Nicole Garcia made very solid start to her Investec SA Women’s Open campaign by taking a share of the lead in the first round on Thursday.
The South African opened her account with a three-under-par 69 at the Westlake Golf Club alongside Germany’s Olivia Cowan, Italy’s Lucrezia Colombotto Rosso and Sweden’s Emma Nilsson.
With a large international contingent fighting for the big prize, Garcia kept her cool under pressure moments to see out her first round in excellent fashion.
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‘We teed off in no wind at Westlake, which is very rare, and I had my caddie Graeme Rowan back on the bag after a year off, so I was looking forward to the round and I am really happy that I was able to get a score going,’ said the three-time winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Garcia managed a single birdie throughout her 18 holes but stayed in touch with four birdies and finished the back nine with a brilliant 33.
‘I birdied the first to go four under, but I didn’t hit a very good shot out of the bunker on the par five [4th] and paid for it with a bogey. I short-sided myself on the left of the green, but I wasn’t too upset not making the up-and-down, though. The pin was only three or four paces from where I was aiming, so I walked off with a soft bogey, really.
‘I had a few more birdie opportunities that I didn’t make, so I was really happy with the three birdies I managed to convert. I hit the ball close on a couple of holes coming home, too. It’s gratifying to see that the game is there. The putting, too. I have the right pace and line, but I just had a few too many lip-outs.’
She will start the second round one shot ahead of a big group of chasers that includes three-time winner at the event Ashleigh Buhai and compatriot Monique Smit.
But, Garcia admits she showed on Thursday that she is more than capable of staying calm.
‘These greens are very tricky. Just the slightest misread with the grain on the greens here will cause to miss. It’s not dropping into the cup in the centre; it kind of catches the hole on the side and then it either drops or rings the hole. Hopefully I can come to grips with it on Friday and keep the momentum going.’
