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Defending champion Suzann Pettersen produced a superb finish in her opening round of the Evian Championship today, carding five consecutive birdies to leave her tied third and six shots off the lead in France.

The Norwegian began her defence with a bogey, and was one-over-par as she turned for home. Far from being disheartened, the 33-year-old rallied, to shoot five-under on the inward nine to finish on four-under-par thanks to a first round 67.

Afterwards, the world No.4 said she was determined to wait for her chance on Evian’s major course, and was glad she capitalised when it arose.

“All you need is one good shot with one good swing sequence and all of a sudden it clicks.” – Suzann Pettersen

“I hit a lot of great shots towards the end and managed to get a little bit out of the round,” said Pettersen. “Good start. took me about ten, 12 holes to find the triggers today. I felt like I managed to build the round as I played. I was patient enough to kind of let the game come to me.

“I felt close enough starting off but just not quite sharp enough. All you need is one good shot with one good swing sequence and all of a sudden it clicks a little bit. So it was a nice way to finish.”

Standing in Suzann Pettersen’s way

As things stand, Hyo Joo Kim is the pace setter at the Evian Championship. The South Korean had a phenomenal round, ending the day on ten-under with no bogeys on her card. If she can build on her excellent start over the weekend, the world No.20 will be in line for her first major triumph.

Hot on Kim’s heels in second place is Australian Karrie Webb. A two-time winner on tour this season, Webb carded a six-under-par 65 in her opening round, leaving her four shots off the pace.

“I am starting to hit some really quality iron shots.” – Karrie Webb

This summer, the 39-year-old made some adjustments in her game. In this, the final major of the season, she believes they are beginning to ‘click’ into place.

“I changed swing coaches middle of the season this year,” said world No.9. “So I’ve actually put more work in through the summer than I normally would.

“The changes are starting to click and I am starting to hit some really quality iron shots. Then to see the putts go in is good.”