Walshe and Caudal lead Irish Ladies Open

Golf:American professional prodigy Lexi Thompson won the battle of the 16 year olds with Irish amateur Leona Maguire in their three ball at the Irish Ladies Open at Killeen Castle today by shooting a two-under-par 70 to her amateur playing partner's one over the card, 73.

Thompson, who turned professional last year having twice played against Leona in the 2010 Curtis Cup, trails the tournament leader, Anne-Lise Caudal by four shots, the Frenchwoman posting an impressive 66.

Her round included two eagles on the second and seventh holes, five birdies and three bogeys. She was later joined by American Alison Walshe and both are a shot clear of South African Lee-Anne Pace, Swede Maria Hjorth and Azahara Munoz Guijarro of Spain.

Leona’s twin sister and European Ladies Individual Amateur champion, Lisa, is adrift after a 71.

Elsewhere from an Irish context Rebecca Codd posted a two-over-par 74, while Martina Gillen battled gamely having suffered a treble and double bogeys to shoot a 76. Tara Delaney shot the same score, while Danielle McVeigh shot a 78 and Hazel Kavanagh carded an 85.

Irish Ladies' Open leaderboard (Irish in bold)

66— Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Alison Walshe (USA)

67— Lee-Anne Pace (SA), Maria Hjorth (SWE), Azahara Munoz Guijarro (ESP)

68— Dewi Claire Schreefel (NL), Karen Lunn (AUS), Kim Welch (USA), Mollie Fankhauser (USA), Caroline Hedwall (SWE), Ashleigh Simon (SA), Margherita Rigon (ITA)

69— Linda Wessberg (SWE), Karen Stupples (ENG), Laura Davies (ENG), Beatriz Recari (ESP), Christel Boeljon (NL), Sophie Gustafson (SWE), Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA)

70— Lynnette Brooky (NZ), Rachel Jennings (ENG), Melissa Reid (ENG), Julieta Granada (PAR), Alexis Thompson (USA), Florentyna Parker (ENG), Morgana Robbertze (SA), Tara Davies (WAL), Giulia Sergas (ITA), Titiya Plucksataporn (THA), Lynn Kenny (SCO)

71— Charlie Douglass (ENG), Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA), Caroline Masson (GER), Lydia Hall (WAL), Danielle Montgomery (ENG), Suzann Pettersen (NOR), Catriona Matthew (SCO), Lisa Maguire (Am) (IRE), Julie Maisongrosse (FRA)

72— Stacy Lewis (USA), Ursula Wikstrom (FIN), Danah Bordner (USA), Henrietta Zuel (ENG), Jaclyn Sweeney (USA), Anja Monke (GER), Becky Brewerton (WAL), Rebecca Hudson (ENG), Felicity Johnson (ENG), Tania Elosegui (ESP), Minea Blomqvist (FIN), Kaisa Ruuttila (FIN)

73— Emma Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Caroline Rominger (SWI), Sandra Gal (GER), Belen Mozo (ESP), Leona Maguire (Am) (IRE), Malene Jorgensen (DEN), Diana D'Alessio (USA), Sophie Sandolo (ITA), Elisabeth Esterl (GER), Kylie Walker (SCO), Christina Kim (USA), Elizabeth Bennett (ENG), Stefania Croce (ITA), Joanna Klatten (FRA)

74— Melodie Bourdy (FRA), Louise Larsson (SWE), Beth Allen (USA), Vicky Hurst (USA), Rebecca Codd (IRE), Kiran Matharu (ENG), Marianne Skarpnord (NOR), Gwladys Nocera (FRA), Rachel Bell (ENG), Diana Luna (ITA), Georgina Simpson (ENG), Nikki Garrett (AUS), Anna Nordqvist (SWE), Veronica Zorzi (ITA), Nicole Gergely (AUT), Trish Johnson (ENG), Louise Stahle (SWE), Jeehae Lee (KOR)

75— Tandi Cuningham (SA), Carin Koch (SWE), Stacey Keating (AUS), Stacy Lee Bregman (SA), Stefanie Michl (AUT), Line Vedel (DEN), Lotta Wahlin (SWE), Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN)

76— Jenni Kuosa (FIN), Tara Delaney (IRE),Sarah Kemp (AUS), Martina Gillen (IRE), Becky Morgan (WAL), Lucie Andre (FRA), Sophie Walker (ENG), Caroline Afonso (FRA), Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN)

77— Klara Spilkova (CZE), Frances Bondad (AUS), Lisa Hall (ENG), Zuzana Kamasova (SVK)

78— Benedicte Toumpsin (BEL), Lora Fairclough (ENG), Sara Brown (USA), Cassandra Kirkland (FRA), Jade Schaeffer (FRA), Emma Zackrisson (SWE), Danielle McVeigh (IRE), Adriana Zwanck (ESP)

79— Laurette Maritz (SA), Caroline Westrup (SWE), Pernilla Lindberg (SWE), Rebecca Flood (AUS), Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LU), Christine Hallstrom (SWE)

80— Clare Queen (SCO), Bree Arthur (AUS)

82— Laura Cabanillas (ESP), Vikki Laing (SCO)

83— Ana Larraneta (ESP)

85 — Hazel Kavanagh (IRE)

RTD — Holly Aitchison (ENG), Kristie Smith (AUS)