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Imrie and Elosegui grab the early lead in Tenerife

Scotland’s Kathryn Imrie and Spaniard Tania Elosegui emerged as the early leaders after a carding a pair of a one-under-par 71s in the first round of the Tenerife Ladies Open at Abama.

Dundee born Imrie, formerly Marshall, 38, was the only player to post a sub par score in the morning matches while Elosegui, a 23-year-old rookie from San Sebastian playing in her first event on the Ladies European Tour, joined her at the top of the leader board at the end of a glorious day in the Canary Islands.

Both players were delighted to have a one shot lead of the tournament for different reasons. The US based Imrie, who won the LPGA Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 1995, has been struggling for form recently with two missed cuts in her last two appearances in America. Elosegui, who earned the 15th Tour card at LET qualifying school in November, admitted to having been extremely nervous prior to making her debut Tour appearance.

“It’s my first event on the LET as I didn’t go to Australia and I was very nervous but I had a good round and I took all my birdie chances,” Elosegui admitted.

The young Spaniard from the Basque Country began her campaign with a birdie at the first hole followed by a further four birdies and four bogeys. She nearly holed in one to win a car at the par three 14th but settled for a tap in birdie.

Starting at the tricky par-five tenth hole, Imrie began her day with a bogey after a “terrible” lay up and three putts on a notoriously difficult green but quickly bounced back with a birdie at 13, where she stiffed a nine iron to a foot. She than recorded a further two birdies and a bogey.

“I made it look easy but it’s really not that easy out there,” said Imrie, rueing a few missed birdie opportunities. “It could have been an exceptional round but I’ll take that. My driving was the key, but the greens are impossible. They are so hard to read.”

A total of seven players were one shot adrift at level par after the opening round with four English players, two Spaniards and an Australian well placed heading into the second round.

Trish Johnson, the 2004 Wales Ladies Open Champion carded a level par 72 and boldly declared that she was all fired up to win the New Star Money List this year.

“I’ve been working hard this off season. I want to play a lot better than last year, I want to win tournaments and I want to win the money list so that’s my goal.

“I didn’t play badly today but I just played the par fives badly. I had three sixes on the par fives. Other than that I played pretty well. I didn’t play great to begin with but hit the ball lovely at the end,” she said.

Danielle Masters, a 23-year old Ladies European Tour rookie from Kent, also played to level par today as did her fellow English Tourists Suzann Dickens and Kirsty S Taylor, who comes to the event full of confidence following her professional victory at the inaugural Pro Source Ladies Golf Tour event in Bristol, England.

Australian Rebecca Stevenson, the 2003 LET Rookie of the Year who broke her tournament duck by clinching the Players’ Championship on the Australian ALPG Tour in February, was well placed at level par along with Spaniards Laura Cabanillas and Raquel Carriedo.

It was Carriedo’s first competitive tournament appearance in two years and she exhibited signs of the form which won her the inaugural Tenerife Ladies Open in 2002 at Golf del Sur.