Indian sensation Aditi Ashok, Gold Coast amateur Karis Davidson and Scotswoman Michelle Thomson are tied for the lead after round 1 of the RACV Gold Coast Classic after both shooting impressive rounds of 3 under par 70.

The 18-year-old pair of Ashok and Davidson made the most of the cooler and calmer morning conditions, with Ashok recovering after dropping shots at both the first and seventh holes with 6 birdies in her final 10 holes.
The Indian youngster was in a positive mood following her round “I am really happy with my start to the tournament, I made 6 birdies so I obviously created enough chances. I did make a few mistakes and I will be trying hard not to do that tomorrow.”
When asked about playing in the hot and humid conditions Ashok, who is the highest-ranked player in the field this week and won her two Ladies European Tour titles in 2016 in the warmth of India and Qatar said that the conditions were not that different to playing at home in Bangalore “I love playing golf in the hot weather, I enjoy it much more than the cold but this is a little more humidity than I am used to”.

Even for Davidson, who plays out of the nearby Sanctuary Cove Golf Club on the Gold Coast, the stifling conditions today proved testing “Even for me being a local I found the conditions really tough today”
The young Queenslander, who is currently Australia’s leading female amateur, was a little more consistent than her 18-year-old compatriot making 4 birdies and just a single bogey at the difficult par 4 13th hole. “I played really well today and really didn’t make too many mistakes. I just tried to really enjoy myself out there today and will just try to keep doing the same things for the rest of the week”

The 28-year-old Scot Thomson battled the afternoon breezes and high temperatures to join Ashok and Davidson in the lead late in the day, mixing four birdies with a single bogey at the par 4 fourth hole.

Just one shot behind the leaders lies a group of players including LPGA star Katherine Kirk, Gold Coast amateur Rebecca Kay and Thai stars Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras and Prima Thammaraks.

The leading ranked Australian in the field Sarah-Jane Smith recovered after a slow start this morning to shoot an even par round of 73, while Dame Laura Davies also started poorly but battled back to shoot a one-over par round of 74.

Tomorrow’s second round will get underway at 6:45am and entry is free for spectators.

First round scores 
Second round tee times

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