Adnaan Mohamed in Paris
Ashleigh Buhai posted an impressive opening round of 68 at Le Golf National outside Paris on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old who also previously represented Team SA at Rio 2016, started with a birdie three on the first hole and went on to make another four birdies while only dropping one shot.
That bogey came on the par four 4th hole of 383m, but she quickly struck back to get into the red zone. A birdie three on the 7th and a birdie four on the 9th saw her go out in 34, with the slightly more forgiving home nine – at least, that’s the way it worked for the men – still to come.
Buhai, the 2022 Women’s British Open champion, never dropped a shot on the second nine and birdie on Nos13 and 14 set her up nicely. She made par on the final hole of the day, a par five of 411 metres. This had been set up as a par four when the men played, with their par being a 71.
Buhai is nicely positioned after round one. Her 68 has her alone in second spot, three shots behind home favourite Celine Boutier, but two shots clear of a clutch of four golfers who all signed for two-under 70’s.
“This is a demanding golf course, which I haven’t played before. I only had 12 holes of practice before getting out there on the first tee. But it was nice to get off to a fast start with a birdie. On this golf course you need to be committed to every shot,” she said.
“You have to play smart, play away from the pins when required and take two putts. With a wedge in hand I could be more aggressive. The crowd was amazing, especially with Celine Boutier two groups ahead of us. It’s the biggest crowd I’ve played with,” Buhai said as she looked forward to Thursday’s second round.
The second Team SA golfer in the field is Paula Reto who had a tough day under a hot summer sun. Reto went out in 37 but a double bogey at the 10th was followed by a birdie at the 14th. However, things unravelled at the last hole where she signed for a four-over nine to spoil what would otherwise have been a steady start.
LEADERBOARD
66 Celine Boutier (Fra)
68 Ashleigh Buhai (SA)
70 Gaby Lopez (Mex), Morgane Metraux (Swit), Mariajo Uribe (Col), Lilia Vu (USA)
71 Celine Borge (Nor), Janet Lin Xiyu (China), Diksha Dagar (India), Minjee Lee (Aus), Miyu Yamashita (Japan), Alena Sharp (Can)
Also: 78 Paula Reto (SA)
