Casandra Alexander continued her major year on Thursday with a four-under-par 67 in the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France.
Alexander, fresh off her maiden Ladies European Tour victory, as well as a dominating Sunshine Ladies Tour Order of Merit title, had her sights squarely set on higher honours, with the eventual aim of playing her way onto the LPGA Tour.
“The goal is to go to LPGA,” she said after her first round which left her in a share of seventh, just two strokes off the lead. “Probably go to Q-School at the end of the year. Or just try and win this and not have to do that.”
The way she is playing, that is only half-joking. With five players in a share of the lead at six-under-par, and just one player in sixth at five-under, she is starting to look as if she belongs in the rarified air of the company she’s keeping in France this week.
Sharing seventh with her are the likes of world number one, Nelly Korda, Japan’s Ayake Furue and Alexander’s playing partner, the fine Indian player, Aditi Ashok. One stroke back are the Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul as well as the world’s number one amateur Helen Woad, who won the KPMG Irish Ladies Open last week.
“It’s always nice when you’re playing against the best and doing half decent and playing well,” she said. “It gives you a sense of belonging. You feel like you can compete.”
She started her round with a birdie on the first, and picked up another on the ninth on a bogey-free front nine. She made two more on 12 and 15, before dropping a shot on the 17th. She immediately atoned for that with a final birdie on the 18th. “I played really nicely,” she said. “Kept it very tidy, one bogey on the scorecard, which always helps because then your birdies actually mean something.”
It is the second time she is playing the course, but the first time she is doing so in the major championship. “It’s a lot different to playing the Jabra,” she said. “Rough is up. Fairways are cut more narrow. Greens are fast. Pin positions are tough. It’s definitely different. I think that’s what majors are all about. It has to be tougher than the general golf tournament.”
Up front, the lead was shared by Australians Gabriela Ruffels and Grace Kim, Americans Andrea Lee and Jennifer Kupcho and Ireland’s Leona Maguire. Minjee Lee of Australia was sixth on five-under-par.
South African Paula Reto had a solid start with her two-under 69 putting her in a share of 23rd, while Ashleigh Buhai had a horrible opening 78 with a double-bogey, seven bogeys and two birdies. She was down in a share of 126th.
