England’s Trish Johnson held a one stroke lead after the first round of the Vediorbis Open de France at Le Golf d’Arras in northern France. The 2005 Solheim Cup player began her campaign with a three-under-par 69 in wet conditions on the course where she won ten years ago in 1996.
Johnson, who has won 17 times in her 19-year career with the Ladies European Tour (LET), has won the French Open title twice and is looking to make it a hat-trick this week in her bid to earn to a place in July’s Evian Masters.
She leads by a shot over her compatriot Samantha Head, playing in the tournament on a sponsor’s invitation, Susan Redman, formerly known by her married name of Parry and her Solheim Cup team mate Ludivine Kreutz of France, a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour.
Johnson credited an improved putting set up in her return to form today after an uncharacteristically indifferent start to the season in which she missed the cut at last week’s Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open. Her previous best finish in three starts this season was tied 28th in the Tenerife Ladies Open.
“I had a good putting lesson and I was told that my putting stroke was fine but I’ve changed my routine,” she admitted.
“I feel a lot more comfortable and confident over the ball and today was the first time I’ve putted well since the beginning of the season. I’ve worked on just trying to be a bit more natural.
“Playing in the afternoon I feel we got a better deal today with the weather. I had lots of chances and I putted very well with only 27 putts as opposed to averaging 33 to 34 last week.”
Head, a two-time winner on the LET, had a two-under-par 70 today. She has been playing on the US Futures Tour this season after losing her playing privileges on both the LET and LPGA Tours and admitted that she would love to return to Europe. Head finished tied for 18th in last week’s event in Switzerland, where she was also playing on an invitation.
“I’m really impressed with the European Tour and I’d love to come back and play,” she said. “I was actually offered an invitation for next week as well but I had to turn it down for personal reasons.”
With three top tens in four starts on the US Futures Tour and having spent the winter working at the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida, Head is extremely capable and motivated to win to regain her full playing privileges this week.
Redman, who is also one shot off the lead, is playing in her first event in Europe this year after she played in the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia in February and she said: “Life is good at the moment. It’s good to be back in Europe and see my friends.”
There are six players two shots off the lead on one-under-par including the defending champion Veronica Zorzi of Italy, Ireland’s Rebecca Coakley, Australian Joanne Mills, England’s Kirsty S Taylor and Sweden’s Sophia Renell.
Coakley took the early clubhouse lead after carding four birdies and three bogeys in wet and windy conditions.
The 25-year-old who was born in Adelaide, Australia and lives in Carlow, said: “I think I was lucky that we didn’t have strong winds like yesterday. The course was pretty wet and there was lots of casual water but I seem to play well in the bad weather and the greens were fine, it was just the fairways that were wet. I think the wind picked up on the last few holes but other than that it wasn’t too bad.”
Coakley’s previous best finish on the LET was fifth in the 2005 Wales Ladies Championship.
Based in Europe, the Irish player is also a LPGA Tour rookie with non-exempt status is playing in her second season on the LET.
Like Coakley, Mills, who is playing exclusively in Europe this year after she lost her card in America, also carded a 71 but after starting with a double bogey at the second hole. She said: “It was terrible out there for the first 12 holes but it all came good on the back nine and I’m very happy considering the conditions.”
Last week’s Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open Champion began this week’s campaign with a one-over-par 73, while Laura Davies, playing in the event for the first time since 1997, started out three shots off the pace after a level par 72.
The English woman has never played at Le Golf d’Arras but admitted that she had taken to the course.
“It’s a nice course but it’s so wet at the moment that it’s almost impossible to get control of the ball. I had a good start: three under after the turn and then just missed some greens on the back nine and because it’s so wet it makes chipping and putting difficult. Every time I missed a green I dropped a shot. I finished level. It’s not a bad start,” she said.
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