{"id":22803,"date":"2025-06-05T09:17:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T07:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ladiesingolf.com\/?p=22803"},"modified":"2025-06-06T09:18:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T07:18:03","slug":"walsh-and-kibsgaard-lead-the-way-in-scenic-tenerife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ladiesingolf.com\/en\/walsh-and-kibsgaard-lead-the-way-in-scenic-tenerife\/","title":{"rendered":"Walsh and Kibsgaard lead the way in scenic Tenerife"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland\u2019s\u00a0Lauren Walsh<\/a>\u00a0and Denmark\u2019s\u00a0Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen<\/a>\u00a0are the round one leaders at the Tenerife Women\u2019s Open after the pair both opened with cards of 67 (-5) at Abama Golf.<\/p>\n

The latter set the pace in the morning carding six birdies and dropping just one shot at the par-3 4th. The joint round of day included a birdie-birdie finish at the par-5 17th and scenic par-4 18th.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started off a little bit slow,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Kibsgaard Nielsen said.\u00a0\u201cBut then I got it going and was able to hit some fairways. This course is not easy, so I just tried to stay in the moment and take one shot at a time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Dane won the\u00a0LET Access Series (LETAS)<\/a>\u00a0Order of Merit in 2023 and is now making the most of her playing opportunities after losing her full card last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing really well this year,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Kibsgaard Nielsen explained, who is yet to miss a cut in 2025 on the LET.\u00a0\u201cLast year coming in with a full card, knowing I had a full season here, I wouldn\u2019t say it made me sit back, but it relaxed me.<\/em><\/p>\n

“This year, not having my full card, knowing I have to do well in the events I play in, it has put me in a good mental place knowing I have to keep working hard. I know I can be there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Having held the lead for the majority of the day, Irish star Walsh then matched Kibsgaard Nielsen\u2019s tally thanks to a bogey-free 67 (-5).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were last out so it\u2019s been a long day<\/em>,\u201c<\/em>\u00a0Walsh said. \u201cbut I played nicely. I hit it pretty consistently and holed a lot of putts. There\u2019s a couple qauirky holes so you have to plod your way around and play smart golf.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely tricky, but thankfully my coach has been out here quite a lot so he had me briefed on a lot of the golf course before I got here. So I sort of knew what to expect. In general, it sets things up very well for me and I\u2019m really happy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In solo third sits England\u2019s\u00a0Eleanor Givens<\/a>\u00a0who carded six birdies and dropped two shots for a round of 68 (-4).<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t had the best start to my season this year,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the veteran explained.\u00a0\u201cSo I\u2019m very pleased with my round out there today. It\u2019s a really tricky golf course but I hit some good shots and putted very nicely. The refs did a good job with the pins out there today and I managed to be below the hole a lot.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

France\u2019s\u00a0Ariane Klotz<\/a>\u00a0and the in-form\u00a0Dorthea Forbrigd<\/a>\u00a0from Norway share third after Thursday\u2019s play thanks to rounds of 69 (-3).<\/p>\n

Eleven players round out the top-10 in a share for sixth on two-under par \u2013 a group which includes Portuguese amateur\u00a0Sofia Barroso Sa<\/strong>\u00a0and Order of Merit leader\u00a0Mimi Rhodes<\/a>\u00a0from England.<\/p>\n

The latter, a three-time winner in 2025, had the moment of the day acing the par-3 7th to start the broadcast at Abama Golf.<\/p>\n

On the hole-in-one, Rhodes said:\u00a0\u201cAs a professional, that\u2019s my first hole-in-one, but overall I\u2019ve only had two so I\u2019m pretty happy.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I was honestly a bit frustrated out there because the putts weren\u2019t dropping. Then on the 7th, I hit a 9-iron straight at the pin, I didn\u2019t get to see it, but my brother and his fiancee [who were watching] were really loud about it so then I knew it went in! It was a special moment. Especially to get it on camera.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ireland\u2019s\u00a0Lauren Walsh\u00a0and Denmark\u2019s\u00a0Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen\u00a0are the round one leaders at the Tenerife Women\u2019s Open after the pair both opened with cards of 67 (-5) at Abama Golf. The latter set the pace in the morning carding six birdies and dropping just one shot at the par-3 4th. The joint round of day included a birdie-birdie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[]},"categories":[45,893,864,881],"tags":[3847,4618,917,3945,4617,4616],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t