Lee-Anne Pace opened the Ladies Italian Open on the Ladies European Tour on Thursday with a three-under-par 69 at Golf Club Margara in Piedmont to take a share of fourth place in the 54-hole tournament.
She made six birdies and three bogeys to be two shots adrift of the lead which was shared by sisters Morgane and Kim Metraux of Switzerland and Sofie Bringner of Sweden who each carded five-under-par 67. There were four other players with Pace on three-under in fourth.
Morgane, who is two years younger than Kim, closed with four birdies in a row to set the target, before Kim, playing two groups behind, birdied the par-five 18th to tie with her sister in an LET event for the first time. Morgane said afterwards that their goal this week is to get into a play-off against each other.
“We’ve played together in the same group three times as amateurs, but not as professionals, because they never pair us together,” said Morgane, who graduated from the Epson Tour to become a rookie on the LPGA Tour this season.
Next best of the South Africans was Casandra Alexander, who signed for a one-under 71 to be in a share of 18th. She made four birdies and three bogeys in her opening round. Stacy Bregman had a two-over 74 in 45th place, Swaziland’s Nobuhle Dlamini was four-over in 73rd and Lejan Lewthwaite battled her way to an eight-over 80.
