Scotland's Vikki Laing held a one stroke lead after a windy first round
at the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe.
She carded a two under par 70 in testing conditions to finish ahead of
England's Henrietta Zuel and Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands at
Conwy Golf Club in North Wales.
"I thought level par would have been a good round today and that's what
I was shooting for," explained Laing, who played in the afternoon in
winds gusting at 30 miles per hour. "I just happened to make a couple of
good putts and made some good saves, so I would have been happy with par
today and two under, I'm super happy with."
The 29-year-old from Musselburgh started her round at the 11th hole and
birdied the 14th. She dropped a shot after missing the green at the
first but matched par at the next six holes before finishing with
birdies at the eighth and the tenth.
She was one of only three players to break par on a testing first day at
the famous links. All three players were out in the tough, but slightly
more favourable, sunny afternoon conditions.
Zuel and Boeljon also played in the afternoon. Zuel started at the first
and went to the turn in one over par 36, before an eagle at the par-five
10th put her at one under. She hit a bounding tee shot 310 yards with
the wind and struck an eight-iron to ten feet before rolling in the
putt.
"I like links golf and it focuses me," said Zuel. "There is so much to
think about that you've really got to think your way around. It' a
challenge."
Boeljon went to the turn in level par 35 and was three under after 16
but dropped shots at the two closing par fours. She said: "I played
solid, stayed patient and other than the last few weeks, my putting is a
bit better now so that's why I'm scoring a bit better."
All three players are challenging for their maiden wins on the Ladies
European Tour. Laing was the runner-up in June's Deutsche Bank Ladies
Swiss Open, while Boeljon shared second place at the Turkish Airlines
Ladies Open in May and Zuel tied for third at the 2008 S4C Wales Ladies
Championship at Machynys Peninsula in Llanelli.
They are being chased by 17-year-old amateur Amy Boulden from nearby
Llandudno, who opened with a 72, to share fourth with 21-time tournament
champion Helen Alfredsson from Sweden.
Boulden plays the course regularly and her father, Simon, is the club
professional at Maesdu Golf Club, which is five miles away from Conwy
Golf Club.
"I played really steady. I just tried to put the ball in the right
places off the tee to avoid all the bunkers and I holed quite a few
putts," said Boulden, who has her father on the bag.
She has finished her GCSEs and is taking a year off to focus on
improving her game. "I don't really want to go back to school. I hated
it," she said. "I'm just going to go to Spain in the winter I think and
work on my golf over there."
England's Holly Aitchison was the best placed of the morning starters
and finished on one over par 73, playing in colder conditions and
through heavy showers. At the end of the day, she shared sixth with
Frenchwoman Anne-Lise Caudal and the 2006 champion Linda Wessberg of
Sweden.
Becky Brewerton of Wales was also out in the worst of the early
conditions and carded a five over par 77. She said: "It was really
difficult. I'd probably say, out of the hundreds of times I've played
here, it was probably the most difficult it's ever been. I don't
remember playing in such a strong breeze and the holes were really
difficult. It was a really tough test so I'm feeling absolutely
shattered.
"I would have said at the start of the day if I'd shot two or three over
that would have been about level par so I don't think I've done that
bad. Five over, I don't know where it is position wise but I know it's
really difficult out there and I'm not massively disappointed with
that."
