Three players are tied at the top after shooting a first round of 70 (-2) at the Allerum Open – the fourth Swedish stop in the 2021 LETAS season.
In tough weather during the first round in Sweden, all three players teed off on the tenth hole and had a bogey-free back nine making the best of the better conditions.
England’s Rachael Goodall, who won the Turfman Allerum Open in 2018, began her round off with a birdie on the par-three 10th and added another one on the par-five 18th to make the turn in 34.
The Santander Golf Tour Zaragoza winner completed her back nine in level-par in the worsening weather. She said: “I was really steady and managed to put myself in some good places. My driving of the ball was really good today which was important in the wind. The greens were soft, so club selection was important to create some birdie chances. With the weather being so bad I’m really happy with my score.”
“Staying patient as there are still a lot of birdie chances will be a big factor this week. I have had success on this course before so trying to use the good memories from that win could be the key to succeed again.”
Scotland’s Gabrielle Macdonald had a very steady round as well carding thirteen consecutive pars on holes 10 through 4.
She made her first birdie of the day on the par-five 5th and added two in a row on holes 7 and 8. She dropped one shot on the last par-four 9th to finish on two-under 70.
“It was a steady start with a few missed birdie chances early on but also good saves for par. I finally holed a putt on the 5th, which was nice, especially as the rain had just come on really heavy at that point. I think it gave me some momentum and I played nicely despite the worsening weather at the end,” commented the 27-year-old.
“My chipping and bunker play was really good today which was key as well as some good long approaches. Overall, staying patient was key for me today in those conditions and I was also lucky to be out early before the wind really picked up.”
The third player tied for the lead after day one is Sweden’s Sofie Bringner who put on another great performance in homeland.
The local star, who was victorious in the first Swedish event, held the lead on -4 after making the turn in 33 before dropping three shots on the back nine.
The Big Green Egg Swedish Matchplay champion commented: “I’m happy with my -2, unfortunately I made a double on the last. I started the round with a birdie and played steady on 17 holes. I had many good chances, so it was nice to have five birdies. I hit my irons very good into the pins and overall, I’m happy with my round.”
Five players share fourth place after round one as France’s Justine Dreher, Sweden’s Anna Magnusson and amateur Linn Grant, Germany’s Verena Gimmy and Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer all posted a one-under-par.
Six players round off the top-10 on level-par with England’s Lily May Humhpreys, Finnish duo Leena Makkonen and Emilia Tukiainen, and Swedish trio Sandra Kagstrom, My Leander and Amanda Jakobsson.
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