Maguire six back in Singapore as flooding keeps Foster and Donegan off the course in Australia
Auston Kim of the United States plays her second shot on the third hole during Day One of the HSBC Women's World Championship 2026 at Sentosa Golf Club on February 26, 2026 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Leona Maguire made a solid but unspectacular start in the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore but Anna Foster and rookie Aine Donegan didn’t get to hit a shot in the LET’s weather-delayed Ford Women’s NSW Open in Australia.
Play was suspended for the day due to flooding at Wollongong Golf Club in New South Wales, and the Ladies European Tour event, co-sanctioned with the WPGA Tour of Australasia, will now resume on Friday at 08:00 local time.
Denmark’s Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen and Germany’s Alexandra Försterling share the clubhouse lead after battling through brutal conditions to card two-under 69s as England’s Charlotte Heath got to three under through 15 holes when play was suspended.
“It was probably one of the most brutal rounds I’ve ever played,” said four-time LET winner Försterling, who was two-over through nine holes before making four birdies in her first five holes on the back nine.
“It was crazy. It probably feels like a 59 or something. It feels insane. I was actually surprised I shot two-under because I really didn’t count.”
Kibsgaard Nielsen, meanwhile, eagled the par-five 13th as she also shot a super 69..
“I was struggling a little bit from the first tee, and it was tough conditions,” the Dane said. “I just tried to hit the middle of the greens and hit some good shots that ended up close.
“I think I added 20 per cent of the distance going into the wind, which is a lot. And just everything’s so wet.”
Temperatures crept close to 30 °C in breezy Singapore, where Co Cavan star Maguire opened with a level par 72 that left her tied for 28th, six strokes off the lead.
Starting on the back nine, she sandwiched birdies at the 14th and 15th between bogeys at the 11th and third (her 12th) before following another bogey at the short seventh with a birdie at the par-five eighth.
She was six strokes behind American Auston Kim, who shot a six-under 66 to lead by a shot from China’s Yan Liu.
England’s Mimi Rhodes, American Lindy Duncan, Korea’s Haeran Ryu, Japan’s Miyu Yamashita and Sweden’s Linn Grant were tied for third after three-under 69s but it was tougher going for some of the star names.
World number three Charley Hull was tied for 28th with Maguire after her 72, while world number one Jeeno Thitikul and England’s Lottie Woad were in a big group to post one-over 73s.
“I hit a lot of good shots today and then every single time I hit a bad one I was able to recover,” said leader Kim, who had just 21 putts in a seven-birdie round.
“I made three really big par saves today, so that kind of pulled my round together to go super low.
“Overall, I've hit a lot of good shots and every single time I hit a bad one, I was able to recover.”
Kim pointed to accuracy from the tee as key to scoring well at Sentosa’s Tanjong Course.
“I think it's a pretty challenging course in that there are a couple of holes that are really wonky,” she explained.
“You have to be in a good position off the tee in order to have a chance to convert for a birdie or even par. If you hit in the wrong spots, you just don't really have a chance.
“A lot of these holes you just really have to be in a good position to make par and if you make birdie, it's a bonus.”
