The fourth edition of La Sella Open has seen an exciting start at La Sella Golf Resort, with five players sharing the lead at four under par after completing their 18 holes before rain forced play to be suspended between 14:30 and 17:00 hours.
The co-leaders are the French Ariane Klotz, the South African Caitlyn Macnab, the English Gemma Clews and Hannah Screen and the German Helen Briem, champion of this same tournament in 2024. “I’m in good form going into the tournament and I hope to reach the final day with a chance to win”, Briem said. “I know the course well and I like it a lot, so I hope the competition goes well”, she added.
Macnab highly praised the course condition: “I think the course is in fantastic condition. The greens are very consistent in terms of speed, by how they roll”, although she acknowledged that the wind made club selection difficult throughout the day. “We’re very fortunate to have been able to complete a full round without problems”, she added.
Klotz also highlighted the work of the maintenance team: “In two days they’ve managed to get the fairways rolling perfectly and to gain much more speed”. The Frenchwoman noted, however, that the course has played “a little firmer than last year” because of the wind and fairways with less run, which has forced the players to use longer clubs than usual on approaches.
Meanwhile, Gemma Clews stressed how unusual it is for the tour to play on Bermuda grass: “We don’t play many courses with Bermuda, and the greens are also quite dense, so that’s a big difference”. Even so, the Englishwoman said she is a fan of the course style designed by José María Olazábal.
Among the Spanish contingent, Carmen Alonso completed her 18 holes with excitement and calm in what she has announced as the final event of her professional career, in a tournament that honoured her during this week’s opening ceremony. The best Spanish player with a completed round is Amaia Latorre (PAR).
The suspension due to rain, between 14:30 and 17:00 hours, left numerous players unable to complete their first round, including several Spanish players, although play resumed as soon as conditions allowed
