Coming into the Arkea Montauban Ladies Open, South Korea’s Kim Gyurin endured a prolonged slump with her driver.
But the 28-year-old golfer kept her big stick in check to card an opening round 67 (-5) to take the solo lead in France on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
She leads Malaysian Genevieve Ling (-4) by one stroke, while six other golfers are tied at -3.
“I’m feeling very good. I think the new circumstances (in France) gave me a new mindset,” Kim said via a translator. “My caddy and manager also took care of me so thanks to her, I could enjoy today’s round.
“The driver made me a bit stressed today, but the second shots with my irons and my putter were very good which helped me to score well. I could hit fades and draws as I wished to and my shot making was really nice.”
Kim raced to a hot start by birdieing three of the opening four holes. A dropped shot on the fifth hole was quickly rectified with a birdie on hole 7.
“I was a little bit nervous at the start, but I just focused on the things I do every day which helped me keep calm,” she said.
On the back nine, she birdied both par-3s at holes 10 and 16, before rattling in her seventh birdie of the day on the par-4 17th to pull away from the chasing pack.
Despite a dropped shot on the final hole, Kim remains the woman to catch in Montauban at -5.
She added: “It would be really good to win this tournament because I never expected that before coming here. There’s still a long way to go. If I play well, I will win.”
Malaysia’s Ling, playing her first LETAS event in 2026, is one shot behind Kim after firing a 68 (-4).
The 31-year-old bogeyed the fifth hole before making birdie on holes six and eight to make the turn in red figures.
She then birdied holes 13, 15 and 18 to shoot up the leaderboard into solo second.
“I’ve enjoyed myself today,” Ling, who also has a Taiwan LPGA Tour card, said. “It’s my first tournament here so I’m just trying to get used to the conditions.
“Europe’s a great place to play. This week I have a host family, staying with two French people and they’ve been super nice. I love experiencing new culture. They’ve cooked me French food and I think that helps a lot too, coming all the way here.
“I think everything was kind of in control and I didn’t make too many errors, just hitting fairways, hitting it onto the greens. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully more putts drop over the next two days.”
In a packed leaderboard, six players are one shot further back in a share for third place on three-under-par after 18 holes.
France’s Marine Griffaut, the 2021 champion, is among the chasing pack after a bogey-free round alongside compatriots Louise Depadt (a) and Lucie Malchirand.
Canada’s Ashley Chow, a LETAS rookie, Australia’s Kristalle Blum and Austria’s Isabella Holpfer are also on -3.
Round two will begin at 8.00 am (local time) and there will be a cut to the top 45 professionals and ties at the end of the day.
Keep up with all the action on the LETAS on our socials – @LETAccess on Instagram and X and LET Access Series on Facebook.
