CAROLINE NISTRUP LEADS WITH A 68 IN A LATE FLURRY OF SUB-PAR SCORES AT MACHYNYS

Maria Dunne, pictured driving from the first tee at Machynys GC  this morning. She was disqualified within four holes' play for using a distance-measuring device. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency

Seventeen-year-old South Korean-born Australian Su-Hyun Oh set the early pace with a one-under-par 71 in the first qualifyin round of the Ladies British open amateur championship on a day when the scoring conditions favoured the later starting players.
Around about 5pm, Oh was joined in the lead by England's Hayley Davis (Ferndown, Dorset) and Ireland's Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell). Then 17-year-old Amber Ratcliffe from Royal Cromer made it four players on the 71 mark.
But the logjam at the top of the leaderboard was split by 19-year-old championship debutante, Linnea Johansson from Malmo, Stockholm with a two-under-par 70.
Then, another Scandinavian player 18-year-old Caroline Nistrup from Denmark raised the bar even higher, shooting a four-under-par 68 after having the best outward half of the day: three-under-par 33.
Caroline is bound for Louisiana State University in the autumn.
"I kept hitting the fairways, staying out of trouble and that helped me get six birdies - at the first, third, sixth, seventh, eighth and 15th," she said.
"I did have birdie chances at the last three holes but couldn't get the putts to drop. I have played in the British girls championship before but never in this one."
She had the biggest birdie bag of the day - six in all - but she also had four bogeys, three of them three-putt greens.
The 
One of the main talking points was the disqualification before early afternoon of three players - two of them Irish competitors, for using a distance-measuring device, which is not permitted under the "Conditions of Competition and Local Rules."
Ireland's Maria Dunne (Skerries) was the first to be ruled out of the for using a distance-measuring device in the early holes.
Another Irish player Aedin Murphy (Carlow) later disqualified herself for using a similar device at the first hole before she realised her mistake.A third disqualification on the opening morning involved Belgium's Charlotte De Corte who signed her scorecard containing a lower figure than she actually took at one hole.
Maria Dunne  was the first player ever disqualified from an LGU tournament for the distance-measuring-device infraction of the "Conditions of the Championship."
It is understood that Maria herself drew attention to her error by approaching an official and telling her what she had done.
In this championship at Ganton three years ago, Aedin Murphy was the first player to be penalised two strokes for slow play by the Ladies Golf Union.
As the wet and windy conditions improved at Machyny, so the quality of scoring did too and the clubhouse lead was taken by 17-year-old South Korean-born Australia Su-Hyun Oh with a one-under-par 71.
Oh, who has a handicap of +7, birdied the sixth, ninth and 18th, dropping shots at the eighth and 15th.
She is making her first visit to Europe as a member of a squad of golfing Australians. 
Welsh champion Becky Harries (Haverfordwest) kept the host country's flag flying high with a par-matching 72 which included birdies at the fourth, sixth, 10th and 17th.
The 25-year-old bogeyed the third, eighth, ninth, 14th and 16th.
She did not make the match-play stages at Carnoustie last year.
US college circuit players and world-ranked French competitors Manon Gidali and Celine Boutier joined Becky on the 72 mark.
Also a US college student, Lauren Taylor (Woburn), the youngest ever winner of the British championship when she was 16 at Royal Portrush two years ago, made a solid start with a 74 with halves of 34 and 40.
A second English player on this mark was young Gabriella Cowley (Brocket Hall).
Defending champion Stephanie Meadow (Royal Portrush), coming off an outstanding US college golf season for Alabama University, would not have been too happy with a 76.
She was three over par - bogeys at the ninth, 10th and 12th, before she gained her first and only birdie at the long 13th. But Stephanie had two more late slips over par, at the 17th and 18th.

FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
68 Caroline Nistrup  (Denmark).
69 Nanna Madsen (Denmark).
70 Linnea Johansson (Sweden), Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough), Emily Pedersen (Denmark).
71 Su-Hyun Oh (Australia), Hayley Davis (Ferndown), Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer).
72 Manon Gidali (France), Becky Harries (Haverfordwest), Celine Boutier (France), Justine Dreher (France), Marlies Krenn (Austria), Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell)..
73 Sophia Zeeb (Germany), Antonia Scherer (Germany), Harang Lee (Spain), Anne Van Dam (Netherlands), Abi Laker (Frilford Heath).
74 Karolin Lampert (Germany), Jenny Haglund (Sweden), Lauren Taylor (Woburn), Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies), Gabriella Cowley (Brocket Hall), Manon Molle (France), Amy Boulden (Conwy), Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak), Tonje Daffinrud (Norway), Lauren Hillier (Newport), Nicoline Skaug (Norway), Csilla Rozsa (Hungary), Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham).
75 Emma Nilsson (Sweden), Alexandra Bonetti (France), Leslie Cloots (Belgium), Linnea Strom (Sweden), Ariane Provot (France), Luna Sobron (Spain), Virginia Elena Carta (Italy), Rosie Davies (Indiana University), Ileen Nieuwenhuis (Netherlands), Emma Carberry (Highwoods), Camilla Vik (Norway), Lucy Goddard (Mid Herts)., Eva Gilly (France).
76 Shannon Aubert (France), Clara Baena (Spain), Emma Henrikson (Sweden), Stephanie Meadow (Royal Portrush), Sunna Vidisdottir (Iceland), Laura Gonzalez Escallon (Belgium), Emma Taylor (Saunton), Sophie Keech (Lyme Regis), Nuria Iturrios , (Spain), Laura Funfstuck (Germany), Sanna Nuutinen (Finland), Abbey Gittings (Walmley), Anyssia Herbaut (France), Noemi Jimenez (Spain), Jessica Bradley (Tiverton), Adriana Brent (Australia).
77 Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), Olafia Kristinsdottir (Icereland), Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Silvia Banon (Spain), Ines Lescudier (France), Sophie Powell (Stockport), Shelby Smart (Knowle, Alessandra Braida (Italy), Julienne Soo (Australia), Frida Gustafsson-Spang (Sweden), Bethan Popel (Long Ashton), Sophia Popov (Germany), Paula Grant (Lisburn), Laura Lonardi (Italy), Isabella Deilert (Sweden), Roberta Liti (Italy), Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies), Laure Castelain (France)
78 Kerry Smith (Waterlooville), Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro), Rachael Goodall (Heswall), Gabriella Wahl (Germany), Margaux Vanmol (Belgium), Annette Lyche (Norway), Roberta Roeller (Germany), Samantha Giles (St Mellion), Jamila Jaxaliyeva ( Kazakhstan).
79 Natalie Wille (Sweden), Jess Wilcox (Blankney), Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Chloe Ryan (Castletroy), Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies), Hollie Vizard (Pleasington), Johanna Tilstrom (Sweden), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir (Iceland), Manon De Roey (Belgium), Grace Lennon (Australia), Joanna Charlton (Australia), Agathe Sauzon (France).
80 Natalia Escuriola (Spain), Nastka Banovec (Slovenia), Jing Yan (China), Teresa Caballer (Spain), Hannah McCook (Grantownon Spey), Mathilda Cappiliez (France), Roco Sanchez Lobato (Spain), Quiirine Eijkenboom (Germany), Marta Sanz (Spain).
81 Mariell Bruun (Norway), Josephine Janson (Sweden), Vicki Troeltsch (Germany), Lauren Whyte (St Regulus), Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden), Julie Finne-Ipsen (Denmark).
82 Grace Danielle (Australia), Jane Turner (Craigielaw), Bianca Ling (Australia). 
83 Fanny Cnops (Belgium), Charlotte Thompson (Channels), Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw).
84 Maria Siegenthale (Spain), Anja Purgauer (Austria), Joelle Van Baarle (Belgium), Poppy Finlay (Vicars Cross), Sarah Schober (Austria).
85 Lesley Atkins (Gullane Ladies), Eva Saulnier (France), Marion Duvernay (France). 
86 Marthe Wold (Norway), Bronwyn Davies (Trentham), Brogan Townend (Pleasington), Susana Vik (Norway)
87 Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest|).
91 Elise Boehmer (Netherlands).
Disqualified - Maria Dunne (Skerries), Charlotte De Corte (Belgium), Aedin Murphy (Carlow).