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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Krystle, Michele have to get up

early to finish first rounds

Krystle Caithness and Michele Thomson were among the last five groups to start in the first round of the Ladies German Open at Golfpark Gut Hausern near Munich ... and they were unable to complete their rounds.Play was suspended for the day at 6.30pm local time due to torrential rain and thunderstorms. They had to book early calls at their hotels so that they can be back on the course ready to resume where they left off at 7.50am.Other than that it was a good day for the Scots with Lynn Kenny showing her best form for ages.

The Dunblane player, a former Scottish women's amateur champion returned a four-under-par 68 to be joint seventh over night. Lynn bogeyed the second but then had a purple patch with birdies at the third, sixth, ninth, 11th and 12th in halves of 34.

Clare Queen had a 69, coming home in 35 with birdies at the 10th and 11th.Vikki Laing had a 73 (37-36).

Sweden’s Johanna Westerberg fired a career low round of seven-under 65 to lead by a stroke.
The seventh year tour player recorded seven birdies with five on the front nine and two on the back.
Westerberg, yet to win on the Ladies European Tour, credited the help of her fiancé, tennis star Joachim Johansson, who is acting as her caddie this week. The two became engaged last month and are planning to marry in summer next year.
She explained: “I missed the cut last week and I felt I didn’t play that bad but I couldn’t hole a putt for my life. Today I’ve been practising putting a bit and it feels a lot better. My fiancé is here caddying for me and he’s helping me to line up. I trust my aim a lot better. Last week was my first tournament in a while. I just feel more ready this week.”
Westerberg’s previous best finish on the LET was second, most recently last year in Turkey.
Spain’s Emma Cabrera-Bello and Jade Schaeffer of France are a shot back on six-under-par, with Australian Karen Lunn, Italy’s Stefania Croce and Spain’s Paula Marti on five-under-par. England’s Melissa Reid started the day with a hole-in-one at the fourth hole and finished on 68 alongside South Korean rookie Jessica Ji and Lynn Kenny.
Reid used a six-iron to ace the 160-yard par-three fourth hole and she explained: “It was my third one. I got one at age 11 and then I had one last year as an amateur. It was nice. I didn’t quite pure it as much as I wanted to but it wasn’t too bad and it was in the right direction.” According to her caddie, professional golfer Paul Vincent-Fernie, the ball pitched at 157 yards and rolled right into the hole, before Reid leapt into his arms, thinking that she had won a car. The 2008 Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year had her eye on the Audi A5 cabriolet, on offer for a hole-in-one at the 15th, despite the fact that she currently drives an Audi Q5. “There was no car. I was gutted. I hugged my caddie and was like, “Yeah!” but then no car so just some champagne I think. “I was pretty close on the next par-three as well so I was going to try to get a hole-in-one on every hole so that they would have to give me a car. I must be saving it again for 15, where the car is.”
After a second place finish in Switzerland last week, she remains in the hunt for her first career title. “Four-under is not too bad. I shot four-under and didn’t feel 100 percent this morning. No complaints shooting in the 60s in the first round. You can’t win it on the first day, so not a bad start,” she said. “This week I feel my chances are good.”

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 72
65 J Westerberg (Swe).
66 J Schaeffer (Fra), E Cabrera-Bello (Spa).
67 K Lunn (Aus), S Croce (Ita), P Marti (Spa).
68 M Reid (Eng), J Ji K (SKor), L Kenny (Sco).
69 V Zorzi (Ita), M Verchenova (Rus), C Queen (Sco).
Selected score:
73 V Laing (Sco).

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