Carey Van Lue

ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Aviv Clinics

Galgorm & Castlerock Golf Club | Antrim, Northern Ireland | August 17-20, 2023

First-Round Notes

August 17, 2023

Course Setup: Galgorm – 36-36–72; 6,448 yards; Castlerock Golf Club – 36-37–73; 6,204

Scoring Average: Galgorm – R1: 74.986; Castlerock Golf Club – R1: 74.517

Weather: Mainly sunny skies with little cloud cover and high temperatures in the low 70s; winds increased throughout the day reaching 15-20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph

Race to CME Globe Points: 500 points (winner)

Purse: $3 million; $1,500,000 for women & $1,500,000 for men (each winner’s portion is $225,000)

TV/Streaming Times: How to Watch

FOUR ATOP WOMEN’S LEADERBOARD AT ISPS HANDA WORLD INVITATIONAL

It was a tricky day for all players teeing it up in Northern Ireland on Thursday, but those lucky enough to spend their first round at the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Aviv Clinics at Castlerock Golf Club, emerged slightly better off than their counterparts at Galgorm. Despite heavy winds plaguing the links course throughout the day, the Castlerock crew scored an average of 74.517 on the par 73 compared to the 74.986 average on the wet and soft Galgorm, a par 72. All four of the first-round leaders came from Castlerock, as well as 11 of the top-12 players on the leaderboard. Leading the way after 18-holes are LPGA members Ellinor Sudow and Karis Davidson and LET players Gabriella Cowley and Kim Metraux.

An LPGA Tour sophomore, Davidson led from the very start at Castlerock, teeing off in the first group of the day and making a quick birdie on the first. She bogeyed No. 2, her only fault of the day, before sinking three more birdies on 3, 5 and 6 to make it four in her first six holes. It was a steady stream of pars from there, until another birdie on the par-5 17^th, the most scoreable hole at Castlerock, put her into the lead heading into the clubhouse. Sudow, on the other hand, had anything but a steady round with seven birdies and three bogeys spread throughout the round. The 2023 LPGA Tour rookie also got off to a hot start with a birdie on 1, then went birdie, bogey, par, birdie on 5 through 8 before making the turn in 34. The Swede’s back nine continued to be colorful with a bogey on 10, birdie on 12, bogey on 13, then three birdies to close out on 15, 17 and 18. Sudow’s 69 is her lowest round of the 2023 season. For Davidson, the 69 ties her low 18-hole score of the year, which she shot in the fourth round of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. Neither Davidson or Sudow have ever held a post-round lead in their LPGA Tour careers.

“I haven’t been playing great this year so this is really nice. I kind of need it both for confidence, and, yeah, it’s really nice,” said Sudow, who has only made one cut in nine starts this season, earning a T64 result at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Speaking on the course, she added, “I love links golf. I think it’s so much fun. This is my second time playing links golf. I just think it’s so much fun with the wind and everything. It’s beautiful. You get advantage if you drive it well and then putting is just great. I love it.”

From the LET, Metraux and Cowley also shot 69 to share the lead. Metraux, big sister of LPGA Tour player Morgane Metraux, played very steady in windy conditions, making birdies on Nos. 1, 9, 11 and 12. Her first and only bogey came on the par-5 15th, but she got it back with a birdie on the closing hole. Of the four leaders, Metraux was the best tee-to-green, hitting 13 of 18, which she said was the key to her success on Thursday.

“Just overall a really solid day. Started off well with a birdie on 1. Kind of got me going through the round. Managed to not really miss many greens. I think the only one I missed was when I made bogey on 15. Bit unfortunate to make bogey on a reachable par-5, but overall, yeah, just really solid from tee-to-green and managed to drop a few putts, which was really nice,” Metraux said of her round.

Cowley came in last of the four leaders, teeing off from No. 1 kin the afternoon when wind gusts reached their highest. Luckily the Englishwoman, who has earned four top-10s on the LET this season, said she was comfortable with managing ball flight and shaping her shots to handle the tricky conditions. She had a solid six birdie on the day, with two bogeys on 13 and 18. She said was most happy with her birdie on 10, which was played as the most difficult hole at Castlerock, because of her solid long drive and perfect approach shot with her 5-iron, making it an easy putt for birdie. Her other birdies came on 3, 8, 11, 15 and 17. Not a fan of links golf, despite her English heritage, Cowley said “it might change after today.”

