Dlamini, Pace in touch in Morocco

Nobuhle Dlamini fired an opening 69 and Lee-Anne Pace carded a 70 to finish within striking distance of England’s Rebecca Hudson and Sophie Walker, who share the first round lead at five-under-par 66 at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.

Dlamini from Swaziland reeled in seven birdies against five bogeys in her Ladies European Tour debut in Agadir to claim a share of ninth.

The Swazi golfer said her first tee nerves were compounded by a bout of flu, but she settled down immediately after a birdie at the opening hole.

“I was pretty nervous, but I took my three-wood and hit is smack down the middle of the first fairway,” she said. “I had only 68 meters to the pin and I left the approach just a meter from the flag. Once I knocked in the putt for birdie, the nerves were a thing of the past. I thought, ‘I’m on my way.’

“I made a couple more birdies to turn in three under, but it was a bit tougher on the back nine, because the wind blew harder. I had a couple of bad drives coming down the stretch, but I held it together.”

Meanwhile eight-time LET champion Pace dropped just one shot for a share 16^th, while Stacy Bregman navigated the Golf de l’Ocean layout in even par to tie for 25^th.

Kim Williams, also making her debut on the LET, and compatriot Connie Chen joined the bus of 18 players parked at three-over-par 74, while the final South African in this week’s line-up, LET rookie Nicole Garcia, returned a 76.

PHOTO – Nobuhle Dlamini on the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s SuperSport Challenge; credit Catherine Kotze / SASPA.