Ladies African Tour Press Release

AFRICANS LEAD AT WPGA MASTERS IN JOBURG

Uganda's Nora Kagonyera and local Morgana Robbertze are joint leaders
after the first round in the Ladies African Tour's first event, both
scoring a round of 68, 4 under par at the WPGA Masters being played at
the Parkview Golf Club in Johannesburg today.

Doncaster's Rebecca Hudson was the leading British player with a 71.
Kagonyera did not have a good start off the first tee going into the
bunker twice before pulling back her game with a birdie on the 11th
hole and even parred through the rest of the back nine.
At the turn Kagonyera said on the 10th hole " I had a beautiful drive
to the fairway, hit my second shot with a rescue club onto the green
and bunged in an eagle!" Remaining calm to par the next two holes, she
pulled her tee shot again with a three wood, but managed to hit the
ball out of the rough, and just missed a par to card her only bogey.
Kagonyera then went onto to birdie the 5th hole a par three, but
mentions that her best hole was on the 6th, where she managed to pull
out of the woods, and safely back onto the fairway, saving a par.
Robbertze, who hails from Pretoria, played off the first tee, started
off well on the 1st hole, a short par five, with a hit off a 6 iron
onto the green, and hit a 35 footer, then finished with a two putt for
birdie.
On the 5th she then pulled her drive on to the left, followed up with a
downhill chip, which left her close to an electric fence. She took a
drop and then chipped in, and two putted. Robbertze felt she took her
medicine there, and went onto birdie the 7th hole with a nice
three-foot putt, taking her to one under after the first nine.
Robbertze claims her new putting grip had a lot to do with her
performance today, making two further birdies on the short par fives on
the back nine.
Just one shot off the pace is Norwegian Lill Kristen Saether and local
girl Lee-Anne Pace with a first round score of 69.

Pace, who struggled with stomach cramps, actually carded a bogey-free round with two
birdies, one on the 11th hole from six feet. And again on the 13th where she hit made the green to drop a one-metre putt for her second birdie.
Saether, just back from playing in Australia, hit the ball really well
today, although did miss a few long putts, which could have seen her on
top of the leader board after round one.

Satisfied with her round, Saether mentions" I will stick to my plan tomorrow which is the way I
played in the practice rounds, and look forward to a solid performance tomorrow."
Rookie on tour this year is Tsbeo Betty Mokoena who is lying eight off
the pace, was tensed up at the start, but after the first three holes
gave herself a talking to, although a little too late in the round,
managed to pull her game back.

Mokoena admitted that although she is very happy with her game, needs to work on her approach shot.
18-year-old Ashleigh Simon was 3 over at the turn, and in true Simon
style made five birdies in a row on the back nine - on holes 11 through
15 to finish on a 71, one under par alongside leading amateur Gina
Switala.
Defending champion from Finland Kaisa Ruuttila finished her first round
on two over par, 74.
The second round of the WPGA Masters starts at 07h00, with the leaders
off from 09h00 at Parkview Golf Club, Johannesburg tomorrow.

FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
South African unless otherwise denoted.
68 Morgana Robbertze; Nora Kagonyera (UGA)
69 Lill Kristin Saether (NOR); Lee-Anne Pace
70 Frederique Seeholzer (SWI); Antonella Cvitan (SWE); Anna
Becker-Frankel (SWE)
71 Julie Tvede (DEN); Anna Temple (USA); Gina Switala; Marianne
Skarpnord (NOR); Ashleigh Simon; Rebecca Hudson (ENG); Ashleigh Holmes;
Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)
72 Mercia Pretorius; Laurette Maritz; Stacy Bregman; Mandy Adamson
73 Tandi von Ruben; Bertine Strauss; Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN); Marne
Roos ; Henriette Frylinck
74 Kim Williams; Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN); Monja Richards; Cecilie
Lundgreen (NR); Santie Koch; Bonita Bredenhann (NA); Nora Angehrn
(SWI)
75 Florence Luscher (SWI); Sohvi Harkonen (FIN); Michelle de Vries;
Connie Chen ; Maria Beautell (ESP)
76 Tsebo Betty Mokoena; Emma Lyons (ENG); Jo Clingan (ENG); Nicole
Carlse ; Yushire Budhram
77 Zuzana Kamasova (SVK)
78 Stenna Westerlund (FIN); Stephanie Ruiz (USA); Jessica Meyer;
Odette Grotepas; Amber Du Toit; Julie Berton (FRA)
79 Jillian Wyne (CAN); Jenna Schonfeld; Sheila Miao (CN); Tirsa
Matthysen; Nicole Garcia; Kirsty Fisher (ENG); Sandra Carlborg
(SWE); Kim Brookes
80 Esther Strous (NL); Monique Kruijer; Mareli Joubert ; Nicole Becker ; Biance Barnard
81 Lara Weinstein; Alana van Greuning; Lameez Boughan
82 Crizelda van Niekerk; Zelda Smook; Caryn Louw; Michelle Leigh ;
Madeleine Kleinhaus
84 Kelly Hutcherson (ENG); Sune Du Plooy
85 Emma Mafa; Lise Botha
92 Bella Modisha
DQ Jessica Wycherley

DQ Francis Botha

Tournament website: www.ladiesafricantour.com

________________________________________________________________________
AOL's new homepage has launched. Take a tour at

http://info.aol.co.uk/homepage/ now.