Nicole Garcia opened the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series-Hong Kong with a three-under-par 70 on Friday to be in a share of sixth place after the first round at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Garcia made four birdies through the first 13 holes, but then dropped a shot on the 16th after she missed the green in regulation on the 415-yard par-four. In the end, she was five shots off the lead which was held by Korean Jin Young Ko. It was a flawless first day for world number three Ko, who rolled in eight birdies.
Ko led by two from Anne van Dam of the Netherlands, and Nuria Iturrioz was in third on five-under-par. Garcia shared sixth with Virginia Elena Carta of Italy and Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom.
Lee-Anne Pace carded an opening round of one-under-par 72 to be in a share of 19th while Casandra Alexander battled to a 10-over-par 83 with two birdies, six bogeys and three doubles.
