FOUR SHARE LEAD ON FOUR-UNDER 68 IN DELOITTE LADIES OPEN

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

By BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager

Four players shared the lead after the first round of the Deloitte Ladies Open in the Netherlands today.

Karen Lunn, Florentyna Parker, Steffi Kirchmayr and Elena Giraud all carded a four under par score of 68 at Golfclub Broekpolder on the outskirts of Rotterdam.

Playing under sunny skies in the afternoon, Australian Lunn finished strongly with three birdies in her last five holes after a solitary birdie at the sixth on the front nine.

“Really, really happy,” said Lunn, who earned her 10^th Ladies European Tour victory at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco two months ago.

“It was more consistent. I hit a couple of bad tee shots the first couple of holes and made good pars.”

Lunn said her birdies were quite straightforward. “I made four birdies: three of them were on the par-fives that were tap-ins. I hit 18 in two and two-putted. On six I knocked it short of the green and putted up to a foot. Then on 14 I was just short of the green and then chipped up to a foot. Three birdies were very straightforward and then on 17 I made a 10-footer so I made some nice par saves and when I missed greens I got up and down. I putted really nicely so I’m not complaining.

“I made a couple of nice saves but the back nine I played really nicely and hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. It was steady and I played nicely. You just have to keep it in play here. It’s not the longest course but it’s quite tricky and you have to hit fairways.”

German rookie Kirchmayr also had a bogey-free round, with birdies on 13, 14, 17 and 18.

“I hit it really close four times and made four birdies. Every time I struggled I made up and down,” Kirchmayr said. “On the back nine, I started struggling, because I got tight; I got tired and knew I didn’t play well the last few weeks. I played well, but I didn’t score well and I made a few really good up and downs on my back nine to make par.”

England’s Parker, the event champion at the same venue two years ago, was steady with five birdies and just one dropped shot on a becalmed, overcast morning in Rotterdam.

She started on the back nine and birdied 14, 15 and 18 with just one bogey on 12 for a two under halfway total, before picking up further shots at the sixth and the seventh holes.

“Not a bad start to the week,” Parker concluded. “I’m thrilled because I didn’t feel like I was playing too well to begin with but I got it going and holed a few putts and made a few birdies and just had one bogey on 12, which was the only mistake. Otherwise I was very steady. I love the place, I love the course and it’s time again for me to win!”

Giraud, from France, started with a bogey on hole-10 but fired five birdies to tie the leaders.

“I’m very satisfied. Today I played very well. I dropped just three shots, my driving was very good and my putting was okay. I made some putts but I missed some so I’m very happy. The golf course is very good. The greens are good: the fairways too and the rough is quite big and a little tricky, but it’s okay,” Giraud said.

England’s Hannah Burke and Italian Diana Luna were a shot further back on three under, followed by European order of merit leader Christel Boeljon from the Netherlands, Germany’s Anja Monke, England’s Felicity Johnson and Australian Alison Whitaker, all on two under par.

FIRST ROUND SCORES

Par 72 

68 Elena Giraud (FRA), Karen Lunn (AUS), Steffi Kirchmayr (DEU), Florentyna Parker (ENG)

69 Hannah Burke (ENG), Diana Luna (ITA).
70 Alison Whitaker (AUS), Anja Monke (DEU), Christel Boeljon (NLD), Felicity Johnson (ENG)

71 Stefania Croce (ITA), Dewi Claire Schreefel (NLD), Lee-Anne Pace (SAF), Caroline Afonso (FRA), Caroline Masson (DEU), Mianne Bagger (DNK), Ursula Wikstrom (FIN), Jenni Kuosa (FIN), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Kylie Walker (SCO), Kendall Dye (USA), Carin Koch (SWE), Carlota Ciganda (ESP)

72 Tandi Cuningham (SAF), Julie Maisongrosse (FRA), Marjet Van Der Graaff (NLD), Anais Maggetti (CHE), Marion Ricordeau (FRA), Sahra Hassan (WAL), Marianne Skarpnord (NOR), Lauren Taylor (ENG), Lynnette Brooky (NZL), Lisa Holm Sorensen (DNK), Mikaela Parmlid (SWE), Henrietta Zuel (ENG), Caroline Rominger (CHE), Clare Queen (SCO), Joanna Klatten (FRA), Sophie Walker (ENG), Becky Brewerton (WAL), Celine Palomar (FRA), Louise Larsson (SWE)

73 Jessica Yadloczky (USA), Jade Schaeffer (FRA), Rebecca Hudson (ENG), Stephanie Na (AUS), Rebecca Artis (AUS), Lotta Wahlin (SWE), Nontaya Srisawang (THA), Veronica Zorzi (ITA), Stacy Lee Bregman (SAF)

74 Rachel Jennings (ENG), Dawn Shockley (USA), Elisabeth Esterl (DEU), Sophie Sandolo (ITA), Stacey Keating (AUS), Rachel Bailey (AUS), Georgina Simpson (ENG), Louise Stahle (SWE), Malene Jorgensen (DNK), Linda Wessberg (SWE), Caroline Martens (NOR), Tania Elosegui (ESP), Barbara Genuini (FRA), Frances Bondad (AUS), Lydia Hall (WAL)

75 Julie Greciet (FRA), Eleanor Givens (ENG), Miriam Nagl (DEU), Karlijn Zaanen (NLD), Rebecca Codd (IRL), Manon De Roey (BEL), Connie Chen (SAF), Chrisje De Vries (NLD), Trish Johnson (ENG), Beth Allen (USA), Lucie Andre (FRA), Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA)

76 Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR), Elizabeth Bennett (ENG), Danielle Montgomery (ENG), Kyra Van Leeuwen (NLD), Charlotte Ellis (ENG), Line Vedel (DNK), Esther Choe (USA), Maria Ohlsson (SWE), Sofia Harkonen (FIN), Caroline Westrup (SWE), Helen Alfredsson (SWE), Maria Beautell (ESP), Gwladys Nocera (FRA), Carmen Alonso (ESP)

77 Titiya Plucksataporn (THA), Stefanie Michl (AUT), Laura Cabanillas (ESP), Nikki Garrett (AUS), Marieke Nivard (NLD), Monique Smit (SAF), Liebelei Lawrence (LUX), Laurette Maritz (SAF), Virginie Lagoutte-clement (FRA)

78 Alexandra Vilatte (FRA), Lucy Williams (ENG), Cassandra Kirkland (FRA), Holly Aitchison (ENG), Margherita Rigon (ITA), Laurence Herman (BEL)

79 Lien Willems (BEL)

80 Nicole Gergely (AUT), Anna Scott (ENG), Sharmila Nicollet (IND), Vikki Laing (SCO)

81 Yu Yang Zhang (CHN), Ashleigh Simon (SAF), Sara Ardstrom (SWE) , Kiran Matharu (ENG)

82 Anastasia Kostina (RUS), Sara Djos (SWE), Elin Emanuelsson (SWE), Mireia Prat (ESP)

83 Adriana Zwanck (ESP)

84 Tessa De Bruijn (NLD), Mary Mattson (USA)

85 Sandra Eggermont (NLD), Kym Larratt (ENG)

Retired - Bree Arthur (AUS)