After a long weather delay of four hours and five minutes, Thursday’s first round was suspended for the day at 4:45 pm. Daniela Darquea, who had 5 holes remaining in round one, led by one stroke. The Ecuador native was 4-under thru 13 on French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course, carding six birdies before the initial delay.
One stroke behind Darquea, in second place, was Jessica Welch. The Georgian was able to finish her round, shooting 3-under before the horns blew, making her one of 12 players to complete all 18 holes.
“It felt so good [to complete the round],” said Welch. “It started thundering on us when we were on No. 8, so with two holes to go. Thankfully it held off.”
Welch recorded four birdies on the day, and went bogey-free on her back nine, the course’s front nine. She says being kind to yourself is key to being successful on this challenging course.
“You can’t beat yourself up too bad for a couple missed shots,” said Welch. “You have to be your own ally on a course like this.”
Tied for third at 2-under are Maria Parra and Karen Fredgaard. Like Welch, Parra was able to finish her round, going bogey-free on the course’s front nine and carding four birdies on the day. Fredgaard still has six holes remaining.
First-round action will resume on Friday at 8:00 am ET, with the second round set to begin no earlier than 1:45pm.
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