Australian duo Grace Kim and Gabriela Ruffels are in a five-way share of the primary spherical lead on the Evian Championship in France following six-under par rounds of 65.
Kim and Ruffels are joined on the high of the leaderboard by Individuals Jennifer Kupcho and Andrea Lee in addition to Eire’s Leona Maguire, whereas fellow Australian Minjee Lee is just one shot off the lead.
Kim and Ruffels had been the one two of the 5 leaders to be bogey free within the opening spherical.
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The Australian pair had been extremely regular, reeling off six birdies apiece, whereas Maguire made a hole-in-one on the par 3 second and Kupcho completed her spherical with an eagle on the par 5 ninth.
Kim, the 24-year-old Sydneysider, offered a spotlight of her personal with a hole-out from a bunker on the second.
However it was a wardrobe malfunction that Kim laughed off casually that was the primary speaking level from her stellar opening spherical.
“Yeah, so on 7 I simply was simply going to the lavatory like regular after which my fly wouldn’t come again up. So I had 6-under with a busted fly,” she mentioned with amusing.
“I hit the inexperienced and I like didn’t even actually admire that I hit the inexperienced in two on a par-5, after which, yeah, made two putt birdie. I used to be too apprehensive about my fly.”
LEADERBOARD: All of the scores from the Evian Championship
Requested about why is it that Australian golfers have such a formidable report at Evian-les-Bains with Ladies’s PGA champion Lee having claimed her first main title there in 2021 and the nice Karrie Webb, Wendy Doolan and Rachel Teske all having gained on the venue earlier than the championship was thought of a significant, Kim issued a warning to the remainder of the sphere.
Though, it did include one more chuckle on the finish.
“I feel we’re all fairly self-sufficient within the sense we don’t all the time must hit off like agency, flat grounds. We all know the way to work completely different lies and completely different, yeah, angles and wind instructions,” Kim mentioned of Australian golfers.
“Clearly it’s fairly tight off the tees on some holes, so I feel we’re fairly affected person in a way with that.
“However on the similar time, we’re very skilful, so, yeah, I suppose come at us.”
Ruffels, in the meantime, was very happy together with her “tremendous strong” opening spherical.
“Solely missed two greens on the market. Ball putting was actually good,” she mentioned.
“Been working laborious on that with my coach. After which the placing was good, too.
“I made some good lengthy putts after which was fairly strong inside ten ft as effectively. So, yeah, that added as much as a fairly good rating.”
Ruffels’ spectacular displaying got here after a return to her roots, of kinds.
The 25-year-old from Melbourne was as soon as Australia’s high ranked junior tennis participant and comes from an elite sporting household together with her older brother Ryan additionally an expert golf, whereas her mother and father Ray Ruffels and Anna Maria Fernandez had been each skilled tennis gamers.
It has that connection to tennis that helped her tick off what she described as a “bucket listing” expertise at Wimbledon.
“I went with my boyfriend and in addition we went sort of as friends of Todd Woodbridge, who was a doubles champion and actually good pals with my dad. My dad coached him all through his complete profession,” Ruffels mentioned.
“So it was good assembly up with them. He obtained us into the member’s solely space which was so cool. It was such a cool expertise. Yeah, it’s simply sort of like a perspective change as effectively from golf to sort of get within the tennis world.”
Minjee Lee is alone in sixth place on five-under after making 4 birdies in her final seven holes to card a 65.
The world quantity six is among the many title favourites in France this week after sealing her third main crown final month within the ladies’s PGA Championship.
She is concentrating on a second Evian success after her maiden triumph in 2021, though she has not completed within the high 10 in any of her different 9 appearances.
“Clearly I’ve performed a few years on the similar venue in Evian and all the opposite majors we sort of go to new venues every time. I feel I really feel like I simply keep in mind much more right here simply from my very first time being right here in ‘14 after which clearly profitable in ’21,” Lee mentioned.
“I really feel like because the years go by this (turns into) a blur however all of the recollections and vibes come again clearly each time I’m again, as soon as I’m right here.”
Fellow Australians Stephanie Kyriacou (-1), Hira Naveed and Robyn Choi (E) made good begins to the fourth ladies’s main of the 12 months, whereas Hannah Inexperienced, Cassie Porter (+2) and Karis Davidson (+3) might want to bounce again to make the minimize.
– Hull withdraws –
England’s Charley Hull withdrew from the Evian Championship after collapsing throughout her first spherical on Thursday, reportedly as a consequence of a virus.
The 29-year-old twice collapsed on the fourth tee, her thirteenth gap, and was taken from the course on a medical cart.
The BBC reported her administration crew mentioned she was “battling a virus” however is recovering effectively.
Hull had performed the primary 12 holes in one-under par.
The world quantity 19 has by no means gained a significant championship regardless of a sequence of near-misses, together with three runner-up finishes.