Playing in her first LPGA Tour event since February, Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen returned a 4-under 67, including a tap-in birdie after a spectacular approach at No. 18, and sits stop the leaderboard at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
“I had 26 putts, so that helps a lot. I didn't hit it like super close but I made a couple of long ones, and I just tried to keep it in play,” said Broch Larsen, who played in the day’s second group and enjoyed relatively calm breezes compared to the afternoon’s steady winds. “I feel like that's kind of the secret to links golf. Like you've got to just play the round and then you make your putt here and there, and yeah, I mean, then it's 4-under.”
Heavy fog blanketed The Renaissance Club on Thursday morning, pushing back tee times by two hours. Play was suspended at 8:35 p.m. due to darkness, with 27 players (nine groups) yet to finish. The first round will resume at 8 a.m. on Friday, with the second round beginning on time at 6:30 a.m.
Broch Larsen has a one-stroke lead over five players, including her countrywoman Emily Kristine Pedersen. Pedersen opened with five birdies over her opening seven holes but lost her momentum with a double bogey at No. 8. She then parred her way in to finish at -3, where she is joined by Americans Jennifer Song and Amy Olson, Germany’s Olivia Cowan and Spain’s Azahara Munoz.
2019 AIG Women’s Open champion Hinako Shibuno, playing in Europe for the first time since winning at Woburn, struggled on Thursday. Her opening-round 8-over 79 included six bogeys and a double bogey, putting the Japanese star into a tie for 126th going to Friday.
The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open is the first of two consecutive events in Scotland. Next week, the Tour heads to Royal Troon for the season’s first major, the AIG Women’s Open.
TIME AT HOME CRUCIAL FOR NICOLE BROCH LARSEN’S SUCCESS
Nicole Broch Larsen made the game look easy on the 18th green at The Renaissance Club. The 27-year-old from Denmark rolled her approach shot at the par-4 closing hole to just inches short of the hole, tapping in for -4 and earning the lead with 27 players left to complete the first round of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
This is just Broch Larsen’s second LPGA Tour competition of 2020, joining February’s ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. She used the pandemic-related break in the season to enjoy the most family time in Denmark that she can remember for a long time, and also worked hard on her putting and short game. That time at home? It certainly paid off today on the golf course.
“I'm a home person and I love being home. So to me, it's definitely been a good period, even though I of course wanted to play tournament golf,” said Broch Larsen, who got engaged to boyfriend Kasper Estrup over the break. “For me personally, it's been really good, and it's not a different Nicole, but I feel like I'm in a better place and I felt that on the course today. I was more relaxed and whenever I hit a bad shot, I kind of moved on faster than normally.”
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