Charlie Hull elicited an impressive comeback as she recovered from a five-bogey on the front nine to go on to claim a share of the single lead after a rain-soaked run at the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire.
The English star, who finished second at the US Women’s Open last week, seemed to slay her chances of success in the Aramco-London team series when she hit a five-bogey on the sixth hole.
She lost two balls at par 5 but came back in stunning style, making a birdie-six in her seven-hole shutout before signing a five-under par 68 that put her at the top of the leaderboard alongside Nelly Korda on the Ladies European Tour. punishing event.
Hull’s Birdie Blitz was part of an impressive run of goals from a quartet that included Isabella Dellert, Hayley Davis and former England striker Teddy Sheringham. At the conclusion of the first round, they opened a two-stroke lead in the team event from the quartet led by Virginia Elena Carter after finishing 18-under-par.
Hull, 27, said: “I was just out having fun. I played really well and felt confident even after I hit a 10. One bad hole, even though it’s a 10, I know affects a lot of people, but I managed to recover.”
World No. 2 Korda also coped well with the torrential rain that fell for most of the day. Her only bogey came in the 12th but she responded with a four birdie in the next five holes to join Hull in the lead in the individuals competition.
Korda said: “Overall I played really well. I made one boo-boo and it was for my bogey – I hit my tee shot a bit. But other than that I played hard. It got worse as the day went on. I asked the caddy not to put The canopy away because it was going in and out a bit, but eventually the wind started to get a lot heavier.”
Hull and Korda have a one-shot advantage overnight from German Leonie Harm and South African Cassandra Alexander. Another shot at sitting down from three under-par, Anne Van Damme, Nora Komolainen, and Anna Pelaiz-Trevino.
The Aramco Team Series sees teams of three professionals and one amateur compete over a 36-hole tournament – the Friday and Saturday of the tournament – with $500,000 in prize money offered. The last day of play on Sunday will only see the 60 lowest scoring players, and ties from the opening two rounds will return to the tournament to compete for another $500,000 share, this time from the individual winnings.
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