- Team Wikstrom and Team Lampert lead in Sotogrande
- Alison Lee and Charley Hull share the individual lead on -7
On a scorching day in Spain, Team Wikstrom and Team Lampert hold the overnight lead on 15-under-par after the first round of the Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande.
Jessica Karlsson’s hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh set Team Lampert alight as they went bogey-free on the first day of competition.
Captained by Karolin Lampert with Karlsson, Nicole Garcia and amateur Christophe Pages on side, the team made the turn in nine-under-par before continuing their form on the back nine.
Lampert said: “We got going with Jessica’s hole-in-one. It was nice to have a bit of wind so we can get there easily but I think it will be really hot for us as well tomorrow.”
Garcia added: “At these events it is all about dovetailing really well and our amateur played good golf. It was a good team vibe. I get way more excited about everyone else’s score than I normally would.”
In a share of the lead is Team Wikstrom who went out in eight-under-par and came back in seven-under-par.
Captain Wikstrom is joined by fellow Finn Krista Bakker, Spain’s Elia Folch and amateur Nicolas Dalessandro.
“They made it pretty easy for me to play today because they were making all the putts and all the birdies. Luckily, I contribute a little bit for the team but we played pretty well and when somebody was having a bad hole, somebody else covered it up. It was good team play,” said Wikstrom.
It is a packed leaderboard with four teams one shot back and tied for third place after the first day and it was Team Hedwall who set the early pace.
They were another team who carded a bogey-free round at La Reserve Club Sotogrande and Solheim Cup stalwart Caroline Hedwall was pleased with her team.
“I think we played well all of us. Our amateur was great, he shot two-over-par himself today, so we had a good time out there. In the middle of the back nine we had a long stretch of not making a single putt, but then had a great finish with -5 in the last two holes so I think we’re really pleased with the day and it’s great to be in contention,” said Hedwall.
Team Hull, Team Strom and Team Kyriacou are also on 14-under-par, while there are four teams tied for seventh place one shot further back.
American Paula Creamer led one of the teams in T7 and enjoyed playing alongside Florentyna Parker, Natasha Fear and amateur Ernesto Romeu.
Creamer said: “It was great, it was fun – they made a lot of birdies on the same holes which was cool, I made a lot of pars and made two birdies. It’s a cool format, it’s fun and it’s fun to root for somebody when you want them to do well and want them to play well just as much as yourself.”
In the individual competition, there is also a tie at the top as American Alison Lee and England’s Charley Hull carded bogey-free rounds of 65 (-7).
“It was really good; it was great fun out there today. It was such a chilled, relaxed group and it was lovely. I just had so much fun, and it was great to play with these two girls. I just like it, I think it is a really relaxed event. You go out there and have a lot of fun,” said Hull.
“Today I was learning some French on the golf course thanks to Isabelle – it’s a good laugh. I didn’t get to see the back nine of the golf course yesterday because I had a sickness bug, but I shot four-under on the back nine blind, so I felt like I played pretty well.”
Lee explained: “Everything kind of went well today, hitting the driver good, irons good, I still had a few putts gets away from me but overall, I felt I had a good day. At the end of the day we are still playing individually but knowing I have two other girls and an amateur that has got my back if I were to mess up a hole is really comforting and it makes you feel really confident out there when you’re playing and it doesn’t make you worry too much.”
Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson and Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou sit two shots back on five-under-par, while Maiken Bing Paulsen, Maria Hernandez and Lampert are tied for fifth.
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