Sweden’s Isabella Deilert is leading the qualifier for the main part of the Big Green Egg Swedish Match Play Championship, firing an opening round of four-under 68.
The LET Access Series (LETAS) and the Nordic Golf Tour host the unusual event at the Edenhof Course in GolfUppsala where the top 32 players progress into the main competition.
The field of 90 players competed today in the first of two 18-hole qualifications and the Swede is leading by one stroke in Uppsala.
The 28-year-old began her round on a positive note with a birdie on the first hole. She then added two bogeys and another birdie to make the turn in level-par.
“I made two very simple mistakes on the front nine that I handled really well and overall, it was a good day and I just tried to play simple golf out there considering it was a bit windy.”
The LET player also opened her back nine with a birdie and finished on a high with three birdies on her last four holes.
“I made a lot of good putts that were really important and that’s what made a huge difference on the back nine, as well as just giving it a good go and taking every chance. I had a good mindset of staying in the present.
“I’ve never played here before, but I was very excited to see what is out here and I am proud to be a Swede and to show this off.”
Her compatriot Ellinor Sudow sits one back in outright second place after carding three-under 69 on the first day.
The University of Arizona graduate had a long stretch of pars to start the day before making back-to-back birdies on holes seven and eight to make the turn in 34 strokes.
She swiftly got to the top of the leaderboard at four-under as she added two more birdies on the tenth and eleventh, after which she dropped two shots on 12 and 14, and finished her round with a birdie on the penultimate hole.
Three players are tied for third place another shot back with Denmark’s Fie Olsen, Australia’s Kristalle Blum, and Sweden’s Corinne Viden all on two-under-par.
Eight more players made it to the top 10 after day one in Sweden, signing for a round of one-under-par 71.
Three Germans Patricia Isabel Schmidt, Chiara Noja and amateur Helen Briem share the sixth spot with another trio Sara Kjellker, Linn Wiberg, and Lisa Pettersson from Sweden, as well as with England’s Gemma Clews and Spain’s Teresa Diez Moliner.
The second and final qualifying round of stroke play will start on Thursday morning at 8:00 local time.
After the completion of 36 holes, the top 32 players will qualify for the matchplay championship that will be held on Friday and Saturday.
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