S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe
Conwy Golf Club
12-15 August 2010
Scores at the end of round 1:
70 - Vikki Laing (SCO)
71 - Henrietta Zuel (ENG), Christel Boeljon (NL)
72 - Amy Boulden (Am) (WAL), Helen Alfredsson (SWE)
73 - Holly Aitchison (ENG), Linda Wessberg (SWE), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)
74 - Carin Koch (SWE), Sahra Hassan (WAL), Kate Combes (AUS), Lisa Holm
Sorensen (DEN), Camille Fallay (FRA), Sophie Giquel (FRA), Lee-Anne Pace
(SA), Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR)
75 - Federica Piovano (ITA), Cassandra Kirkland (FRA), Caroline Masson
(GER), Pernilla Lindberg (SWE), Rebecca Hudson (ENG), Alison Walshe
(USA), Jo Pritchard (WAL), Caroline Afonso (FRA), Florentyna Parker
(ENG), Becky Morgan (WAL), Johanna Lundberg (SWE)
76 - Veronica Zorzi (ITA), Stefania Croce (ITA), Hazel Kavanagh (IRE),
Karen Stupples (ENG), Karen Lunn (AUS), Laura Davies (ENG), Diana
D'Alessio (USA), Becky Harries (Am) (WAL), Rebecca Flood (AUS), Jade
Schaeffer (FRA), Elizabeth Bennett (ENG), Melissa Reid (ENG), Titiya
Plucksataporn (THA)
77 - Lisa Hall (ENG), Nicole Gergely (AUT), Becky Brewerton (WAL),
Antonella Cvitan (SWE), Stefanie Michl (AUT), Beth Allen (USA), Ashleigh
Simon (SA), Julie Maisongrosse (FRA), Carmen Alonso (ESP), Louise Davis
(WAL)
78 - Corisande Lee (ENG), Lydia Hall (WAL), Belen Mozo (ESP), Bettina
Hauert (GER), Giulia Sergas (ITA), Laura Cabanillas (ESP), Melodie
Bourdy (FRA), Rachel Bell (ENG), Josefin Leijon (SWE), Frances Bondad
(AUS), Stacy Lee Bregman (SA), Mollie Fankhauser (USA), Jeehae Lee
(KOR), Lynn Kenny (SCO), Zuzana Kamasova (SVK), Julie Greciet (FRA),
Mariana Macias Capuzzi (ESP)
79 - Pamela Feggans (SCO), Heather MacRae (SCO), Georgina Simpson (ENG),
Sophie Walker (ENG), Jenni Kuosa (FIN), Kiran Matharu (ENG), Trish
Johnson (ENG), Anja Monke (GER), Tara Davies (Am) (WAL), Gemma Bradbury
(Am) (WAL), Nina Reis (SWE), Krystle Caithness (SCO), Mallory
Blackwelder (USA), Danielle Louise Masters (ENG), Julie Tvede (DEN),
Emelie Lind (SWE)
80 - Christine Hallstrom (SWE), Rebecca Coakley (IRE), Emma
Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Hanna-Leena Salonen (FIN), Felicity Johnson (ENG),
Gwladys Nocera (FRA), Monica V.Christiansen (DEN), Anna Rossi (ITA),
Marina Arruti (ESP), Kylie Walker (SCO), Hannah Ralph (ENG)
81 - Malene Jorgensen (DEN), Margherita Rigon (ITA), Caroline Rominger
(SWI), Ana Larraneta (ESP), Morgana Robbertze (SA), Sophie Sandolo
(ITA), Laurette Maritz (SA), Clare Queen (SCO), Virginie
Lagoutte-Clement (FRA)
82 - Laura Eastwood (ENG), Johanna Mundy (ENG), KM Juul (DEN), Carly
Booth (SCO), Smriti Mehra (IN), Sandra Gal (GER), Nikki Garrett (AUS),
Kim Welch (USA), Breanne Loucks (WAL), Kyra van Leeuwen (NL), Rhian Wyn
Thomas (WAL), Frederique Seeholzer (SWI), Suzanne Dickens (ENG)
83 - Claire Aitken (ENG), Tara Delaney (IRE), Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN),
Tracey Boyes (ENG), Caroline Grady (ENG)
84 - Marjet van der Graaff (NL), Dana Lacey-Johnson (AUS), Elena Giraud
(FRA)
85 - Elisabeth Esterl (GER), Denise-Charlotte Becker (GER), Elin
Emanuelsson (SWE)
86 - Maria Boden (SWE), Nathalie David-Mila (FRA)
87 - Ursula Wikstrom (FIN), Ludivine Kreutz (FRA)
88 - Lucy Clarke (ENG), Mianne Bagger (DEN), Tandi Cuningham (SA), Jo
Clingan (ENG)
89 - Karen Heywood (ENG)
90 - Kym Larratt (ENG)
98 - Sabina Imboden (SWI)
