Linnea Ström fired an opening round 67 (-6) to claim a two-shot lead on day one at the Lalla Meryem Cup.
The Swede was in fine form during an entertaining afternoon at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, carding eight birdies to storm clear of a stacked leaderboard in Morocco.
“I’m very happy because it’s a real challenge out here,” Ström said. “But I prefer playing tough courses and I think it suits me well.
“I hit my driver very well and I hit my wedges very well, so I really took advantage of the par-5s. A lot of the birdies were tap-ins, so that takes a lot of the pressure off.”
Ström is targeting her first win on the Ladies European Tour (LET). The 26-year-old previously came close to achieving the feat at the 2022 Madrid Ladies Open where she finished second.
“I’m very proud of how I played today and how I handled this course,” she continued. “I thought I had really good communication out there with my caddie, so long may it continue for the next two days.”
Two players then sit in a tie for second after the first day of action in Rabat. Fresh off the back off last week’s victory at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, Aditi Ashok produced another relentless performance to join Nicole Broch Estrup on -4.
The Dane set the standard in the morning, bouncing back from a triple bogey on the par-4 18th – her ninth hole – to card eight birdies and take the early clubhouse lead.
“I felt a lot calmer than I thought I would be,” Estrup said. “I had a triple bogey on the 18th but then I recovered really well. I got away with a few drives today, but overall I’m hitting a lot of greens and I feel comfortable with where my game is at.
“Obviously with eight birdies you would like to be better than -4. But I’m really proud of the way I handled myself out there. I committed to a lot of shots and I’m proud of the way I came back after that hiccup on 18.”
The Lalla Meryem Cup is Estrup’s first tournament of 2023, with the 29-year-old chasing her second LET victory after claiming the 2015 Helsingborg Open.
“It’s been a while since I played a full season on the LET,” she continued. “So it’s a new mindset. It’s been eight years since I last won, so it’s definitely a goal of mine to hold another trophy. If I could get more than one that would be amazing. I’ll fight for the Order of Merit but getting a win is my first goal.”
Four players are in a tie for fourth place with Maja Stark, Lydia Hall, Magdalena Simmermacher,…
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