Four players sit in a tie for fifth including dual LPGA/LET members Bronte Law and Daniela Holmqvist, as well as the LET’s Anne-Charlotte Mora and Chloe Williams. They each shot a -3, 70 to set themselves just one stroke out of the lead The best score to come out of Galgorm was a 2-under 70 from Marissa Steen, who set herself apart from the 11 players who shot -1 on that course. Tomorrow, every player will switch courses and will have to manage the challenge of a different set up while dealing with the very wet conditions that are in the Friday forecast.

A LOOK AT THE LEADERS

Rolex Rankings No. 226, Gabriella Cowley

• Cowley hit 7 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens, with 26 putts
• Her 69 at Castlerock is her first-ever round in the 60s in any LPGA Tour event
  • It’s her lowest 18 holes since a 68 in the first round of the Ladies Open by Pickala
  • Her career-low on the Ladies European Tour is a 64
• This is the first time Cowley has held a co-lead/lead in any LPGA Tour event
  • This is the first time she has held a co-lead/lead after any round since sleeping on the 18-hole co-lead at the 2020 Lacoste Ladies Open de France
• This is her third start in the ISPS Handa World Invitational since it was made a co-sanctioned event between the LPGA, LET and DP World Tour
  • She missed the cut in both 2021 and 2022
• This is her second event of the 2023 LPGA Tour season
  • She shot 80-79 at the FREED Group Women’s Scottish Open
• This is her 16th event of the 2023 Ladies European Tour season
  • Her season-best result is a tie for fourth at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open
  • She shot her career-low 64 in the third round of the Scandinavian Mixed, where she finished in a tie for fifth
  • She was a part of the Casandra Alexander team that finished runner-up in the team portion of the Aramco Team Series – Florida
• This is Cowley’s eighth season on the LET, after becoming a rookie in 2016
  • She joined the LET Access Series in 2015 after turning professional in 2014
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, she won five times between 2020-2021 in Rose Ladies Series events
  • In 2022, she ended the season 24th in the Race to Costa del Sol
  • As an amateur, she won the 2011 English Girls Under 15 Championship and the 2012 North of England Under 16 stroke Play Championship
  • She also played in numerous team events, including the Vagliano Trophy (2013), European Girls’ Team Championship (2013), European Ladies’ Team Championship (2014), Espirito Santo Trophy (2014) and the Curtis Cup (2014)

Rolex Rankings No. 890, Ellinor Sudow

• Sudow hit 9 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens with 26 putts
• Her 69 at Castlerock is her first round recorded in the 60s in individual stroke-play competition on Tour and is a new career best
  • Her previous best in an individual event was a 70, last recorded in the first- and second-rounds of the Meijer LPGA classic
• This is the first 18-hole co-lead/lead of her LPGA Tour career
• This is her 10th event of the LPGA Tour season
  • She has only made one cut, finishing T64 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, where she shot 70-70-72-74
• Sudow is a 2023 LPGA Tour rookie
  • She finished tied for 17^th at the 2022 LPGA Q-Series to first earn Tour status
  • As an amateur, she finished her collegiate golf career the University of Arizona in 2021

Rolex Rankings No. 404, Kim Metraux

• Metraux hit 7 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens, with 26 putts
• Her 69 is at Castlerock is her first round in the 60s on the LET since the La Sella Open, where she shot a second-round 69
  • In now 41 completed LET rounds this season, this is only the fourth time she has shot in the 60s
  • Her 69 ties her season-low 18-hole score
• This is the first time Metraux has held a co-lead/lead in any LPGA Tour event
  • She last shared a first-round lead at the Ladies Italian Open, but ultimately finished three strokes back of her sister, Kim, who won
• This is her second appearance in the ISPS Handa World Invitational since it became a co-sanctioned event with the LPGA, LET and DP World Tour
  • She missed the cut in 2022
• This is her seventh-ever LPGA Tour appearance
  • She’s made one cut, at the 2023 FREED Golf Women’s Scottish Open, where she ultimately finished T47
• This is her 15th event of the 2023 Ladies European Tour season
  • Her season-best individual result is a tie for 10^th at the Jabra Ladies Open
  • Her team finished third in the team portion of the Aramco Team Series – Singapore event
• This is Metraux’s fifth season on the LET, after becoming a rookie in 2019
  • Her career-best finish on the LET is second, at the 2022 Joburg Ladies Open
  • She played collegiate golf at Florida State University, where she earned All-ACC Honors twice (2016, 2017) and graduated in 2018 with a  degree in Business Management
  • She was a 2020 Tokyo Olympian representing Switzerland
  • Metraux’s sister, Morgane, is also an LET and LPGA Tour Member

