Chloe Williams leads the way after Day One of the Creekhouse Ladies Open, after rolling in nine birdies on Thursday to register a first round score of 66 (-6).
The Welsh star fired out of the blocks in Åhus, as she picked up shots on her first four holes of the day to put herself in the early ascendency on the Swedish East coast.
Birdies on her sixth and eighth holes of the day negated a bogey on the 16th, as she reached the turn five shots to the good, before another hot streak on holes three, four and five put her at -8 with four holes to play.
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Alas, two bogeys on the way back to the clubhouse drew her back in to the chasing pack as her round came to a close, but the 26-year-old was pleased with her day’s play nevertheless.
“Today was amazing, my season has been really solid – I’ve just had to be really patient for a round like today,” Williams said.
“I started really quick out the blocks with five birdies in the first six holes, and at that point I needed to stay focus and not get ahead of myself because there’s a lot of tricky holes out there.
“I was playing really well and I felt comfortable, and everything went my way and it was really good day out there.”
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Williams has a pair of Race to Costa del Sol contenders breathing down her neck heading into Day Two, with Atthaya Thitikul and Steph Kyriacou both shooting 68 (-4) on the first day of action at Kristianstad Golf Club.
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The duo were ranked one and two in the overall standings heading into this week’s event – with Thitikul leading the way – and they proved their class once again on Thursday, with a pair of strong performances on course.
Having been grouped together alongside Marianne Skarpnord, the competition was fierce throughout the day, with both players grabbing a birdie at the first to get the ball rolling.
Another birdie on five saw Kyriacou finish the front nine in 34 (-2), while Thitikul rolled in three more birdie putts on the third, seventh and eighth – as well as dropping a shot on the sixth – to get to the turn three shots under par.
And it looked as if the Thai talent was going to finish a shot behind Williams at the end of the day after birdies on 10 and 13, only for a missed par putt on the final hole of her round seeing her sit two behind the leader heading into Friday.
“I hit some good shots today and rolled the putts in, I made a bogey on the last but it’s fine because there’s a lot of positives to take from today,” the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol leader said.
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“It’s amazing to be able to be here and be able to represent my country on the LET, and to be able to do what I do is really great.”
With 25 Swedes in the field to start the day, there were plenty of players trying to make the most of home advantage in Åhus.
Two local stars shone the brightest on Thursday, with Anna Magnusson and Isabella Deilert both finishing in a tie for fourth spot after shooting a first round 69 (-3).
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