Europeans show the way at Royal Pines
IN: News | ALPG | ANZ Ladies Masters (2006) | Round One | by Bruce Young | 02 Feb 2006
Day One Photo Gallery - ANZ Ladies Masters
On a day where Australians and Japanese were expected to figure amongst the leaders, it was the Europeans who showed the way at the end of round one of the ANZ Ladies Masters at Royal Pines on Queensland's Gold Coast.
30-year-old Mhairi McKay from Scotland took the lead as the morning groups finished their round and retained it for much of the afternoon as the breezes increased in intensity and the already hot day seemed to get even hotter. Late in the day however, when most of the media were already finalising their day one stories, the Italian Diana Luna emerged with a round of 67 to match McKay. They had opened up a one shot lead over Finnish golfer Jenni Kuosa.
The opening day of the 72 hole event, dawned beautifully fine and warm and with no breezes over the first few hours and the course was there for the taking.
Many of the event's leading chances, including the two pre-tournament favourites, Karrie Webb and Ai Miyazato were out in the favourable early conditions although it would be others amongst the morning starters who would stake a claim to the leaderboard.
The early leader in the clubhouse at three under 69 was Mianne Bagger who was relieved that she was being interviewed by the media for the right reasons.
"Last year was tough in that regard. The media wanted to interview me even when I had played badly and so it is nice to be here because I have played well rather than other reasons."
Bagger was of course referring to the fact that she is the first transsexual to play the Ladies European Tour after they passed a resolution to allow those in her situation to play their Tour. Unfortunately it was not a good year in her debut season in 2005 as she finished 145th and she was forced to return to Tour School where she gained only conditional status. She has been in Australia for a few weeks and has spent recent days working on her swing, more especially her takeaway, and said she is feeling particularly good about the manner in which she hit the ball today and how well she had stroked the ball on the green.
Soon after Bagger had finished her commitments with the media, the Finnish golfer Jenni Kuosa had gazzumped her on the leaderboard when she finished with four under 68. She bogeyed her first hole but by the time she had reached the 16th she was five under. A bogey at the 17th, after hitting the stands and bouncing back into the bunker with her approach, saw her drop back to four under and that is where she finished. Like Bagger, Kuosa was required to return to the LET Tour School after finishing 94th on the 2005 Order of Merit but was able to regain full status when finishing 13th. She missed the cut last year at this event but after a few weeks back home in Finland she said "..it is nice to be here away from the sub zero temperatures of Finland."
Out on the course the 2003 Women's Australian Open Champion Mhairi McKay looked the likely first round leader when she moved to seven under through 15 holes of her round before a bogey at the 16th, after a three putt from 36 feet, slowed the momentum.
"I had trouble with the grain on that one especially the second putt, said the Glasgow born but Turnberry raised Scot. "I also three putted the last from about 45 or 50 feet. I have worked hard in the off season so it is encouraging to have started the way I have."
McKay lost her full status in the US last season and on her return to the Tour School could only manage conditional status.
"I will have to do some Monday qualifying this year but Marisa Baena was able to do it from that position last year so am hoping to emulate her achievement," said McKay who makes her American home in California. Baena had a season on the LPGA Tour, which included a win at the HSBC Match Play. When in form McKay possesses a fine golf swing and when she beat the likes of Laura Davies and Rachel Hetherington to win the Australian Women's Open in 2003 she looked as if the world was at her feet.
"Things have been tough since but this is an encouraging start," said the 30-year-old.
Amy Yang was another from the morning draw to finish at three under. The 16-year-old student at Robina High School on the Gold Coast, recently won the New Zealand Women's Amateur Championship and finished runner up to Sarah Oh at the Australian Stroke Play Championship. As a result of those performances, and that she is a Gold Coast local now, she secured an invite by the tournament organizer Bob Tuohy to play in the event and she has already repaid his faith.
The disappointments of the morning round were the pre-tournament favourites Karrie Webb and Ai Miyazato. They recorded reasonable rounds of one under 71 and certainly did little to compromise their chances of being in contention late in the tournament but given that they had the best of conditions on day one it was not the start they were looking for.
Miyazato birdied two of her first three holes but struggled through the middle of her round before a last hole birdie saw her at least finish under par.
"I holed a couple of good putts early but beyond that I struggled on the greens. I feel like I have prepared well but today things just did not click."
Webb, who arrived here after a lengthy break from tournament golf, was reasonably happy with her day although she said if she had been able to make a five foot birdie at the 17th it would have been a good day.
"I felt like I played the last few holes well." She again referred to the concern she has in trusting the work she has put in place. "I feel when I get it right I am hitting the ball as well as ever and a long way."
She referred to her tee shot at the 17th, a hole she has often taken three wood from the tee in the past in order to thread the needle between the rough left and the bunker right.
"Today I carried it over the trap easily with my driver and had only forty yards to the green. It is a case of just letting it happen as I know the work I have been doing will pay off. I think I hit fifteen greens but struggled with the grain at times and as it was hard to pick the line. It is good to see the leaders are not getting to far away however," she added, referring to the fact that the then leader, McKay, was only four ahead.
The afternoon conditions, as is so often the norm in tournament golf, added perhaps a shot or two to the difficulty of the course with the temperatures warming to beyond the 30 degree mark and the breezes increasing to around 20 kph and beyond. As a result the scoring reflected the slightly more difficult conditions although one player who looked as if she might just threaten McKay's lead was the Italian, Diana Luna.
Luna has won one event on the LET in Tenerife in 2004 and 2005 was not as good as earlier years but today she raced to five under by the turn before a bogey at the 10th. She rejoined the lead when she birdied the par five 15th and then added a birdie from two eight feet at the 17th. Now with the outright lead she pulled her tee shot a little and came to rest close to the fairway bunker. Her approach was just short of the green but she managed to hit a delightful pitch to one metre. With the putt to have the overnight lead she pulled it left and she would go to the clubhouse with the joint outright lead with McKay.
Another making progress late in the day was Frenchwoman Ludivine Kreutz who has developed into one of the best players in Europe in recent years. She made the Solheim Cup Team last year. As a three time winner on the Ladies European Tour she commands respect although she has not played well here previously. She is however a much more credentialed player in 2006. She eventually finished with 69.
Others at three under 69 were Italian Tullia Calzavera, Korean and Ji Eun-Hee.
With many of the likely favourites for the event having not made great starts, it augurs well for an intriguing few days as they attempt to work their way back into the event.
Photo - Anthony Powter
