Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini fired an impressive 68, four-under-par, in windy conditions at Gambito Golf Calatayud to top the leaderboard on day one.
The 23-year-old from St. Gallen had a faultless day which got off to a strong start after Tamburlini rolled in two consecutive birdies on holes two and three.
Tamburlini was the poster child of consistency today as she topped up her birdie count with two more birdies on the back nine.
“It was a solid round today; I didn’t make any mistakes and I was solid from tee to green.
“I had confidence today with the putter which was important on this course. I had some great strikes as well that helped.”
Tamburlini has been a force to be reckoned with at the back end of the season. The emerging star has made six top-10 finishes in a row including two wins at the PGA Championship Gothenburg and the Rose Ladies Open.
“It was a good group today and it was easy to be in the moment. We chatted and concentrated it was the perfect mix.
“It would be incredible to get another win. Especially looking back from where my season started in the Czech Republic as an amateur.”
Tamburlini sits third in the LETAS Order of Merit, five point nine points behind England’s Emily Price and has made it known that she’s ready for a fight in these last two Spanish tournaments.
“In the past couple months, I have got used to the tour, the people and I love it so much. It is incredibly special to see the progress when I look back. I’m trying to go for the win.
“It feels weird to say but yes, my game is at its strongest. My head is in the right space, and I can really play well right now. I’m looking to get further up the Order of Merit. Sofie might be hard to catch but watch this space!”
Hot on Tamburlini’s heels is England’s Hannah Screen who had a rollercoaster of a day to finish one shot behind on three-under-par.
The 23-year-old, who started on 10 had a shaky start with a bogey on her second hole before bringing it back with three birdies on holes 15, 17 and 18.
At the turn, Screen got into trouble on her 11th hole making a double bogey but once again brought it back in spectacular fashion with three consecutive birdies on holes three, four and five before finishing the round with a birdie and a bogey.
“It was a little up and down today, but I kept fighting back which I’m proud of myself for doing. I had some good momentum going.
“I’m glad that I stuck in there and kept patient. I did lose a bit of concentration on one hole as the wind was quite high today and I think it distracted me. I ended up making a double and then I holed out for a birdie. It was dramatic.”
Screen has had a strong rookie season on tour with three top-10 finishes and missed out on the win at the LETAS Link Series at Ramside Hall by three shots.
“Recently I’ve been struggling with my long game the last couple of months, but I’ve just tried to manage it and go out there and try my best.
“Hopefully I miss some bad weather tomorrow, I will just stick to my plan. I will look over my scorecard and make any necessary adjustments.
“It would be amazing to finally get a win, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I feel like if I play my best, I can win out here. We’ll just see what happens.”
It is a tightly cramped chasing pack behind Screen as six players are tied for third; Netherland’s Romy Meekers, France’s Elodie Chapelet, Australia’s Kelsey Bennett, South Africa’s Lejan Lewthwaite, Germany’s Verena Gimmy and Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.
Walsh had the biggest comeback of the day. After carding two over on the front nine, the invitee fired four-under-par on the back to put herself in a strong position going into the second day.
Round two starts at 9:10am local time and there will be a cut to the top 45 professionals and ties going into the final day at Gambito Golf Calatayud.
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