Flawless Sangchan sets early pace to go on top
Thailand’s Supamas Sangchan fired a flawless opening round to perch herself on top of the leaderboard in the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic at the Emirates Golf Club on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old set the benchmark with a bogey-free round of five-under 67 at the Majlis Course to hold a one-shot lead over five others.
Sangchan, who won the Sanya Ladies Open in China last year, had five birdies in her near perfect round.
Teeing off from the 10th along with Denmark’s Kristine Emily Pedersen and Frenchwoman Isabelle Boineau, Sangchan began with a birdie on the par-4 17th to finish her front nine on one-under.
But it was the return journey that set it up for Sangchan as she rolled four birdies, including two on the trot.
Sangchan, who is 29th on the Order of Merit, began with a birdie on the par-4 first and then scored back-to-back birdies on the par-5 third and the par-3 fourth. She then added the finishing touches with a birdie on the par-4 sixth.
Sangchan’s best finish this season has been a tied for 11th at the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi last month.
Meanwhile, five others — Australia’s Celina Yuan, Finland duo Minea Blomqvist and Noora Tamminen, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Scotland’s Kelsey MacDonald — were tied for second, one shot adrift of Sangchan.
Seven others were tied seventh at three-under.
Meanwhile, Luna Sobron, who is battling Frenchwoman Camille Chevalier and Sweden’s Jenny Haglund for the Rookie of the Year title, carded a two-under to leave the Spaniard tied for 14th.
Elsewhere, Order of Merit winner England’s Georgia Hall fired a twounder for the day to be tied 14th.
Teeing off from the first along with countrywoman Charley Hull and American Beth Allen, Hall had three birdies and bogey in her round.
Hall made a birdie on the fifth and eighth but she was to suffer a blip on the back nine. Hall bogeyed the par-4 12th but managed to recover with a birdie on the 13th.
Charley Hull too was tied 14th after four birdies and two bogeys.
Indian prodigy Aditi Ashok came up with a one-under to be tied 29th. Aditi didn’t quite have a good front nine with two bogeys and a birdie but she managed to salvage it with two birdies on the back nine.
Teeing off with England’s Gemma Clews and amateur He Muni of China, Aditi had a horrible start with a bogey on the par-4 first but she managed to birdie the third. But her troubles were back again as Aditi bogeyed the seventh.
The Bangalorean birdied the 10th and then went on to score another birdie on the par-4 14th.
Former winner In-Kyung Kim of South Korea was one-over, while Chevalier was three-over.