KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Ashley Lau made an impressive Olympic debut with an even-par 72 in the opening round of the women's golf competition at Le Golf National on Wednesday.
She exchanged four birdies for four bogeys, ending the day tied for 13th, seven shots behind home favourite Celine Boutier.
Ashley displayed resilience, especially after dropping two bogeys in her first three holes. She quickly regained a stroke with her first birdie and had a standout moment at the 10th hole, sinking a brilliant 41-foot putt to get back to even par.
Although she conceded two more shots on the 13th and 15th holes, Ashley recovered each time. She converted a 15-foot birdie putt and on the par-five 18th, reached the green in two strokes, securing her fourth birdie with two putts.
Ashley shared 13th position with 12 others, including world No. 1 and defending champion Nelly Korda of the United States, New Zealand's two-time major champion Lydia Ko and China's world No. 5 Yin Ruo Ning.
Boutier, last year's Maybank Championship winner, showcased her gold medal potential with a sizzling 65, leading by three shots over South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai, who sits in solo second.