Irish Pair Alison Coffey and Suzanne O'Brien both made solid starts to their challenge for honours in the European Women's Individual Amateur championship over the Amber Baltic Course on Poland's north coast yesterday.
Coffey, the current Irish champion from Warrenpoint, posted a one-under-par 72 to be just two strokes adrift of three players, Sweden's Maria Boden, Italian Veronica Zorzi and Denmark's Carina Wagner.
She made a splendid start by picking up a birdie on the second hole where her eight-iron tee-shot finished 10 feet from the flag and she got another birdie on the seventh after wedging to 10 feet.
But a bogey at the 12th, where she missed the green and failed to get up and down, and another at the 16th was something of a hiccup for Coffey - but she finished well with a birdie four on the home hole thanks to a 10-foot putt.
"I am quite pleased. It was solid stuff - I hit the fairways well and it's good to be close to the pace," said Coffey.
O'Brien, whose clubs were delayed en route and only arrived in the early hours of yesterday morning, was disappointed with her outward half which she covered in 38 but she had five single putts on the way home. Her score of 72 also keeps her very much in contention with three rounds remaining.
Coffey and O'Brien were joint sixth in this championship last year and are hoping to make another impact this week.
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