Trio share lead in France as Olivia Mehaffey off the early pace

Annabel Dimmock, Liz Young and Laura Fuenfstueck share the lead after the first round of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.

The trio shot six-under-par 65s at Golf Barrière in Deauville on Thursday and are one shot clear of Johanna Gustavsson and Meghan MacLaren.

It was a disappointing start for Olivia Mehaffey who finds herself well off the pace heading into the second round following an opening round 75.

Fuenfstueck set the pace with four straight birdies from her first hole, the 10th and added another at the short 17th to make the turn in five under 31. She dropped a shot at the first but made further gains at the second and fourth.

"I'm obviously super pleased with a low one today. It’s not easy out there and there are some slopey greens, which give you a lot of slopey putts. I tried to stay on the correct side and give myself lots of uphill putts. I hit it close a few times so I’m really happy with six-under today," she said.

Playing later in the afternoon, Young, the 2022 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open champion, holed a bunker shot from a plugged lie on the eighth and chipped in on 11 in a round containing seven birdies and one bogey, to join Fuenfstueck at the top of the leaderboard.

"I was really pleased. The whole of the summer it’s been close but not been quite there. I’ve had a few lessons with my coach on the irons, so hopefully I’m on the right track now," she said.

Dimmock, the 2019 Jabra Ladies Open champion, made it a three-way tie at the top when she fired an eagle on her first hole, the 10th, five birdies and a bogey in a superb 65.

"Everything was pretty good today. I drove it well, my irons were decent, so there was no weakness in my game. I don’t think I missed a green," said Dimmock.

"Although it’s playing