After a two-and-a-half-hour suspension due to thunder and lightning, play resumed late on the opening day of the La Sella Open, with six players sharing the lead on four-under-par at La Sella Golf.

A truly international leaderboard emerged in Spain with France’s Ariane Klotz, South Africa’s Caitlyn Macnab, England’s Gemma Clews, Germany’s Helen Briem and England’s Hannah Screen all carding opening rounds of four-under-par 68 to sit tied at the top after Thursday’s action. Italian Anna Zanusso also sat at four-under-par after 14 holes when play was suspended at 8.08pm due to darkness.

After heavy rain and storms overnight, the morning starters enjoyed warm and sunny conditions before dark clouds rolled in. Play was suspended at 2.30pm local time when thunder and lightning arrived, with torrential rain flooding parts of the golf course. Following a delay of two and a half hours, conditions improved and players returned to complete their rounds at 5pm.

South African rookie Macnab continued to show the promise that saw her become the first woman to win a professional event on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour against a mixed-gender field earlier this season. Despite a rushed start to her morning, she remained patient throughout the round.

“I had a very rushed warm-up this morning and I felt like I was running around,” she explained. “I hung in there and stayed really patient. On these greens you can hit really great putts and they just don’t go in. I was hitting the ball nicely and didn’t miss any greens until the last little stretch, so I’m happy with my day.

“It’s been a grind. As a rookie, I’m putting a lot of work in. My coach has been behind the scenes, so a round like today means a lot and shows that the hard work is paying off.”

Casandra Alexander was on two-under-par.