Britons struggle in first round of Olympic golf

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Paris 2024 Olympics leaderboard, round one

-7 Boutier (Fra); -4 Buhai (SA); -2 Metraux (Swi), Uribe (Col), Vu (USA), Lopez (Mex)

Selected others: Level Korda (USA), Zhang (USA); +2 Hall (GB); +6 Maguire (Ire), Meadow (Ire); +9 Hull (GB)

Team GB’s Georgia Hall and Charley Hull endured a difficult first day of the women’s Olympic golf at Le Golf National.

Hull carded a nine-over 81 to sit 58th of 60 competitors, while Hall’s 74 left her tied for 30th at two over par.

There is no cut in the event, so neither is danger of going out of the tournament, but they are well adrift of leader Celine Boutier after the first of four rounds.

France’s Boutier is seven under par after her 65, three shots clear of South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai.

Reigning champion Nelly Korda, of the USA, recovered from a poor start to finish at even par, seven strokes behind Boutier and tied for 13th overall.

“It’s true that it’s nice to be able to post a good first round, and [I’m] super-positive for the rest of the week,” said Boutier, who became the first Frenchwoman to win a major on home soil at the 2023 Evian Championship.

“The first round doesn’t mean much – there are still three days left, it’s a lot of golf [and] so much can happen.”