Johanna Bjork
Sweden’s Johanna Bjork shot a 4 under par, 68, in the first round of the PGA Halmstad Ladies Open at Haverdal, to lead by one shot, at Haverdals Golf Club in Halmstad, Sweden.
The 23-year-old from Helsingborg recorded 6 birdies and two bogeys and credited her short game for her strong start to the tournament.
“My putting was very good today, definitely the best part of my game, I didn’t always hit it that close but I holed the putts for birdie, I didn’t really have any tap ins. I hit a lot of fairways today too so that was also good.”
“The golf course is great, it is setup good, last year I played this tournament and shot nine over in the first round, so I went in with no expectations…I guess that worked for me. Tomorrow I am going to try to stay calm and just have fun. I’m excited.”
Five players shot opening 69’s, Austria’s Sarah Schober, Maria Prat from Spain, Swedes Olivia Dose and amateur Linda Lundqvist and France’s Emilie Alonso. The French player employed Sara Sahlstrom, a five handicapper, who is studying at the Scandinavian College of Sports and also attended the LET Development activity on Tuesday evening.
“My caddy was so supportive she did a great job today, and it definitely made the difference having her, I’m very appreciative.”
“I stayed calm today and stayed focused. At the beginning of my round my mind was a little bit off and I had to figure myself out and I managed to settle down and keep doing my routines and make some birdies.”
“Haverdal GolfKlubb is so nice, the greens are quick the fairways are nice it’s in great shape and definitely a good tournament course and I am very happy to be here. I played a lot of golf in Sweden in amateur competitions, so I knew already that the people are great and so welcoming.”
The second round commences at 8.00 on Friday, with the top 40 professional and ties making the cut for the final round.