Rolex Rankings No. 267, Karis Davidson

• Davidson hit 5 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens with 25 putts
• Her 69 at Castlerock is her second round recorded in the 60s this season
  • She also shot a 69 at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei
• This is the first 18-hole co-lead/lead of her LPGA Tour career
• This is her 12th event of the LPGA Tour season
  • She has made the cut in six of 11 starts and has earned three top-20 finishes
  • Her best finish of the season is a T13 result at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
• This is her second season on the LPGA Tour
  • She has one top-10 finish in her LPGA Tour career, a T8 result at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
  • She Finished T41 in the LPGA Q-Series to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2022 season

THINGS TO KNOW

• The four Irish/Northern Irish women in the field finished a combined +15
  • Leona Maguire finished even at Castlerock, the best of the four players
  • Stephanie Meadow finished +2 at Galgorm
  • Sponsor invite Jessica Ross finished +4 at Castlerock
  • The LET’s Olivia Mehaffey finished +9 at Castlerock
• The par-4 No. 10 played as the hardest hole at Castlerock Golf Club
  • The hole had a 4.625 scoring average during round one
  • Only three birdies were made there on Thursday, including one from first-round co-leader Gabriella Cowley
  • There were 41 bogeys or worse on No. 10 during the first round
• At Galgorm, the hardest hole was the par-4 No. 8
  • The scoring average was 4.535
  • Only four players made birdie there on Thursday
  • There were 36 bogeys or worse on that hole during the first round
• The par-5 17th played the easiest at Castlerock with a scoring average of 4.278
  • Seven eagles and 40 birdies were made there on Thursday
• The easiest holes at Galgorm were the par-5 Nos. 9 and 10
  • Both holes had a scoring average of 4.606
  • On 9, there were 32 birdies or better
  • On 10, there were 28 birdies or better

QUOTABLE
“You know, those into-wind holes were very challenging, some pin positions where there is not much green to work with, and when a gust of wind blows in your face it makes that landing area even smaller. So just being smart with where you want to leave yourself. You know you’re not always going to hit all the greens, so leaving yourself in position to where you are more likely to make up and down.” – Bronte Law on managing the windy conditions at Castlerock Golf Club on Thursday

“I went with driver off the tee, which was kind of risk-reward, but I knew if I could get it as far down there as possible I would only be going in with like a 9-iron, but ended up hitting a small wedge into there, which was obviously a lot easier with kind of a fuller shot, but having the spin so I could stop it downwind. It was quite an in-between kind of shot, so I just fully committed and came up nicely there. Just pitched like 20 yards short of the pin and released up to about three feet.” – Chloe Willaims on her impressive eagle on the par-5 No.17 at Castlerock Golf Club

NOTABLE

Strokes Gained Should Determine The Winner

Bronte Law Lurks After Round One of ISPS Handa World Invitational

Ryann O’Toole First-Round Interview | 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational

Maguire Expecting Different Tests at ISPS Handa World Invitational

Behind the Leaderboard – AIG Women’s Open

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS (since becoming an LPGA/LET co-sanctioned event in 2021)*

18 holes: 63, Maja Stark (fourth round, 2022)

36 holes: 132, Emma Talley (2021)

54 holes: 205, Pajaree Annanarukarn, Jennifer Kupcho & Emma Talley (2021)

72 holes: 271 (-20), Maja Stark (2022)

*Course records set at Galgorm and Massereene Golf Club

COURTESY LPGA TOUR COMMUNICATIONS