Meadow and Caldwell head Irish challenge with bogey-free 67s at Vic Open

Stephanie Meadow. Picture: PressEye

Irish golf’s Jonny Caldwell, Cormac Sharvin, Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire got off to positive starts in the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Australia.

Clandeboye star Caldwell continued his excellent start on his return to the European Tour after an 11-year absence, carding a bogey-free, five-under-par 67 on the Beach Course at 13th Beach Golf Club to share 14th place, just four shots behind Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares in an event where men and a women play over the same courses for the equal prize money.

Men’s leaderboard / Women’s leaderboard

The field will play the Creek Course and the Beach Course on days one and two before moving to the Beach on the weekend, as the Vic Open makes its second appearance on the European Tour.

Spaniard Cañizares was playing the more forgiving Creek Course but needed to control the ball in the afternoon winds, making ten birdies and a bogey in a 63 to move to nine-under.

Sharvin made four birdies and two bogeys in a 70 on the Creek Course to share 67th place but it was an even better day for Meadow and Maguire in the LPGA Tour event.

Meadow is 16th after making five birdies in a bogey-free 67 on the Beach Course while Maguire birdied all four par-fives in a three-under 69 that leaves her tied for 28th, five shots behind Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom and South Korea’s Haeji Kang, who shot eight-under 64s on the Creek Course.

Cañizares leads the men’s event by two shots back from Australian quarter Jake McLeod, Travis Smyth, Matthew Griffin and Justin Warren, who carded the lowest round of the day on the Beach Course.

Alejandro Cañizares. Picture: Golf Australia

European Tour members Aaron Cockerill, Min Woo Lee and Robin Sciot-Siegrist are among those in a share of sixth place on six under par. Last year’s runner-up Brad Kennedy joins them on that number, while last year’s champion David Law opened his title defence with a four-under-par 68 on the Creek Course.

The 36-hole cut will reduce both tournaments to the top 60 and ties, with a further cut taking place after Saturday’s third round to the top 35 and ties from each competition for the final round.

Kang and Sagstrom, who won the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio for her first LPGA tour title two weeks ago, lead the women’s event by a shot from LPGA Tour debutant Haley Moore.

Alejandro Cañizares

 "I played really nicely. The Creek is a little more accessible than the Beach - most of the par fives are reachable and I took advantage of that and I putted really well. I didn't make many mistakes, and I hit the ball nicely with my irons.

"I didn't have many expectations for this week because it's a long way from home - you don't know how you're going to feel. But I was hitting the ball well and I'm working on the right things. 

"With my category on the European Tour, you have to take advantage of the events you can play. I really like the golf courses here in Australia - the only problem is the jetlag, so I'm trying to beat that."

Jake McLeod

“[A result here] helps with points on the Race to Dubai, but it’s the first tournament of the year for me. I'm just looking to dust off the cobwebs and see if I can make it until Sunday.

“I like the course. I know I can get out there and don't have to think too much about it and just give it a rip and see how we go.”

Min Woo Lee

“[Jake McLeod] and I fed off each other and we holed some putts at the end. Jake played pretty solid all day and I just finished off really nice on the back nine. Early on I holed the first two putts for birdie. I kind of fell from there, but I regained a little bit of focus and the back nine was really special.”

Brad Kennedy: “It's nice to come here and start the year really. I've just had six weeks off and picked the clubs up last Monday and tried to see what I could do. I guess the expectations of last year have gone and it's all about trying to see what we can do for this year.”