Lynn Kenny leads Scots with a 68 in Sweden

Felicity Johnson masters Gothenburg
with a 10-under-par 62 opener

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
England’s Felicity Johnson shot a course record ten-under-par 62 to lead by two strokes after the first round of the Göteborg Masters at Lycke Golf Club, Gothenburg.
The 21-year-old second year tour player from Harborne near Birmingham had the best round of her life, firing eight birdies and an eagle on a chilly day on Sweden’s west coast. Her closest challenger was Spaniard Paula Marti on eight-under 64, with Swedish rookie Lena Tornevall on 65.
Johnson, who has twice tied for third on the Ladies European Tour, at the 2007 Northern Ireland Ladies Open and at the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia in February, went out in four-under 34 and came home in six-under 31.
After knocking in birdie putts from 25 feet and two feet at the second and third holes respectively, she chipped in from 15 yards right of the green for eagle at the 290-yard par-four fourth hole.
She fired four straight birdies from the 12th before signing off with two more at the 17th and 18th.
“Ten shots under par, no dropped shots: you can’t ask for too much more than that really,” said Johnson. “It is my best ever score and 65 was my lowest before that. I didn’t put myself in any trouble and made life easy, which was good. I still left a couple out there but I’m not going to be too greedy on the first day.”
Marti, the 2002 order of merit winner and a two-time winner on the LET, fired nine birdies and just one bogey at the 16th. She was pleased to have continued the strong vein of form that has seen her post five top-ten finishes in 2008.
“The key today was that I made birdie on every single par-5,” said Marti. “I only made one mistake when I had a sand wedge in my hand but made bogey on that hole. Other than that I played great. I was very consistent, down the fairway, down the green.
"On two par-3s, one was a gimme and one was a metre and a half on the ninth to finish off with. I am feeling good. I have playing well the whole year. I put everything together and shot a good round so I’m very confident now.”
Tornevall’s 65 was her career-low round. The 27-year-old carded eight birdies, one eagle, one bogey and one double bogey. She is trying to avoid a return to qualifying school, having made just two cuts from 12 starts so far in 2008.
“There are only two events left and I feel I better take my chance now,” Tornevall said. “I don’t think I will get into Dubai and I haven’t decided if I will go to Asia. It depends on what happens over the next two weeks. There is nothing to lose. If I shot 80 today it couldn’t get any worse so I better take the chances I get over the next two weeks.”
Gwladys Nocera of France, who has won three events this year, was joined on 66 by Spain’s Marta Prieto, Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom and Germany’s Anja Monke.
A group of five players finished the day a shot further back on 67: England’s Lora Fairclough, Ireland’s Rebecca Coakley, Spain’s Laura Cabanillas, French rookie Caroline Afonso and Swedish SAS Masters Tour player Sanna Johansson.
Meanwhile Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson did not manage to master her own course on day one. The Evian Masters champion opened with a 73 to sit 11 shots off the pace.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
62 Felicity Johnson (Eng)
64 Paula Marti (Spa)
65 Lena Tornevall (Swe)
66 Marta Prieto (Spa), Ursula Wikstrom (Fin), Gwladys Nocera (Fra), Anja Monke (Ger)
67 Sanna Johansson (Swe), Lora Fairclough (Eng), Rebecca Coakley (Irl), Laura Cabanillas (Spa), Caroline Afonso (Fra)
68 Jill Magnusson (Swe), Sarah Nicholson (Nzl), Jade Schaeffer (Fra), Lynn Kenny (Sco), Johanna Westerberg (Swe), Lotta Wahlin (Swe), Anna Rossi (Ita), Nikki Garrett (Aus), Anne-Lise Caudal (Fra), Diana Luna (Ita)
69 Frances Bondad (Aus), Stefania Croce (Ita), Sophie Gustafson (Swe), Amy Yang (Kor), Anna Tybring (Swe), Leah Hart (Aus), Karen Lunn (Aus), Nicole Gergely (Aut), Hanna-Leena Salonen (Fin), Nina Reis (Swe), Lisa Hall (Eng), Carin Koch (Swe), Emma Zackrisson (Swe), Elisabeth Esterl (Ger), Sofia Johansson (Swe)
70 Julie Tvede (Den), Sandra Carlborg (Swe), Christine Hallstrom (Swe), Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa), Dana Lacey (Aus), Laura Davies (Eng), Zuzana Kamasova (Svk), Cecilia Ekelundh (Swe), Elin Ohlsson (Swe), Cissi Wahlberg (Swe), Kaisa Ruuttila (Fin), Eva Bjarvall (Swe), Linda Wessberg (Swe), Georgina Simpson (Eng)
71 Marina Arruti (Spa), Jennifer Karr (USA), Jenna Wilson (Sco), Morgana Robbertze (Rsa), Marianne Skarpnord (Nor), Cecilie Lundgreen (Nor), Ludivine Kreutz (Fra), Zuzana Masinova (Cze), Mette Buus (Den), Samantha Head (Eng), Lynn Brooky (Nzl), Margherita Rigon (Ita), Sophie Walker (Eng), Jenni Kuosa (Fin)
72 Sofia Renell (Swe), Anna Knutsson (Swe), Camille Fallay (Fra), Cassandra Kirkland (Fra), Joanne Mills (Aus), Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den), Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den), Lotta Loven (Swe), Anne Norman Hansen (Den), Cherie Byrnes (Aus), Mianne Bagger (Den), Asa Gottmo (Swe)
73 Helena Alterby (Swe), Julie Greciet (Fra), Karin Borjeskog (Swe), Kirsty S Taylor (Eng), Jehanne Jail (Fra), Helen Alfredsson (Swe), Josefine Jansson (Swe), Nathalie David-Mila (Fra), Antonella Cvitan (Swe), Anna-Karin Salmen (Fin), Lara Tadiotto (Bel), Denise-Charlotte Becker (Ger), Natalie Claire Booth (Eng), Emma Weeks (Eng), Johanna Tillstrom (Swe)
74 Rachel Bell (Eng), Amanda Strang (Swe), Jo Clingan (Eng), Clare Queen (Sco), Kate Combes (Aus), Katharina Schallenberg (Ger), Vicky Thomas (Aus), Bree Turnbull (Aus), Laura Eastwood (Eng), Eva Steinberger (Aut)
75 Louise Larsson (Swe), Stefanie Michl (Aut), Sarah Heath (Eng), Martina Gillen (Irl), Madeleine Holmblad (Swe)
76 Viva Schlasberg (Swe), Johanna Lundberg (Swe), Laura Terebey (USA), KM Juul (Den), Vittoria Valvassori (Ita)
77 Natascha Fink (Aut), Ellen Smets (Bel), Laurette Maritz (Rsa), Ana Larraneta (Spa), Florence Luscher (Swi), Lydia Hall (Wal), Elin Modie (Swe)
78 Ana B Sanchez (Spa), Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha)
79 Josefin Leijon (Swe), Elena Perrone (Swe)
81 Frederique Seeholzer (Swi), Sohvi Harkonen (Fin), Elizabeth Mckinnon (Nzl)
83 Patricia Beliard (Fra