Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow fought back from nightmare starts but saw their medal hopes dealt a massive blow as they opened with six-over 78s in the Women’s Olympic Golf Competition in Paris.
Neither player arrived at Le Golf National in top form and they suffered on the opening day, finishing tied for 50th in the 60-strong field, eight shots outside the podium and 13 shots behind runaway leader Celine Boutier of France.
Meadow struggled from the start, dropping shots at the second, fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth to turn in five-over 41 before further bogeys at the 10th and 12th left her on seven-over.
The Jordanstown star (32) found only her fifth fairway of the day at the par-five 18th and took advantage by finding the green and two-putting from 50 feet for her solitary birdie.
“It’s one of those courses that you’ve got to be in the short stuff and that hurt me today but I did some things well and hopefully I can take those positives into the next three days,” Meadow said afterwards.
“It was nice to finish there on 18 there with a birdie. It’s probably one of the most daunting second shots on a par five I’ve ever hand, and only a five iron in my hand so it was nice to pull that off.
“It’s golf right, it happens — it wasn’t my best stuff but did I have fun out there — I definitely did,representing my country and hearing the crowds. It feels like home out there with all the Irish flags.”
The rough also proved massively punishing for Maguire (29), who three-putted the first for a double-bogey six after being forced to lay up from heavy rough.
She missed a birdie chance from six feet at the fourth before dropping five shots in a devastating three-hole stretch from the seventh to turn in seven-over 43.
After failing to get up and down after another forced lay up at the seventh, the World No.30 three-putted from the fringe for bogey at the eighth before running up a devastating triple bogey eight at the 457-yard ninth.
The Solheim Cup star found the native area with her approach, just 50 yards from the green.
However, after twice failing to move the ball more than a few yards, she took a penalty drop, missed the green with her sixth shot, and had to make a six-footer for an eight.
She came home in one-under par 35 but it was still a struggle to find greens.
While she birdied the 12th from 11 feet and ran in a 28-footer for a two at the 17th before two-putting for a closing birdie four, she also bogeyed the 15th and 17th.
Maguire’s former Duke University team-mate Boutier (30), who won four times on the LPGA last year, including her first Major, had a dream day.
The Texas-based French star, who regards Le Golf National as her home course, made eight birdies in a seven-under 65 to lead by three shots from South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai and by five from Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux, Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe and American Lilia Vu.
“It can always be better with golf, but no, I’m really over the moon with the way the tournament started for me,” said Boutier, who chipped in once and made over 100 feet of putts.