It was a good day to be named Amelia, as the Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson kicked off. New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey and England’s Amelia Williamson set the 18-hole scoring record, sharing the lead at 7-under.

The 2025 season has so far seen Garvey teeing it up around the world on the Ladies European Tour. This week, she made her season debut on the Road to the LPGA, competing at the Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson. And compete she did, finishing up her round as the leader in the clubhouse, only to be chased down by Williamson at the end of the day.

The Kiwi’s scorecard was not mistake-free, proving that birdies are out there at Spanish Trail Country Club. Garvey carded seven birdies, two bogeys and a lone eagle on Thursday’s first round.

“I mean, most things went well. I didn't make too many mistakes,” said Garvey. “I was able to take advantage of the par fives really nicely. I had an eagle on the second hole and had a couple eagle looks as well coming in. So yeah, I mean, if I do that well, I usually put up a good round but to be able to have, I think seven birdies out there today or six, I'm just really happy with the way I played.”

Williamson’s round saw the most exciting finish of the day, eagling the par-five 18th and jumping into the co-lead. The bogey-free scorecard is her Epson Tour career-best round by two shots, besting her previous-best 67 during the third round of the 2023 Circling Raven Championship.

While there are still 18 holes before the cut is made to the top 60 and ties, Williamson is looking to be in a good position to make her first cut of the season.

“Everything was just really solid. I didn't make any mistakes,” said Williamson. “I gave myself a lot of chances, actually didn't make all of them, but everything was really stress-free. And I feel like it's hard to come by sometimes in golf.”

Right on the Amelia’s tails are Yue Ren, Agathe Laisne and Crystal Wang at 6-under. The second round will begin at 7 a.m. local time on Friday, with many athletes looking to make moves into the cutline and toward the lead.

Amelia Garvey and Amelia Williamson Share Lead After Opening Round in Vegas

Related Articles