T2 at five-under.
“The weather is pretty good. The wind is still hard. Just with this course, just think about the bunkers and wind. That’s it. Because this type of golf course is too hard to make some par if the second shot is in the bunker,” said Ryu who sits second in the Race to CME Globe rankings.
“But today score is pretty good, but we have three more days and this is a major, so I just keep thinking to myself no win and keep enjoy on the golf course,” she added.
Charlie Hull and Lottie Woad share T8 at two-under-par in their home major. It was a topsy-turvy round for Hull who made six birdies and four bogeys.
“I was super nervous on the first tee. I was so nervous. It’s even more nerve-wracking when you’re having to hit an iron because you have to stripe an iron shot. But I missed quite a few putts today that I felt I should have holed, but I felt like I stayed in there pretty well considering how nervous I was,” said Hull.
It’s been a year since Woad burst onto the scene after her KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur and the 22-year-old is beginning to settle in on the pro scene.
“I think it’s definitely different. I think getting used to it. Probably still a little calmer than when it was when I played this event last year coming off the back of the Scottish, so maybe a little more under the radar in that aspect,” said Woad.
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