Awesome foursome share top spot

9/25/2008

A quartet of players shared pole position after the first round of the Vediorbis Open de France Dames on Thursday.

Germany’s Anja Monke, Italy’s Stefania Croce, Nina Reis of Sweden and Frenchwoman Anne-Lise Caudal tied for the lead on five-under-par 67 at Le Golf D’Arras in Anzin St.Aubin, Arras, in Northern France.

Monke, aiming her first professional victory, set the target with five birdies in the morning. She was later joined by Reis and Caudal, who were also bogey-free. Croce reached six-under with three to play but bogeyed the par-four seventh hole, which she played as her 16th.

Caudal, who is ninth on the LET’s New Star Money List, is one of the home favourites after her maiden LET victory at the Open de Portugal in June.

Reis continued her strong vein of form through from last week’s Göteborg Masters in Sweden, where she equaled the LET’s all time low round record with an 11-under-par 61 on the last day to finish as the runner-up.

Monke, a fifth year tour player from Herford, has finished second twice on the LET, at the 2006 KLM Ladies Open in the Netherlands and at the OTP Bank Ladies Central European Open in Hungary, but is yet to win on tour.

Sweden’s Cecilia Ekelundh, a three time LET tournament champion, shot a 68 which included eight birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey, to finish alone in fifth, just one shot off the pace.

Leaderboard – Round 1:

1.   Anja Monke                          GER  67 - 5
      Stefania Croce                      ITA  67 - 5
      Nina Reis                            SWE  67 - 5
      Anne-Lise Caudal                 FRA  67 - 5
5.   Cecilia Ekelundh                   SWE  68 - 4
6.   Eva Steinberger                    AUT  69 - 3
      Paula Marti                          ESP  69 - 3
      Bree Turnbull                       AUS  69 - 3
      Sophie Giguel                       FRA  69 - 3
10.  Stefanie Michl                      AUT  70 - 2
      Anna Knutsson                     SWE  70 - 2
      Caroline Alonso                     ESP  70 - 2
      Cassabdra Kirkland               FRA  70 - 2
      Felicity Johnson                     ENG  70 - 2
      Iben Tinning                         DEN  70 - 2

33. Zuzana Kamasová                 SVK  73 +1

Source: Ladies European Tour