After a two-and-a-half-hour suspension due to thunder and lightning, play resumed late on the opening day of the La Sella Open, with six players sharing the lead on four-under-par at La Sella Golf.
A truly international leaderboard emerged in Spain with France’s Ariane Klotz, South Africa’s Caitlyn Macnab, England’s Gemma Clews, Germany’s Helen Briem and England’s Hannah Screen all carding opening rounds of 68 (-4) to sit tied at the top after Thursday’s action. Italian Anna Zanusso also sat at four-under-par after 14 holes when play was suspended at 8.08pm due to darkness.
After heavy rain and storms overnight, the morning starters enjoyed warm and sunny conditions before dark clouds rolled in. Play was suspended at 2.30pm local time when thunder and lightning arrived, with torrential rain flooding parts of the golf course. Following a delay of two and a half hours, conditions improved and players returned to complete their rounds at 5pm.
Klotz produced one of the most eventful scorecards of the day, mixing two eagles with a costly eight on the par-4 12th before battling back to reach four-under-par.
The 22-year-old from New Caledonia said it’s the first time she’s had two eagles in a round and when asked what happened on the 12th, she answered: “I hit all my bad shots on the same hole.”
On 18, she hit a superb second shot to within four feet and converted the putt.
“I hit a great shot and had a putt in for eagle, which is always fun,” she added.
The 22-year-old believes her form has been stronger than recent results suggest and hopes this week could be a breakthrough.
“I really believe that I’m playing much better golf than last year. The results are just not following through. I know I’m super close to a good week and this week might be it.”
South African rookie Macnab continued to show the promise that saw her become the first woman to win a professional event on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour against a mixed-gender field earlier this season. Despite a rushed start to her morning, she remained patient throughout the round.
“I had a very rushed warm-up this morning and I felt like I was running around,” she explained. “I hung in there and stayed really patient. On these greens you can hit really great putts and they just don’t go in. I was hitting the ball nicely and didn’t miss any greens until the last little stretch, so I’m happy with my day.
“It’s been a grind. As a rookie, I’m putting a lot of work in. My coach has been behind the scenes, so a round like today means a lot and shows that the hard work is paying off.”
England’s Clews also enjoyed a smooth opening day, with her game clicking from tee to green and on the greens.
“It was really solid,” she said. “I hit a lot of good shots and holed some putts so it just flowed really well today.
“I’ll just do the same. The game plan’s pretty good. I feel pretty relaxed and will just keep doing what I’m doing.”
German star Briem was equally pleased after posting one of her best rounds in recent months. The 21-year-old made six birdies, including five on the more challenging back nine.
“It’s been a great round. I’m happy to start that way,” said Briem. “I haven’t played under par in quite a while, so I’m really happy.
“It was pretty windy, so a couple of holes played into the wind. Those holes were more difficult, but overall, if you hit the fairways, you get plenty of chances. I had plenty of chances and I used quite a lot.”
Screen completed one of the more demanding rounds of the day after returning to the course’s 16th tee following the lengthy weather delay to finish with a four-under-par 68.
“It was a little bit stop-start. I played 15 holes and then had to come in and wait for the rain and thunder and lightning to pass. I tried to do a good warm-up and 16 is a pretty hard hole to get going on. Unfortunately, I had a mud ball down there and the ball was going everywhere, but I made a bogey and it was nice to make a birdie on 18 to get it back,” said the 26-year-old Englishwoman.
Screen praised the condition of the course following the storm, saying: “The course drained very well, so that was nice. It was good to get going and I was lucky I only had three holes left.
“It all happened in two minutes. The course was flooded and everyone was soaked through. It was the right decision to come in. I was really impressed with the course and how it drained well.”
Screen also believes the hard work she has put into her game is beginning to show.
“I was a bit slow at the start of the season but I’ve worked hard on my game and I’m seeing some improvement. I putted really well today and on that back nine I wasn’t hitting it as well as I wanted to, but I kept the momentum going, getting up and down a lot.”
With a tightly packed leaderboard, all eyes will be on La Sella Golf as the battle for the title continues tomorrow morning.
Article Link: Macnab shares lead, Alexander one back