Giulia Sergas
Rebecca Coakley of Team Ireland opened with a bogey at Pegasus Golf Club, New Zealand on Thursday and reached the turn in two over par after a birdie on the third hole in Christchurch. On the back nine birdies on the 10th and 18th were the only highlights as Coakley gave up shots on six consecutive holes in the windy conditions to finish round one of the Pegasus NZ Women's Open in 6 over par – fourteen shots off the lead.
Italian Giulia Sergas climbed out of the sick bed to play the Pegasus course for the first time today and card a brilliant eight-under par 64, just one shy of the course record, in the opening of the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open.
She fired seven birdies to accompany an eagle at the par-4 sixth and would have equalled the 63 set by Swede Pernila Lindberg in the final round last year.
Although a frequent visitor to the Australian tournaments, Sergas had not travelled to New Zealand before and it did not augur well for her maiden Christchurch stop-over when she was so ill on Wednesday that she did not leave her accommodation.
"I had no energy, I’m taking anti-biotics and they’re helping, but I still don’t feel 100 per cent even though I played so good."
Sergas arrived with her own caddy and she complimented her regular bag-carrier for pointing her in the right direction and assisting her read of the greens. Sergas was also grateful that she had a morning start and was finishing as the afternoon starters were confronted by a buffeting north-easterly wind.
After birdies at the third and fifth holes, Sergas’ round gained real impetus when she holed a 56yd wedge for an eagle at the par-4 331m sixth. She birdied the par-5 ninth to turn in 31, five-under, then birdied 10, 15 and 16 before having her only bogey at the par-4 17th when she left her approach on the front fringe and three-putted. A birdie at the par-5 finishing hole erased that one lapse
"I’ll rest now and get better physically for tomorrow. I like the course and hope it’s not super windy tomorrow afternoon and I can play the same golf,’’ said Sergas, who led the 2009 British Open after three rounds before slipping to a share of 11th.
Sergas held a three-shot lead over Korean Bo-Bea Kim with American Amelia Lewis, Cassandra Kirklasnd (France) and German Anja Monke all five back on 69.
New Zealand professional Cathryn Bristow had the proverbial “game of two halves” as the five shots she picked up on the first 10 holes slipped away in the rising wind during the morning round of the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open at Pegasus golf course near Christchurch.
Excellent driving backed by superb putting had Bristow two shots clear early on the second nine but a dropped shot on the 11th was an early indicator of further hardship.
“When the wind picks up and your shots are not just as accurate as you would like, then you are going to drop shots. On the 13th I hit a ‘flyer’ out of the rough that went through the green and into the hazard. I actually made a great up-and-down for bogey with a long putt,” she said.
“With the way the wind is blowing on the back nine, you are going to make bogey. I just can’t be too disappointed. I have been playing well and just not putting it all together. I did that for a time today,” she said.
