Stephanie Meadow didn’t put a foot wrong in her opening round of the Australian Women’s Open at Royal Adelaide, as the 28-year-old Northern Irish golfer shot a bogey-free three-under-par 70 to earn a share of 19th place behind England’s first round pace-setter Jodi Ewart Shadoff, the three-time Solheim Cup player.
Meadow’s solid start to the LPGA Tour season - following on a tied-35th finish in the Gainbridge Championship and a tied-20th in the Vic Open last week - continued with a round that featured birdies on the fourth, 17th and 18th to get into position.
Leona Maguire, who jumped 52 spots in the Rolex World Rankings up to 207th following her tied-fourth place finish in the Vic Open, had a rather more difficult opening round: her one-over-par 74, two bogeys and a lone bogey, left her in tied-90th after the first round with a battle on her hands to survive the midway cut.
Ewart Shadoff - still searching for a breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour in her ninth season - opened with a seven-under-par 66 to claim a one stroke lead over world number nine Jeongeun Lee6 and former world number one Inbee Park, while defending champion Nelly Korda opened with a 69.
Selected first round scores in the LPGA Tour ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open (USA unless stated, par 73):
(a) (denotes amateurs)
66 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (Eng)
67 Inbee Park (Kor), Jeongeun Lee (Kor)
68 Marina Alex, Amy Olson, Jillian Hollis (USA)
69 A-yean Cho (Kor), Madelene Sagstrom (Swe), Nelly Korda, Kristen Gillman, Na Yeon Choi (Kor), Wei-Ling Hsu (Tai), Ho-Yu An (a) (Tpe), Hannah Green (Aus), Daniela Holmqvist (Swe), Jing Yan (Chn), Kim Kaufman, Kelly Tan (Mal)
70 Stephanie Meadow (NIrl), Ally McDonald, Brittany Altomare, Minjee Lee (Aus), Mind Muangkhumsakul (Tha), Jasmine Suwannapura (Tha), Georgia Hall (Eng), Dottie Ardina (Phl), Manon De Roey (Bel), Christina Kim, Celine Boutier (Fra), Haeji Kang (Kor), Tonje Daffinrud (Nor), Pernilla Lindberg (Swe), Stacy Lewis, Lizette Salas (USA)
71 Yealimi Noh, Elizabeth Szokol, Meghan MacLaren (Eng), Beatriz Recari (Spa), Hye Jin Choi (Kor), Mi Hyang Lee (Kor), Jennifer Coleman, So Yeon Ryu (Kor), Pei-yun Chien (Chn), Giulia Molinaro (Ita), Mariajo Uribe (Col), Caroline Masson (Ger), Ashleigh Buhai (Rsa), Nicole Broch Larsen (Den), Jane Park, Caroline Hedwall (Swe), Anna Nordqvist (Swe), Gemma Dryburgh (Sco)
72 Hee Jung Lim (Kor), Melissa Reid (Eng), Ryann O’Toole, Robyn Choi (Aus), Pajaree Anannarukarn (Tha), Austin Ernst, Pornanong Phatlum (Tha), Christine Wolf, Sarah Kemp (Aus), Pavarisa Yoktuan (Tha), Esther Henseleit (Ger), Alana Uriell (a), Pei-ying Tsai (Tai), (a) Andrea Lee, Perrine Delacour (Fra), Lauren Stephenson (USA)
73 Felicity Johnson (Eng), Dana Finkelstein, Julieta Granada (Pry), Ayako Uehara (Jpn), Xi Yu Lin (Chn), Yui Kawamoto (Jpn), Katherine Kirk (Aus), Hana Lee (Kor), Wichanee Meechai (Tha), Sarah Schmelzel, Hee Young Park (Kor), Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Den), Emma Talley, Ssu-Chia Cheng (Chn), Sarah-Jane Smith (Aus), Maria Fassi (Mex), Anne Van Dam (Ned), Lindsey Weaver, (a) Min A Yoon (Kor), Cheyenne Knight, Yu Liu (Chn)
74 Erika Hara (Jpn), Marianne Skarpnord (Nor), Karrie Webb (Aus), Amy Yang (Kor), Su Oh (Aus), Maria Torres (Pue), Leona Maguire (Irl), Daniela Darquea (Ecu), Tiffany Joh, Charlotte Thomas (Eng), Azahara Munoz (Spa), Lydia Ko (Nzl), Lindy Duncan, Mariah Stackhouse, Alena Sharp (Can), (a) Albane Valenzuela (Swi), Haru Nomura (Jpn)
75 Jennifer Song, (a) Yuka Saso (Phl), Yuri Yoshida (a) (Jpn), Jiyai Shin (Kor), Sakura Yokomine (Jpn), Lauren Kim, Karis Davidson (Aus), Katja Pogacar (Slo), Bronte Law (Eng), Robynn Ree (USA)
