Garcia grabs share of early lead in Investec SA Women’s Open

CAPE TOWN, 12 March 2020 – SOUTH AFRICA – Nicole Garcia of South Africa tees off on the 2nd during day 1 of the 2020 Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club – SLT on March 12, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. EDITOR’S NOTE: For free editorial use. Not available for sale. No commercial usage. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Sunshine Ladies Tour/Gallo Images)

The three-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner offset a lone bogey with a quartet of birdies for a 69 to join Olivia Cowan from Austria, Italian Lucrezia Colombotto Rosso and Sweden’s Emma Nilsson at the summit on three-under-par.

Compatriot Ashleigh Buhai – the highest ranked player in the field at 103rd in the world rankings and a three-time champion of the event – birdied her last two holes for two-under 70 and sits just one off the pace in a six-way tie at two-under.

Joburg Ladies Open champion Monique Smit also finished in the pack on two-under.
The South African pair shares fifth with 2018 SA Women’s Masters champion Laura Fuenfstueck from Germany, Pasqualle Coffa from the Netherlands, Scotland’s Kelsey Macdonald, Alice Hewson from England, and first reserve Rachel Rossel from Switzerland, who made the most of her late call-up to fight her way into the top 10.

A birdie at the last hole will see former three-time champion Lee-Anne Pace start the second round two off the pace in joint 12th alongside 2020 Women’s New South Wales Open winner and Race to Costa Del Sol frontrunner Julia Engström from Sweden.

Garcia underwent hip surgery in early 2019 and spent most of the season on the bench.

A few weeks ago the Ebotse golfer showed glimpses of a return to form when she lifted the individual title and won the team competition in the Canon Serengeti Par-3 Challenge.
“Having the Sunshine Ladies Tour to get back into form was brilliant,” she said. “I could gauge where my game was at, what I needed to work on and what needed attention. I was hitting the ball well and putting nicely, but the scores just wasn’t quite there. Then the win came at Serengeti and that brought a huge injection of confidence.”

Garcia was understandably delighted to get her 2020 Ladies European Tour campaign off to a promising start.

“We teed off in no wind at Westlake, which is very rare, and I had my caddie Graeme Rowan back on the bag after a year off, so I was looking forward to the round and I am really happy that I was able to get a score going.”

Garcia started on the 10th tee and racked up three birdies going out.

“I birdied the first to go four-under, but I didn’t hit a very good shot out of the bunker on the par five (fourth) and paid for it with a bogey. I short-sided myself on the left of the green, but I wasn’t too upset not making the up-and-down, though. The pin was only three or four paces from where I was aiming, so I walked off with a soft bogey, really.

“I had a few more birdie opportunities that I didn’t make, so I was really happy with the three birdies I managed to convert. I hit the ball close on a couple of holes coming home, too. It’s gratifying to see that the game is there. The putting, too. I have the right pace and line, but I just had a few too many lip-outs.

“These greens are very tricky. Just the slightest misread with the grain on the greens here will cause to miss. It’s not dropping into the cup in the centre; it kind of catches the hole on the side and then it either drops or rings the hole. Hopefully I can come to grips with it on Friday and keep the momentum going.”

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 12: Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa plays a shot on the 13th during day 1 of the 2020 Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club – SLT on March 12, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. EDITOR’S NOTE: For free editorial use. Not available for sale. No commercial usage. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Sunshine Ladies Tour/Gallo Images)

“Conditions were pretty much perfect, but I didn’t get off to a good start and I turned two-over through nine,” said the 30-year-old. “I was playing a bit defensive and Dave (husband and caddie) gave me a little pep-talk. He said we played good last week and told me to get aggressive, so I did and I made four birdies down the back nine.

“The greens were quite firm when we played them in the afternoon on Wednesday, so I was just sussing them out. Once I started trusting what I was doing, I started to attack the pins. You have to shape it a little off the tee-boxes here; draws and fades.

“I am driving it pretty well and that helps, because the course is pretty narrow and the greens are small. I’m very happy with the way I’m striking the ball, because I’ve put myself in play. It was a bit iffy on the front, but I dialled it in on the back.”

Former Youth Olympian Kaiyuree Moodley leads the amateur challenge for the Jackie Mercer Trophy after carding a two-over-par 74 to finish alongside current Investec Order of Merit leader Stacy Bregman, among others.

