Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz and home favourite Kirsten Rudgeley are the 18 hole leaders at the Ford Women’s NSW Open after both opened with rounds of 65 (-6) at Wollongong Golf Club.
Four-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner Iturrioz got the ball rolling in Australia carding seven birdies in the morning to set the target. This was despite carding an early bogey at the par-4 3rd hole.
“I was at peace today. I love the course,” the 29-year-old said. “I got lucky because from 9 [my first hole], there wasn’t much wind. Then it started to blow later. So I was happy to score well on the back-nine. I felt great. My putts dropped and I only missed one fairway. No big mistakes.”
It was at the turn where Iturrioz’s round really picked up – the Spaniard rolling in five birdies in six holes at the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th. A brilliant birdie at the par-3 17th met by a typically animated celebration would move Iturrioz to six-under par.
“I always play aggressive!” Iturrioz said when asked about her gameplan. “That’s why sometimes I’m low, and sometimes I’m high. I had a great off-season and have worked on a lot mentally. Sometimes it’s your week and sometimes it’s not. Mentally you can start to struggle trusting yourself. This week, my own goal was to trust myself and believe that the work is done.
“I love Australia, this country is amazing. It’s my first time here since covid and I’m very happy to be back.”
As the wind picked up in the afternoon, Rudgeley made the element her friend as she got off to a hot start birdying the par-5 1st.
Three more birdies followed at the 4th, 5th and 8th with the Aussie’s only dropped shot coming at the 6th as she went out in 32.
Battling the wind a relishing Rudgeley would card three more birdies at the 11th, 13th and 14th to match Iturrioz’s tally before a steady finish secured her the 65 (-6).
“It was pretty cruisey,” the second year LET star said. “Good fun. I feel like I handled myself pretty well. Putted nicely which was good to see. The golf course is in great condition.
“I do like a bit of wind golf. Not a lot of people do, but it makes the golf a bit more creative. I don’t mind it at all. I think the course suits my game. The last two weeks have felt so quick but I’m really enjoying it.”
Playing at home, Rudgeley is chasing a maiden LET victory this week while Iturrioz is in pursuit of title number five. The latter’s most recent win came in 2023 at the La Sella Open.
One adrift from the pair is Anna Magnusson – a graduate of the LET Access Series (LETAS). The Swede carded eight birdies on Thursday morning thanks to some great putting.
“I felt like everything went smoothly today,” Magnusson said. “I hit some really good putts and I hit it close quite a few times and took advantage. I had to adjust my game because of the wind but I honestly don’t mind it. I tried to play with the wind – seeing it as something you can use.”
Seven players share fourth on four-under par: India’s Diksha Dagar, Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom, Czech Republic’s Sara Kouskova, New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey, Denmark’s Cecilie Finne-Ipsen, Thailand’s Aunchisa Utama and Switzerland’s Kim Metraux.
The second round of the Ford Women’s NSW Open gets underway tomorrow morning at 7:30am local time.
Follow all the action from the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube. #NSWOpenGolf
