- Charley Hull, Pia Babnik and Luna Sobron Galmes locked on seven-under par in Riyadh
- Team Tamburlini equal 18-hole record in Team event to lead by six shots
We have ourselves a three-way tie at the top in the Individual event at Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Riyadh with England’s Charley Hull, Slovenia’s Pia Babnik and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes all locked on seven-under par.
In the Team competition, Chiara Tamburlini‘s squad of Mimi Rhodes, Anne-Charlotte Mora and amateur Tenniel Chun hold a healthy six-shot lead after equalling the Aramco Team Series 18-hole record of 23-under par.
On an overcast first day at Riyadh Golf Club, Sobron Galmes got the ball rolling as she carded an impressive eight birdies to post a round of 65 (-7) and take the clubhouse lead.
“My putting was on fire!” the Spaniard said. “I made almost all my putts today. I’ve worked a lot during the year and I changed my putter – I’m using the Lab putter and I’m also using AimPoint. I’m very happy with it.”
As the sun set in Riyadh, Babnik would match the score thanks to a bogey-free card which included a clutch birdie on the closing par-4 18th.
“I just really enjoyed playing,” the Slovenian said. “I was just waiting for all my practice to come together and today was the day. The course feels so open compared to last week in India. I love this place and I love playing here.”
In the final group of the day, Hull, chasing a first victory since 2022, got off to the hottest of starts going out in 30 (-6) boosted by an eagle at the par-5 5th.
A birdie followed at the par-5 12th before the Solheim Cup star dialled in an excellent iron shot at the par-3 17th to take the outright lead.
But after misjudging her approach on the 18th, Hull would drop a shot falling to get up-and-down from the back of the green to give us a three-way tie in the desert.
“It was a bit slow out there but it was good fun,” the Englishwoman said. “It’s a very scorable golf course so you could shoot a 60! I’d try to shoot 58 if I could. I played solid today and hit it pretty decent. It was a shame about my putt on the last – it just bobbled.
“I’m hitting it a bit longer so that’s a bonus. I’m 100% feeling good. I’m just going to go out there [tomorrow] and try and make even more birdies.”
One shot back in a tie for fourth sit Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, Wales’ Lydia Hall and Sweden’s Moa Folke. France’s Nastasia Nadaud, Germany’s Helen Briem and the before-mentioned Rhodes from England round out the top-10 in a tie for seventh on five-under par.
Early on in the day we had our first hole-in-one of the week when South Africa’s Casandra Alexander aced the par-3 6th with an 8-iron.
In the team competition, it was all about Tamburlini’s squad who were runaway leaders following the close of play. Tamburlini, a winning captain at the last Aramco Team Series outing in Shenzhen, carded a 69 (-3) while LET debutant Rhodes posted a sensational 67 (-5).
“We kept upping our game all day,” the Swiss skipper said. “Both of them [Mora and Rhodes] started really hot. It was a phenomenal day and our amateur played a really big part as well. Great momentum all day.”
With a combined score of -23, Team Tamburlini equalled the low 18-hole Aramco Team Series score set by Team Cheenglab and Team Lee at the 2023 Riyadh edition. They lead the latter’s 2024 squad and Team Ciganda by six shots.
Should the team see the job out tomorrow, Tamburlini – leading the LET Order of Merit – would become the first captain to win back-to-back Aramco Team Series Team events.
Round two gets underway at 8:20 on Friday morning. Follow the tournament @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #RaiseOurGame #SEETheImpact
