Great start for the Armada at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open of the Ladies European Tour being held at Carton House. Luna Sobrón (-5) has started like a rocket and has placed herself in the co-leadership. Three others of ours, María Hernández (-3), Mireia Prat (-2) and Marta Sanz (-1) have positioned themselves within the top thirty. Alessandra Fanali and Ursula Wikstrom (-5) are tied with Luna at the top of the table.
The Mallorcan player shone in the afternoon round. In good conditions, she signed an outstanding round that put her at the top. Her round of five under par equals her best start of the season, matching the same total she achieved five months ago in Australia, where she handed in a card of 67 strokes in a par 72. This Thursday it has been 68, but the par of the Irish field is 73.
Luna’s season allows her to approach the final stretch of the season with tranquility, with her duties practically done. She is in 24th place in the Order of Merit and has almost assured to maintain the full rights of the circuit. Precisely, in Australia she achieved her best result of the year with a third place, but her season is being very solid with ten appearances within the top 25. Freed from that pressure, the Spanish woman is playing wonderfully.
On this first day, the Spanish woman shone above all with a scandalous start. She closed the first round with five birdies without a mistake, taking advantage of the three par fives on this part of the course and playing at a very high level. The second nine holes served to manage the lead and stay in the lead of the tournament. A birdie on hole 13, to recover the bogey from the previous hole, allowed the Spanish woman to finish the day as leader.
María Hernández (-3) has also started the Irish Open at a great level. The Navarrese is having a spectacular season and is within the top ten of the Order of Merit of the year. This Thursday she has shown why. A round of 70 strokes allows her to start the tournament within the top ten. A pity the bogey on the last hole of the course that prevented her from finishing a little higher.
María is knocking on the doors of victory fourteen years after achieving it in Slovakia in 2010. In London she was just one stroke away from achieving it, in Italy in June she was also second and why not dream that this week the Pamplona woman will rejoin the circle of winners.
Of the rest of the Spanish women, Mireia Prat (-2) has also started strongly. The Catalan has played very solid with three birdies and a single mistake that allow her to get into the noble positions of the table. Prat seeks to get among the top seventy of the year to try to regain the full card on the circuit. Right now she is in 76th place and a good result in Ireland would bring her much closer to the great goal of the season.
Within the top 30 is also Marta Sanz (-1), who has handed in a round under par at Carton House. Harang Lee (+1), on the other hand, is currently on the cut line and will need to keep up the pace to be able to play on the weekend. Those who will have to fly low this Friday are Paz Marfá (+3) and Marta Martín (+5).
Very solid round from Leona Maguire (-3), the local heroine, in the first round of her country’s open. Three birdies without a mistake put her in the top ten and she is very well positioned from the start. The Irishwoman, who just a couple of months ago won her first victory on the European Circuit, seeks at home to reach the Solheim Cup in Virginia in the best possible form. The other Solheim player present in the tournament is Georgia Hall (PAR) who has started at Carton House with a round of par.
