Rolex Rankings number 10 Brooke Henderson from Canada set the pace with a seven-under-par 64 in the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship this morning.
The 24-year-old from Smiths Fall, Ontario, holds a one-stroke lead over Cheyenne Knight from the United States, with Japan’s Yuna Nishimura, Jin Young Ko of Korea and Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the world’s number one and four respectively, a stroke further behind.
Henderson started with a pair of birdies on the 10th and 11th holes and added three more consecutive birdies from the first hole, as she began her second nine.
The eighth-season LPGA Tour player then birdied the par-3 fifth hole before finishing in style with an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole.
“It was just a good day all around. I feel like ball striking I gave myself a lot of really great opportunities, which is always good, and then I was able to make some putts,” Henderson said.
“Any time that happens, you usually can go pretty low. This golf course, it can be so tricky. It plays really difficult. But sometimes when you make a bunch of birdies you can get momentum, and that’s kind of what happened today. Hopefully just keep the momentum through the rest of the week, Henderson said.
“The eagle on the last hole was definitely a bonus. I had just bogeyed the previous hole and it was a super long putt and it was going pretty hard. To have this drop, definitely a bonus. Got me to the 7-under, which is nice way to finish.
“I just feel like it’s a really great feeling to start the major championship with a solid round. I feel like I haven’t really done that this year, so feels good to get one here.”
Henderson is playing for her second major championship title at the Evian Resort Golf Club this week, six years on from her first. In 2016, aged 18 years, nine months and two days, she became the second youngest player in LPGA history to win a major championship with her victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, trailing only Lydia Ko.
Three-time major winner Anna Nordqvist from Sweden, the winner of last week’s Big Green Egg Ladies Open and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark are the best LET members in the clubhouse on four-under-par 67.
Both of the Europeans said that patience paid off after a slow start.
“I love majors. I love the challenge,” Nordqvist said.
“It was a really good group. Both Jin Young and Lydia played really well, and I think between all of us we had one bogey. So solid play, and I always love coming here. It was just good atmosphere.
“For a while there I felt like I tried to do my best to keep up with them (Ko and Ko), but overall it’s good day.”
Madsen added: “I’ve never played this course well, so I was just staying patient and see if I could hit some good shots.”
Meanwhile, of the afternoon starters, Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson, ranked third on the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol Ranking, made a strong start and was three-under-par after 11 holes, while Finland’s Matilda Castren was three-under after five holes, both players having started on the back nine.
Sweden’s Linn Grant, ranked second on the Race to Costa del Sol, was two-under after eight holes, while the Race leader Maja Stark signed for an opening round of one-over-par 72.