First Round Scores

69 – Olivia Cowan (GER), Nicole Garcia, Lucrezia Colombotto Rosso (ITA), Emma Nilsson (SWE)
70 – Laura Fuenfstueck (GER), Pasqualle Coffa (NED), Ashleigh Buhai, Monique Smit, Kelsey Macdonald (SCO), Rachel Rossel (SUI), Alice Hewson (ENG)
71 – Lee-Anne Pace, Julia Engstrom (SWE), Madelene Stavnar (NOR), Magdalena Simmermacher (ARG), Mireia Prat (ESP)
72 – Mimmi Bergman (SWE), Isabelle Boineau (FRA), Casandra Hall, Maha Haddioui (MAR), Camille Chevalier (FRA), Tiia Koivisto (FIN), Valdis Thora Jonsdottir (ISL), Lina Boqvist (SWE), Agathe Sauzon (FRA), Michele Thomson (SCO), Sideri Vanova (CZE), Manon Gidali (FRA)
73 – Sarah Schober (AUT), Hannah McCook (SCO), Eun-Jung Ji (ESP), Morgane Metraux (SUI), Tvesa Malik (IND), Lejan Lewthwaite, Meghan MacLaren (ENG), Carolin Kauffmann (GER), Leticia Ras-Anderica (GER), Annelie Sjoholm (SWE), Patricia Sanz Barrio (ESP), Florentyna Parker (ENG), Maria Beautell (ESP), Kim Williams, Johanna Gustavsson (SWE), Maria Hernandez (ESP), Sian Evans (ENG), Emily Pedersen (DEN), Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR)
74 – Kaiyuree Moodley AMA, Sarina Schmidt (GER), Stacy Bregman, Elina Nummenpaa (FIN), Linette Holmslykke (DEN), Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (NAM), Bonita Bredenhann (NAM), Jane Turner (SCO), Linda Wessberg (SWE), Cloe Frankish (ENG), Leonie Harm (GER), Christina Gloor (SUI)
75 – Justine Dreher (FRA), My Leander (SWE), Kaylah Williams AMA, Cara Gorlei, Diksha Dagar (IND), Rosie Davies (ENG), Anna Magnusson (SWE), Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ), Inci Mehmet (ENG), Manon De Roey (BEL), Carmen Alonso (ESP), Charlotte Thompson (ENG), Valentine Derrey (FRA), Noemi Jimenez Martin (ESP)
76 – Chloe Williams (WAL), Astrid Vayson De Pradenne (FRA), Filippa Moork (SWE), Kim Metraux (SUI), Becky Brewerton (WAL), Carly Booth (SCO), Sanna Nuutinen (FIN), Sophie Keech (ENG), Isabella Deilert (SWE), Sharmila Nicollet (IND), Stina Resen (NOR), Michaela Fletcher, Gabrielle Macdonald (SCO), Rachael Goodall (ENG), Eleanor Givens (ENG), Elia Folch (ESP), Gabriella Cowley (ENG), Dulcie Sverdloff (ENG), Kyle Roig (PUR), Alison Muirhead (SCO)
77 – Rachel Drummond (ENG), Kiran Matharu (ENG), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Clara Pietri (SUI), Line Toft Hansen (DEN), Karoline Lund (NOR), Karina Kukkonen (FIN), Yolanda Duma, Laura Gomez Ruiz (ESP)
78 – Shawnelle de Lange, Hayley Davis (ENG), Ivanna Samu, Emilie Borggen (SWE), Megan Streicher AMA, Karolin Lampert (GER), Brittney-Fay Berger, Caroline Rominger (SUI), Georgina Blackman (ENG)
79 – Bobbi Brown AMA, Georgia Oboh (NGA), Jenny Haglund (SWE), Zethu Myeki
80 – Tara Griebenow, Franziska Friedrich (GER), Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir (ISL), Marta Martin (ESP), Laura Murray (SCO), Tandi McCallum, Emilie Piquot (FRA), Emma Grechi (FRA), Woo-Ju Son (KOR)
81 – Emie Peronnin (FRA), Lauren Taylor (ENG), Bianca Wernich AMA
82 – Kelsey Nicholas
84 – Lindi Coetzee, Marion Duvernay (FRA)
87 – Lara Weinstein, Siviwe Duma

PHOTOS – Nicole Garcia shares the lead on three-under 69 and three-time Investec SA Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai is one shot off the pace after the first round at Westlake Golf Club on Thursday; credit Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Images are free to use with editorial copy.

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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.