Ally Ewing took a one-shot lead on the first day of the Women’s Open after a late charge to finish four under at Walton Heath. The American sank a birdie on the 15th and then managed an eagle at the par-five 16th to sign for a round of 68, which included four other birdies.
South Korean duo Amy Yang and Jeongeun Lee6 shot rounds of 69 along with Thailand’s Jaravee Boonchant, France’s Perrine Delacour and Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen.
Ewing said: “Obviously it’s exciting to get in with a good first round, but it’s a long way to go until Sunday. It’s great to put a good first round together but in major championship golf you can never really lose focus.”
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England’s Charley Hull leads home hopes in Surrey at one under, a round which also included an eagle at the 16th, while Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow also started with a 71. Hull said: “I didn’t hit it well off the tee today and that’s something I can work on, but I feel like I made the most of it.”
Ashleigh Buhai, the defending champion, is two over alongside England’s Georgia Hall, Lydia Ko of New Zealand and France’s Céline Boutier, who is chasing a third straight tournament win but who had played down her chances prior to the first round.
Earlier, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda had managed three birdies to set a clubhouse target of two under par. Ciganda had been disqualified during the recent Evian Championship for refusing to accept a two-shot slow-play penalty. The 33-year-old would not amend her card after her appeal was rejected and was therefore disqualified for signing for a score lower than actually taken.
Asked if she had played quicker on Thursday, Ciganda told reporters: “Yeah, on the greens a little bit quicker. We’ve been practising the routine and I think we were fine today. We’ve been waiting a few holes to the group in front, so I think we did a good job.
“You have to understand that it’s professional golf and we are playing for a living and sometimes majors, if you hit it in the rough or a bad situation, it’s going to take longer. If you make a bogey, it’s just a couple more minutes, so I think they should understand that a bit more.”
Ciganda’s penalty in France was prompted by taking too long over shots on the closing hole of her second round, with her group having failed to make up time after being warned they were out of position two holes earlier.
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“They always say the time starts when it’s your turn to play, but when is that? It’s just so subjective,” added Ciganda, one of group of players to end Thursday’s first round on two under. “I think in the end, if they put a referee in every group a lot of girls they will be penalised and I think sometimes it’s not fair.
“At the end of the day, I’m here to play golf and I’m trying to do my best. I think I am a nice person and I respect everyone when I play, so I just hope they can do the same with me.
“I know I’m not quick, like I know that there are a lot of quicker players out there but I think there are a lot of slow players and they don’t get penalised and they don’t get timed as much as I do, so I don’t think that’s fair.”
Ewing’s compatriot Nelly Korda, the world No 1, is among a host of competitors at one over, alongside second-ranked Ko Jin-young.
