Ebotse golfer Nicole Garcia made the most of the tranquil conditions at Westlake Golf Club recently, to grab a share of the four-way tie for the lead on the opening day of the €200 000 Investec SA Women’s Open in the City of Cape Town.
Garcia underwent hip surgery in early 2019 and spent most of the season on the bench.
A few weeks ago the Ebotse golfer showed glimpses of a return to form when she lifted the individual title and won the team competition in the Canon Serengeti Par-3 Challenge.
“Having the Sunshine Ladies Tour to get back into form was brilliant,” she said.
“I could gauge where my game was at, what I needed to work on and what needed attention.
“I was hitting the ball well and putting nicely, but the scores just weren’t quite there.
“Then the win came at Serengeti and that brought a huge injection of confidence.”
Garcia was understandably delighted to get her 2020 Ladies European Tour campaign off to a promising start.
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“We teed off in no wind at Westlake, which is very rare, and I had my caddie Graeme Rowan back on the bag after a year off, so I was looking forward to the round and I am really happy that I was able to get a score going.”
Garcia started on the 10th tee and racked up three birdies going out.
“I birdied the first to go four-under, but I didn’t hit a very good shot out of the bunker on the par five (fourth) and paid for it with a bogey.
“I short-sided myself on the left of the green, but I wasn’t too upset not making the up-and-down, though.
“The pin was only three or four paces from where I was aiming, so I walked off with a soft bogey, really.
“I had a few more birdie opportunities that I didn’t make, so I was really happy with the three birdies I managed to convert.
“I hit the ball close on a couple of holes coming home, too.
“It’s gratifying to see that the game is there for the putting, too.
“I have the right pace and line, but I just had a few too many lip-outs.
“These greens are very tricky, just the slightest misread with the grain on the greens here will cause to miss.
“It’s not dropping into the cup in the centre; it kind of catches the hole on the side and then it either drops or rings the hole.
“Hopefully I can come to grips with it on Friday and keep the momentum going.”
Follow the 2020 Investec SA Women’s Open on Social Media:
Facebook:
@SAWomensOpen @sunshineladiestour @LadiesEuropeanTour @CityofCT @Westlake.Golf.Club
Twitter:
@SAWomensOpen @SLadiesTour @LETgolf @Investec @CityofCT @WestlakeGC
Instagram:
@sawomensopen @sunshineladiestour @letgolf @investec @cityofct @westlakegolfclub
Submitted by: Lali Stander (on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA)
