An even course record, twenty-seven eagles, and a nearly two-hour suspension due to a thunderstorm brought the first round of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, a Ladies European Tour tournament with prize money of €300,000, to Royal Beroun Golf Club.
Players in the morning flights seized the opportunity of the near-perfect conditions, delivering unprecedented scores. Chloe Williams, starting her round from the 10th hole, finished with a remarkable 63 (-9), matching the course record set in 2020 by the late winner, Denmark’s Emily Pedersen. The Welsh professional’s performance was a sight to behold, with four birdies on her first nine and an impressive five more, three in a row, by the seventh hole. She closed with pars on the last two holes, leaving a lasting impression on the course.
Only two shots more, a 65 (-7) with the help of an eagle on the par five, was recorded in the morning by Finland’s Sanna Nuutinen, winner of the 2019 Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge. It was only late in the day that she was matched by Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, who holed seven birdies to remind her of her key single in Europe’s Solheim Cup victory last year. Also playing fourth place in the morning is Alexandra Swayne of the US Virgin Islands, who shot 66 with six birdies and no bogeys.
Among the 14 Czech women, professional Tereza Kozeluhova emerged as the top performer on Friday. She played the round of her life, finishing with a 68 (-4) that included six birdies and two bogeys. Her stellar performance was a source of pride for the Czech contingent, demonstrating their strength and potential in the tournament. Sara Kouskova also had a commendable performance, starting with her best-ever first nine (30 shots and 6 under par with six birdies), but faced challenges on the second, finishing nine strokes over par.
The best of the fourteen Czech women after Friday was professional Tereza Kozeluhova, who played her lifetime round of 68 (-4) with six birdies and two bogeys. Sara Kouskova was still under par, but after her best-ever first nine (30 shots and six under par with six birdies), she was nine strokes over on the second, mainly due to a lost ball and a double bogey on the par fourteenth. Still, she finished in 69 (-3) and is tied for 27th place.
The other Czech players have already finished above par. While the 73 (+1) was an encouragement, especially for amateur Lucie Váchová and the fresh pro Patricia Macková, the same score did not please the two Czech LET tournament winners as much. Klára Davidson Spilková hit into the water on ten, and after a solid opening, Kristýna Napoleaová also picked up some shots with a three-putt on the five-over-par sixteen, where she attacked for birdie.
The second round was suspended at 16:13 due to thunderstorms and played from 18:10. Eventually, all flights were completed, and the second round schedule was not disrupted.