PRETSWELL AND McNICOLL SHARING FIFTH PLACE IN SWEDEN

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, LET ManagerAnastasia Kostina from Russia took a narrow lead after he first round of the Kristianstad Åhus Ladies Open in Sweden.
She carded a three under par 69 at Kristianstad Golf Club and leads by one stroke from Melodie Bourdy of France while Swedish amateur Jenny Haglund and South African Ilska Verwey ended the day in joint third.
The tournament was off to a thunderous start, thanks to a
military exercise nearby and Lina Boqvists posted a hole in one on the third using a five-iron, which was a terrific achievement since the pin position was extremely difficult.“The ball drifted in a bit with the wind, landed at the present green and then it fell down to the hole and went in,” said a happy Lina after the round.
Kostina was equally delighted with her score and with the fact that she played in the morning, avoiding the afternoon’s rainfall
Haglund, was pleased to have ended at one under par, but finished in an unfortunate way.
“I was bogey free until the last hole but after a good strike my ball hit the green and bounced off resulting in a bogey,” Haglund said.
The competitors praised the course. Firstly, because the famous course is in fine condition but they also like the layout.
“The track is not very long but you must always use your head and think,” said Cecilie Lundgreen who was the best professional in the Pro Am along with Isabella Ramsay on Wednesday.
Hole 9 proved to be the toughest hole on the golf course. A par four, the hole is a dogleg left with out-of-bounds on the left that attracts a lot of balls resulting in many bogeys.
Friday’s second round gets under way at 08:00, after which there will be a cut to the leading 30 pros and ties, who will play the final round on Saturday.
SCOTSWATCH (by Colin Farquharson) 
Curtis Cup amateur Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) and Carnoustie's Katy McNicoll  are lying joint fifth on level par 72 after the first round.
The Scots are three shots behind leader Anastasia Kostina from Russia in a field of over 100 for the 54-hole event which is part of the Ladies European Tour's developmental circuit.
Ayrshire's Pamela Feggans is joint 87th on 81.

FIRST-ROUND LEADERS
Par 72
69 Anastasia Kostina (Russ)
70 Melodie Bourdy (Fra)
71 Jenny Haglund (Swe) (am),. Iliska Verwey (SAf).
72 Pamela Pretswell (Sco), Katy McNicoll (Sco), Fabvienne In-Albon (Swi), Catherine Orioff Madsen (Den), Linda Boqvist (Swe), Tamara Johns (Aus), Kelly Hutcherson (Eng), Louyise Kristersson (Swe), Antonella Cvitan (Swe), Laura Sedda (Ita).
SELECTED SCORES
78 Kirsty S Taylor (Eng) (T60)
80 Tracey Boys (Eng) (jT79)
81 Pamela Feggans (Sco) (T87)
83 Jaoanne Clingan (Eng) (T98)
84 Tara Delaney (Ire) (T104).