German star Chiara Noja holds the early lead at the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge after opening the tournament with a seven-under 65.
The 16-year-old’s eye-catching performance sees her six strokes ahead of Czech amateurs Karolina Stara and Dominika Burdova at the top of the leaderboard, on a day of domination from the young talent.
“What a lovely day, the weather was very nice, and the course is in great condition, so it was really fun out there,” commented the young professional who signed for her lowest round on LETAS/LET.
She continued: “I knew I could do it, so I was just waiting for it to happen and staying patient. Making the putt on my last hole was a big momentum moving into tomorrow’s round.”
The Dubai-based star – who teed off of the 10th hole in the opening round – carded an early birdie on the par-four 11th that she swiftly followed up with three back-to-back birdies on holes 14 through 16.
“I was on my last hole when I realized I was at six-under. I just tried to focus on each shot I had ahead of me rather than thinking about the score, which worked,” admitted the leader who finished tied for second in the LETAS season opener at Terre Blanche.
Noja will walk into the second round with a six-shot advantage over Czech amateur duo Dominika Burdova and Karolina Stara who were the only other players to stay on the red side of par with a one-under 71.
Stara commented: “Everything worked out really well today. The key was to hit very good approach shots which I did, and I am happy with my round today.”
English duo Gemma Clews and Emily Slater share the fourth position as they both carded rounds of even-par 72. Tied for sixth at one-over 73 and Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer, Portugal’s Leonor Bessa, Scotland’s Jane Turner, and Slovakia’s amateur Michaela Vavrova, while a further eight players shot 74 (+2) on the opening day to sit a further shot back.
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