Lotta Wahlin makes steady start in Turkey

Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin took a two shot lead after the first round of the Garanti American Express Turkish Ladies Open with a two-under-par 71.

The 24-year-old was the only player to break par on the opening day at National Golf Club, with Spain’s Paula Marti in outright second on level par 73.

Of the six players who finished on one over 74, only Jade Schaeffer from France played in the afternoon. Melodie Bourdy, Anne-Lise Caudal, Stacy Lee Bregman, Ana-Belen Sanchez and Anja Monke all carded 74 in the morning.  

On a clear and cool day in the Antalya region, Wahlin parred each of the first nine holes and then fired off three birdies over the next five. She took just one bogey at the par-four 17th, where she hit her drive behind a small pine tree and had to play her second shot out to the fairway.

“It’s a tough course and it wasn’t that easy because the wind was changing. It’s one of the toughest courses we have because it’s so narrow and long,” said Wahlin, who won an invitational event featuring 20 of the Ladies European Tour’s best players in Catalonia, Spain, just a month ago.

“I was playing really well on the front nine. They were quite easy pars actually. I had to make a five metre putt on the first one and then on the back nine I made the birdie putts. I was quite close to the pin. On 17 I just had to chip out from a little pine tree so that was a good bogey. I couldn’t have done any better.”

Wahlin said that she took increased confidence from her win so early in 2008, despite the fact that it was not an official event on the LET schedule: “Now I know I can beat all of them, even if I didn’t get the winning category. I still know that I can win and the others know that I can win so it was very important.  

“Actually my goal this year is to win three tournaments so if I win one, I’m not happy, I want to win even more. Catalonia was just a half point,” she added.

Wahlin rounded out last year ranked 21st on the New Star Money List and is aiming for a top ten position this year.  She also took inspiration from the recent performances of fellow Swedes such as Emma Zackrisson, who won her maiden LET title at the Spanish Open three weeks ago, and Maria Boden, who was second last week in Scotland.

Marti, the 2002 LET order of merit winner, carded three birdies and three bogeys. She said: “I didn’t start well and thought it would be a long day, but I looked at the score board and saw that Lotta was leading and plus one was second. I have taught myself not to get too stressed out early on because you can make up for a bad start and make it into a good round.”

71 - Lotta Wahlin (SWE)

73 - Paula Marti (ESP)

74 - Melodie Bourdy (FRA), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Stacy Lee Bregman (SA), Ana B Sanchez (ESP), Anja Monke (GER), Jade Schaeffer (FRA)

75 - Anne Norman Hansen (DEN), Zuzana Kamasova (SVK), Natalie Claire Booth (ENG), Margherita Rigon (ITA), Christine Hallstrom (SWE), Mianne Bagger (DEN), Cassandra Kirkland (FRA), Emma Zackrisson (SWE)

76 - Ana Larraneta (ESP), Stefania Croce (ITA), Karen-Margrethe Juul (DEN), Rachel Bell (ENG)

77 - Hanna-Leena Salonen (FIN), Martina Gillen (IRE), Maria Boden (SWE), Danielle Masters (ENG), Lynn Kenny (SCO), Nicole Gergely (AUT), Laurette Maritz (SA), Emma Lyons (ENG), Iben Tinning (DEN), Melissa Reid (ENG), Gwladys Nocera (FRA), Becky Brewerton (WAL), Amy Yang (KOR), Laura Terebey (USA)

78 - Nuria Clau (ESP), Natascha Fink (AUT), Clare Queen (SCO), Sophie Sandolo (ITA), Hazel Kavanagh (IRE), Dana Lacey (AUS), Trish Johnson (ENG), Nikki Garrett (AUS), Stephanie Arricau (FRA)

79 - Julie Berton (FRA), Ursula Wikstrom (FIN), Maria Beautell (ESP), Lora Fairclough (ENG), Jehanne Jail (FRA), Karen Lunn (AUS), Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN), Titiya Plucksataporn (THA), Lee-Anne Pace (SA), Ludivine Kreutz (FRA), Martina Eberl (GER), Marianne Skarpnord (NOR), Anna Rawson (AUS), Kirsty S Taylor (ENG)

80 - Nathalie David-Mila (FRA), Cherie Byrnes (AUS), Elisabeth Esterl (GER), Caroline Afonso (FRA), Laura Cabanillas (ESP), Cecilia Ekelundh (SWE), Georgina Simpson (ENG), Joanne Morley (ENG), Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR), Lara Tadiotto (BEL), Lisa Hall (ENG), Yuki Sakurai (JPN), Henrietta Zuel (ENG), Lill Kristin Saether (NOR), Amanda Moltke-Leth (DEN), Samantha Head (ENG), Johanna Westerberg (SWE), Anna Temple (USA), Ellen Smets (BEL)

81 - Kate Combes (AUS), Itziar Elguezabal (ESP), Jo Clingan (ENG), Rebecca Coakley (IRE), Anna Knutsson (SWE), Kiran Matharu (ENG), Felicity Johnson (ENG), Stefanie Michl (AUT), Elcin Ulu (Am) (TUR), Maria Verchenova (RUS), Julie Tvede (DEN), Jenna Wilson (SCO)

82 - Asa Gottmo (SWE), Fame More (ENG), Marta Prieto (ESP), Frances Bondad (AUS), Elizabeth McKinnon (NZ), Rebecca Hudson (ENG), Beatriz Recari (ESP), Anna Rossi (ITA), Tania Elosegui (ESP), Veronica Zorzi (ITA), Eva Steinberger (AUT), Marjet van der Graaff (NL)

83 - Claire Coughlan (IRE), Mette Buus (DEN), Denise-Charlotte Becker (GER), Vittoria Valvassori (ITA), Elin Ohlsson (SWE), Kirsty J Fisher (ENG), Rui Yokomine (JPN)

84 - Marina Arruti (ESP), Lydia Hall (WAL), Neijla Gercek (Am) (TUR), Lynn Brooky (NZ), Sophie Walker (ENG), Katharina Schallenberg (GER)

85 - Carmen Alonso (ESP), Florence Luscher (SWI), Frederique Seeholzer (SWI)

86 - Julie Greciet (FRA), Sofia Renell (SWE), Lena Tornevall (SWE), Anna Tybring (SWE), Federica Piovano (ITA)

88 - Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (AUS), Nora Angehrn (SWI), Muzeyyen Sasmaz (Am) (TUR)

90 - Eleanor Pilgrim (WAL)