Leona Maguire is well in contention after the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship, but Lauren Walsh already looks adrift at the bottom of the leaderboard at the Pine Beach Golf Links in Korea.
Maguire had a steady opening round in breezy conditions at the coastal course on a day when birdies were at a premium.
The Cavan golfer, starting her round on the 10th hole, opened with a birdie before following that up with a bogey on the par-four 11th.
Back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th saw Maguire make the turn at two-under and that’s where she stayed as she hit par on every one of the front nine holes to sign for a round of 70.
Walsh did not fare as well as her compatriot and she’ll be grateful there is no midway cut at this week’s tournament after a tricky opening round.
Like Maguire, Walsh started her round on the 10th hole but she never got to grips with the course and conditions and she had four bogeys on her card by the time she made the turn.
Walsh hit two further bogeys on the back nine with only a single birdie on the seventh, leaving her on +5 for the tournament, sitting in 77th place.
At the other end of the leaderboard, Karis Davidson of Australia and Japan’s Yuri Yoshida share the lead after both shooting six-under-par 66s.
Four players, including Lauren Coughlin, Lucy Li, Haeran Ryu and Julia Lopez Ramirez, sit one shot behind at five under.