Rachel Raastad
Norway’s Rachel Raastad shot an opening 67 to lead by one shot after the first round of the Santander Golf Tour LETAS La Peñaza in Spain.
Raastad lead the field from the start of the day, teeing off first at 9.00. The 27 year-old from Drammen recorded three birdies and a bogey in her opening nine, followed by birdies on the 12th, 14th and 16th, to finish at 5 under par.
“It was a little bit windy but the nice thing about quite a few of the holes is that the wind doesn’t come straight towards you. It’s a little bit right to left on the right holes, which I prefer.”
“My tee shots were my strong suit today together with my short game when I didn’t hit the green. I’m pleased”
A shot behind Raastad are Sweden’s Jessica Karlsson andManon de Roey of Belgium, who both recorded 68’s.
Jenny Haglund is bidding to top the 2016 ranking and is the only player in the field that can catch current leader, Sarah Schober from Austria, who opened with an even par round of 72. The Swede started strongly with a 69, three under, and sits alongside English amateur Meghan MacLaren and Scotland’s Michele Thomson, who is also aiming to move into the top five on the order of merit this week.
At the close of play on Saturday, the top five players on the LETAS ranking will earn their cards for the Ladies European Tour next year.