Nicole Broch Estrup, Pei-Ying Tsai and Jess Whitting are all in a share of the lead on six-under-par at the conclusion of Round One of the Australian Women’s Classic – Presented by Pacific Pay Resort Studios.
Related: Nicole Estrup leads rain-hit opener in Australia
After play was suspended on Friday at Bonville Golf Resort due to inclement weather, the first round resumed on Saturday morning at 7.30 am (local time).
Broch Estrup rolled in back-to-back birdies on her first two holes yesterday morning but restarted with a bogey on the 12th hole today.
However, after that the Danish star found her feet and rolled in five further birdies making them on holes 18, one, five, seven and eight for a round of 66 (-6).
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“Yesterday was a weird day, we knew the weather was going to be bad,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a good place and my husband [Kasper] said to me this morning remember you can’t do anything about the weather.
“We were going out there today not knowing how many holes we were going to play. I was just trying to take one shot at a time and get as many birdies in as possible because we’re only going to play 36 holes, so you have to try as many as you can.
“You have to play a little bit more aggressive, but it’s more about playing smart golf. I did that last week and especially in the final round. Last week I played super defensive and ended with a T6.
“My birdie on eight was a 10-metre putt and it’s one of the tougher par-3s out here, so I’m really happy with that one. I hit it to eight or nine feet on five and then on seven, I made an up-and-down from the short right bunker.
“I feel I was playing really well. I am playing a point game which Kasper helped me come up with and I have been doing well with that, you’re focusing on getting points rather than your score.”
The LET winner sits at the top of the leaderboard alongside Chinese Taipei’s Tsai who produced a bogey-free round.
Tsai made birdies on 14 and 16 to make the turn in two-under and then rolled in four more on holes one, four, six and seven to also be in a share of the lead.
“It was very good weather this morning,” she said. “There wasn’t much water, so the course was good. I tried to be bogey-free in these very difficult course conditions.
“I was making pars and don’t get in the bunker – that was my strategy. I hit it close, there weren’t many long putts. I only missed three greens, so that helped me.”
Similarly, Australia’s Whitting also went bogey-free on Saturday at Bonville Golf Resort to be in a tie at the top.
It was Whitting’s first bogey-free round of her career as she made birdies on holes two, six, seven, 10, 12 and 18.
Whitting explained: “It feels good, I have never seen the course before this week. It’s fun and to play well in these conditions is a bonus. I was just hitting greens. I got it on, and I was two-putting, I wasn’t trying to push too hard and just making sure you don’t smash it four-foot past.
“It’s a tick on the checklist to go bogey-free! It’s great to check that one off, it’s something everyone wants to accomplish. Mine came a little later in life but I’m glad I did it.”
