A golden run of four successive birdies on Thursday helped Nicole Garcia to a two-under-par 71 in the first round of the Ladies European Tour’s KPMG Women’s Irish Open on the O’Meara Course at Carton House, Maynooth, County Kildare.

Garcia had opened her round with a birdie on one, too, and dropped a shot on the third, before she picked up her four-in-a-row from the fifth to the eighth. She made two more bogeys on the back nine on the 11^th and 13^th, and she ended up in a share of 17^th after 18 holes.

Italy’s Alessandra Fanali, Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes all fired opening rounds of five-under-par 68 to lead by one from three players who were in a share of fourth place one shot further back. French duo Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and Agathe Sauzon were alongside Germany’s Carolin Kauffmann on four-under-par.

Nobuhle Dlamini had a level-par 73 and was in a share of 45^th, while Cara Gorlei was on one-over in a share of 60^th.

Casandra Alexander, who had such a superb AIG Women’s Open last week, opened with a two-over 75 and was in 83^rd together with, amongst others, Stacy Bregman.