Amalie Leth-Nissen picked up where she left off on the LET Access Series (LETAS) with an opening round of 67 (-5) at Madaef Golfs Ladies Open by Saidia Resorts.
The Danish star won her maiden LETAS title – the Terre Blanche Ladies Open – in the season-opener at the beginning of April and has taken her form to Morocco.
Leth-Nissen started the day with a bogey on the first but bounced back with a birdie on the second at Golf Lacs Saidia.
The 20-year-old then rolled in back-to-back birdies on the ninth and 10th holes before adding another on 13.
Another pair of back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 ensured the 2021 PING Junior Solheim Cup winner signed for a 67 to sit at the top of the leaderboard on five-under-par.
“The first hole was a bogey,” she said. “I think I had to get used to just being by myself without a caddy, so I was a bit stressed and a bit nervous. You’re always nervous before the first tee of the tournament.
“I think I calmed down afterwards and my playing partners, we talked a lot, and it was really fun. I played pretty solidly, I hit all fairways and most of the greens, so I was really happy about my game today.
“It was mostly short putts, I hit it really close to the pins. I did hit a long one which was nice, but I just played really solidly today. Tomorrow is the same process, just one shot at a time. All the basic ones. I’m just going to enjoy it and have fun.”
Three players sit in a tie for second place with English duo Jessica Hall and Ellen Hume, and Switzerland’s Tiffany Arafi all on three-under-par.
It was a solid day for English amateur Hall, who had four birdies and one bogey on her scorecard in Morocco.
“I was pretty consistent and managed to cut out the mistakes. I’m very happy. I always think you can’t win it on day one, but you can definitely lose it,” said Hall.
“The greens are really tough around this course, if you’re in the wrong place it can be difficult. I definitely didn’t hit that many shots close today and the birdies that I made were the close putts, I will try and improve on the approach shots.”
England’s Hume had a more mixed day starting her round bogey-birdie-double bogey on the first three holes.
The 25-year-old made a birdie on the sixth before a bogey on the ninth, but she had a strong finish with three birdies and an eagle in her last five holes to seal a round of 69 (-3).
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster,” said Hume. “I didn’t start out the best, but knew I had some good golf in me. I started just hitting it really close. I was fortunate on 15, I hit it to a tap-in for eagle, so that helped the scorecard and then 17 and 18, I hit two close ones and was able to convert.
“You definitely have to take your time with the practice rounds and be diligent. There are some tricky tee shots, so extra focus on those and plot yourself around. There’s not a need to hit driver off every tee. It’s about finding a shot that you feel comfortable with and then committing to that.
“Tomorrow, I want to not do what I did on the front nine. Just relax into the front nine a bit better. I didn’t play three very well at all. I was a little bit nervous on the first tee, so knowing I have a cushion and relaxing into it and knowing I have those iron shots that I did on the back nine in the first round.”
Switzerland’s Arafi bounced back from a slow start rolling in seven birdies throughout her round for a score of three-under-par at the end of the first day.
“It was good, I had a tough start,” said Arafi. “I was hitting good shots, but not the right yardages, so I ended up starting with three bogeys. I stayed calm and then I was hitting the right yardages, and the birdies came. The birdies were a mixture of longer and medium putts I had a long one on the last which was nice.
“I feel like I can’t rest on this course. I feel like you have to be really accurate and make the right choices or you can get in trouble. Tomorrow will be the same thing, trying to hit the fairways and then it’s 80% done. Hitting fairways and trying to hit the right yardages.”
Three players are one shot further back in T5 with Scotland’s Lorna Mcclymont, England’s Charlotte Heath and Lauren Holmey of the Netherlands all on two-under-par.
Rounding out the top 10 are Finland’s Elina Saksa, Spain’s Maria Herraez Galvez and Germany’s Celina Sattelkau with a total of one-under-par after 18 holes.
The second round will begin at 8 am (local time) where there will be a cut to the 45 professionals and ties at the end of the day.
For more information on the LET Access Series, visit letaccess.com and follow @LETAccess on Facebook, Instagram and X – #Access2LET.
