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None of the seven-strong Australian contingent were able to fare better than Steph Kyriacou’s four-over par 76 on a blustery Thursday when gusts of up to 65kph ensured the Old Course bared its teeth.
It was a tough old day with golf balls wobbling on the tees and greens as the wind threatened to make the game almost unplayable at times. American star Rose Zhang reckoned she could barely stand up without losing balance.
So Karrie Webb, these days a part-time golf pro at 49 but still hopeful for one final impressive fling on the course she swears she’s never quite mastered, could be forgiven her 10-over 82, which put her joint-142nd among the 144 first-round starters.
But the Olympic captain’s major-winning successors and Paris charges didn’t fare a great deal better in the launch of their latest bids for glory as Minjee Lee (a six-over 78) and Hannah Green (five-over 77) were left with it all to do on the celebrated Scottish links.
Charley Hull sits atop the leaderboard at the Home of Golf. PHOTO: Getty Images.
Kyriacou, the 23-year-old Sydneysider, was best-placed Australian nine strokes off the lead held by British star Charley Hull, who delighted the home crowds with her five-under 67, a fabulous performance in challenging conditions.
Hull, who was also a contender in last year’s Open at Walton Heath, was a shot clear after playing partner Korda recorded three birdies in the last five holes for a 68.
“There’s something fun about playing in these conditions,” said Korda, adding: “Not that I would do it every single time!”
Her performance left Korda alongside China’s Yin Ruoning, the 2023 Women’s PGA champion who had earlier also shot a four-under round while everyone else appeared to be floundering amid the morning gusts.
There were two Lees – American Andrea Lee and South Korean Mi Hyang Lee – among the six-player logjam at three-under.
Alas, their Australian namesake Minjee had earlier endured a rather tougher morning, recording two double bogeys and four bogeys as a third major will now take some winning from 118th place in the field.
The legandary Karrie Webb struggled in the St Andrews wind. PHOTO: Getty Images.
Just as disappointingly, world No.5 Green, who had impressed with her late charge at the Olympics, will now have to rally from another poor start in which she made five bogeys and not a single birdie.
Not that their fellow Australian LPGA luminaries did any better. Grace Kim also recorded a 77, while Gabriela Ruffels, in contention for the LPGA rookie of the year, never recovered from a triple-bogey six at her second hole – the par-3 11th – as she went round in nine-over 81, only one better than Webb.
Perth’s Hira Naveed also failed to break 80 with her eight-over round, while Kyriacou at least managed to recover some equilibrium after tumbling to five-over in her first five holes.
New Zealand’s Olympic champion Lydia Ko, one of the big favourites for the week after her Paris gold medal, was left content with her opening round of 71 which left her as one of only 17 players to break par.
That number also included American defending champ Lilia Vu, who holed two monster putts on the front nine on her way to a 69.
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