Vani, Amandeep start well in Open de France golf

Deauville (France), Sep 29 (PTI) Indian golfers Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall posted under par cards after recovering from stuttering starts in the first round of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France golf.

Vani, starting from the tenth, had two bogeys in her first three holes but finished a two-under 70 to be Tied-30th, while Amandeep, who had three bogeys in first four holes, finally carded one-under 71 to be Tied-45th.

With Diksha Dagar taking a week off ahead of the Hero Women’s Indian Open, Vani and Amandeep are the only Indians in the field.

Annabel Dimmock, Liz Young and Laura Fuenfstueck shared the lead after the first round. The trio shot six-under 65s at Golf Barri re in Deauville on Thursday and are one shot clear of Johanna Gustavsson and Meghan MacLaren.

Fuenfstueck set the pace with four straight birdies from her first hole, the 10th and added another at the short 17th to make the turn in five under 31. She dropped a shot at the first but made further gains at the second and fourth.

Playing later in the afternoon, Young, the 2022 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open champion, holed a bunker shot from a plugged lie on the eighth and chipped in on 11 in a round containing seven birdies and one bogey, to join Fuenfstueck at the top of the leaderboard.

Dimmock, the 2019 Jabra Ladies Open champion, made it a three-way tie at the top when she fired an eagle on her first hole, the 10th, five birdies and a bogey in a superb 65.

World no.5 C line Boutier, a member of last week’s European Solheim Cup team, started her pursuit of a second Lacoste Ladies Open de France title with a one-under 70, to sit in a share of 29th position.

There are 108 players in the field with a cut for top 60 professionals and ties after 36 holes.