- Team Roussin hold a three-shot lead at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
- Nuria Iturrioz fires a five-under-par 67 to top the individual leaderboard.
Team Roussin and Nuria Iturrioz sit atop the leaderboards at the end of a disrupted first day of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Florida.
Nearly all the teams from the morning wave had completed their round when play was suspended due to an electrical storm and lightning risk in the area.
After nearly two hours of no play, the teams returned to the golf course, but play was suspended again due to bad light with 13 teams left to complete their round.
It was Team Roussin though who stormed to the top of the pile with a phenomenal round of 16-under-par.
The quartet of Pauline Roussin, Nuria Iturrioz, Trish Johnson and amateur Michael Bickford began their round on the 10th tee and were five-under after nine holes.
But they really turned up the heat on their back nine as they were 11-under-par to give themselves a three-shot lead.
Captain Roussin said: “We just had fun. We were pretty quiet on the front nine and then we made it happen on the back nine. Obviously a bit louder, more birdies and definitely a lot of fun.”
While it was also a great day individually for Iturrioz, who fired a round of 67 (-5) which included an eagle, six birdies, a bogey and a double bogey.
The Spaniard said: “I think the environment with Pauline is very nice. I played with her in Singapore when she won, so I have good memories and I’m trying to do the same as her this week.”
In the Team competition, it is Team Ko and Team Alexander who sit in a share of second place on the leaderboard on 13-under-par.
Both teams went out this morning and completed their rounds early on with Team Ko going out in five-under and coming home in eight-under on the first day at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
Captain Ko said: “On our back nine, which was the front line, I think I was very non-apparent, but I tried to be there for support even though my scores weren’t coming. But I feel like we, for the most part, were able to back each other up on the hole.
“If somebody was struggling, the other two would play well and I think that’s what you’ve got to do in this kind of format. This is only my second time playing it, so I’m still trying to get used to us being in a four-ball. It’s been a great group and it was just a lot of fun for us.”
While Team Alexander didn’t drop a shot all day going out in seven-under-par and coming home in six-under-par.
“It’s a great team,” said captain Casandra Alexander, who has been part of the winning team on three occasions. “We’ve had a great result and let’s see how the rest of the week goes.
“It’s definitely the first time I’ve done half decent in the individual, so that is good, and then we as a team put together a nice score so I’m very happy.”
Team Gainer, who were in the afternoon draw, managed to complete their round and sit in fourth place on 12-under-par with Team Peláez Trivino and Team Davidson Spilkova just one shot further back.
On the individual leaderboard, it is Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson who sits in second place on four-under-par having played 13 holes of her first round.
Two players are tied for third place with Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova and Scotland’s Louise Duncan on three-under-par.
Two-time LET winner Davidson Spilkova only had one dropped shot on her scorecard and was pleased she stayed patient.
“The beginning was a little funky,” she said. “I wasn’t hitting close enough and I had really long putts, so I was just really trying to stay patient and then I three-putted for one bogey.
“Then since the number five, it got better because it wasn’t as humid and the irons were flying like they’re supposed to fly, and it just got a little better. I was really consistent; I was hitting fairways and I was hitting greens and just trying to stay patient on the grains. I had a pretty good speed on the back nine, so I felt good because the speed is the key with putting.”
It was a similar story for Duncan who dropped her only shot of the day on the 16th and rolled in four birdies.
Duncan explained: “It’s a tough golf course, so three-under, I’m exceptionally happy with that. It was good to make the cut last week and to have played three rounds and just having a nice preparation and then a good week so far. I’m, happy with how I dealt with it considering the heat.”
South Africa’s Alexander, England’s Gabriella Cowley and American Alison Lee are in T5 on two-under-par with five players in a share of eighth place including defending champion Lexi Thompson.
Round one will restart at 7.15 am local time with tee times for the second round being pushed back by one hour and 15 minutes with the first groups off at 8.30 am local time.
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