NEW YORK: It was not a great opening day for either of the two Indian golfers in action at the Aramco Team Series women's event here, while visa issues prevented a third from competing altogether. Aditi Ashok, leading Team Ashok, was lying T-15, while Tvesa Malik, part of the team led by Lizette Salas, a star on the LPGA Tour, was T-28 after the first round.
Team Ashok totalled nine-under, while Team Salas was five-under. The third Indian, Diksha Dagar was unable to get to New York because of a delay in getting her visa formalities done. Diksha had been part of the winning team in the first event of the series in London.
Team Strom, led by Linnea Strom, was on top of the leaderboard with a two-shot lead at the end of the first day.
The quartet of Linnea Strom, Jenny Haglund, Lucie Malchirand and Cho Minn Thant, CEO of the Asian Tour, produced a bogey-free day as a team, made the turn in eight-under and finished at 18-under-par thanks to a birdie-net-eagle from amateur Thant on the 18th.
Sophia Popov fired a seven-under 65 to top the individual leaderboard. Aditi was one-under and T-19, while Tvesa (74) was T-39th. A cluster of players are tied for second in the individual competition after shooting rounds of 68 (-4) including England's Bronte Law.
At the last Aramco Team Series in Sotogrande, Strom and Haglund were part of Team Strom where they finished second after losing in a playoff to Team Buhai. Individually, Bronte Law is alongside Pauline Roussin Bouchard, Anna Nordqvist, Danielle Kang, Pia Babnik and Lee-Anne Pace with five players one shot behind on three-under-par.
While in the team competition, Team J Korda and Team Pace are tied for fourth on 14-under with Team Kyriacou on 13-under and Team Skarpnord on 12-under.