Six Spanish players, no less, have positioned themselves among the top 21 at the Hills Open after the first round of the Ladies European Tour tournament held at the Hills Golf & Sports Club in Gothenburg, Sweden. No other country has placed such a large contingent in this elite section of the leaderboard. An enticing and beautiful statement of intent from the Armada.
Luna Sobrón (-3) is leading the charge after the first 18 holes. The Balearic golfer has placed herself in second position, just one stroke behind the solo lead of New Zealander Momoka Kobori (-4). By the way, Momoka is the sister of Kazuma, who is in third place at the British Masters. Let’s see how the weekend ends for the Kobori family.
Luna enjoyed herself on the first day in Swedish lands. She carded a total of six birdies, showing that she can challenge a course that has defended itself notably, with a brisk and tricky wind. Only thirteen players managed to finish under par in the initial round.
Trailing Luna are María Hernández (-1), Marta Sanz (PAR), Harang Lee (PAR), Blanca Fernández (+1), and Marta Martín (+1). All of them are among the top 21 in the tournament. They have all been capable of making many birdies, as in the case of María Hernández, who signed her card with five successes. It’s also worth highlighting Blanca’s eagle on the 18th hole.
The tournament has just begun, but there are only three days of competition. Placing six strong contenders for victory at the top is almost a guarantee that at least one will have a good chance of winning on Sunday. Everything will depend on how the second round goes this Saturday.
The downside of the start at the Hills Open has been for Teresa Toscano (+5), Clara Moyano (+6), and Amaia Latorre (+10). The cut for the top 60 and ties is provisionally set at +3, although it is likely to move even to +5 today, so they still have a chance to play on Sunday with a very good Saturday round.
At the Hills Open, English player Mimi Rhodes (PAR), the top-ranked in the Ladies European Tour order of merit, is present. She has had a good start, with the tournament lead within reach. The second-ranked player in the ranking, Czech Sara Kouskova (+2), has faced more challenges. Of the three top 10 LET representatives present in Gothenburg, the best-ranked is Welsh Darcey Hall (-1). The rookie, girlfriend of Jacob Skov Olesen, is tenth in the order of merit.
