Nobuhle Dlamini of Swaziland fired an opening round of four-under-par 68 to lead by one shot on the first day of the Estrella Damm Ladies Open presented by Catalunya at Glub de Golf Terramar in Sitges, Spain.
The 29-year-old made a fast start with three birdies in a row on the newly redesigned second, third and fourth holes. She picked up a fourth birdie by sinking a three-foot putt on the uphill eighth hole and made the turn in 33.
As the wind picked up, she made another two birdies, mixed with two bogeys on the back nine, coming home in level par 35.
Having dropped a shot on the long 16th, she made a gutsy up and down from the back of the 18th green, holing a putt from 20 feet to save par and keep her position at the top of the leader board.
“I had quite a solid round and hit the ball well. The putts rolled in today and I hit a couple more fairways than usual,” said Dlamini, whose career low round on the LET was a 67 in the Sberbank Golf Masters in Pilsen seven years ago.
“The wind got a bit tricky on the back nine because the direction of the wind changed and it was a bit confusing and difficult to judge which clubs to take, but I think I managed it well.
“I really love this golf course. There are some pretty holes and it suits my eye as well. I really like it. The new holes (from one to six) are good. They aren’t quite ready, but they are going to be very good. It’s such a pretty design. The first hole is a challenging hole. You’ve got to hit a good tee shot and if you are on, the putt is makeable. The second hole is a really nice one, with a nice green, so I think they have made some tremendous changes.”
Dlamini returns to the LET feeling energised after a week recharging her batteries at home in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she spent time with her golf coach, Llewelyn Van Leewan.
“As a pro on the LET, I’ve been so blessed to be able to play so many events this year. There were quite a lot and the tour has done a lot of good work. I’m happy that I got to play in so many events this year and we hope to get more,” she said.
Anne-Charlotte Mora from France, who had an afternoon tee time, also played the first nine holes in four-under-par and was tied for the lead with Dlamini by mid-afternoon.
Belgium’s Manon De Roey is the next best placed player in the clubhouse on three-under-par 69.
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