Swedish teenager Julia Engström, who led after the first round of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, at Vipingo Ridge, courtesy of a five-under par 67. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

HAMPSHIRE’S Liz Young overcame a major scare before her tee time to emerge as the closest challenger to Swedish teenager Julia Engström, who made a strong start to the season-ending Magical Kenya Ladies Open.

Engström set the pace with a five-under par 67 at Vipingo Ridge, on Thursday, in the event that brings down the curtain on the 2019 Ladies European Tour season.

Meanwhile Young, who is in her 11^th year on the LET, produced five birdies and one bogey early in the tournament after a scary start to her day.

The Brokenhurst Manor member had the sort of experience I’m a Celebrity’s Kate Garraway and EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa have been having in the Australian jungle on ITV’s reality show, when she was confronted by a gaint spider in her hotel room in the early hours.

Young, who is looking for her first top 10 finish since becoming a mum three years ago, said: “At 5.30am, I walked into the bathroom and there was the biggest huntsman spider in the shower, terrifying me.

“My roommate (Eleanor Givens) was still asleep so I had to be quiet. She has informed me that it’s gone, but I really hope it’s gone down the drain and not into the bedroom.”

Young – who played in the 2016 Women’s British Open at Woburn while seven months’ pregnant – said it was so hot and sticky at 7am that she had to change her glove on the driving range.

However cloud cover moved in just before midday to ease conditions for 104-strong field.

Thirty-seven-year-old Young, from the New Forest, who turned pro in 2009 after playing in the 2008 Curtis Cup, for Great Britain and Ireland against the USA, at St Andrews, has had four top 20s in 2019.

She stands 32nd on this year’s money list having won €35,321 in 11 events.

Eighteen-year-old Julia Engström carded six birdies and a bogey on a sun-kissed opening day to lead by one shot.

Rookie Esther Henseleit, from Germany, who is also looking for a breakthrough victory, shot a 69 to rest alongside last year’s Jabra Ladies Open champion Astrid Vayson de Pradenne, from France.

America’s Cheyenne Woods was also in form and fired a two-under par 70 to claim outright fifth place.

Engström – last season’s Rookie of the Year – birdied the third and fourth holes and cruised to the turn in 34 – before adding another gain at the 11^th.

She hit a loose drive on the 13^th resulting in her sole bogey, but birdied the 14^th and 15^th to join Young in the lead.

Engström then knocked a delightful wedge to within nine feet of the target on 18, before making her final birdie putt.

“It was a combination of decent ball-striking and then being good around the greens,” said Julia Engström, who tied for fourth in last week’s Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España after a career-best round of 65 in Saturday’s third round.

“The wind started blowing from the fourth hole as a thunderstorm was coming in close by – and we could feel that. But it was nice to have some breeze because it was so hot.

“It’s always nice to have a few good tournaments and after last week, I tried to stay calm and not stress out too much.”

Henseleit, who is still in the running to end the season as European No 1 if she can record her maiden victory this weekend, also played in the morning, before the wind picked up.

She carded four birdies and a bogey to be six strokes better than the current LET Order of Merit leader, Marianne Skarpnord, who opened with a three-over par 75 to lie in equal 48^th position.

Vayson de Pradenne aims to copy Colsearts

THE stakes are equally high for Frenchwoman Astrid Vayson de Pradenne, who stood in 75^th place on the Order of Merit as the first Magical Kenya Ladies Open got under way.

She needs a strong finish to move into the top 70 and retain her LET card, but is looking at the bigger picture.

The qualified physiotherapist said: “I’m just trying to enjoy myself. I’m already blessed to be here.

“You look at the scenery around, you look at the sea. Kenya is a fantastic place and I’m just enjoying myself.

“I’m not thinking about trying to save the card, because I’m 34, I’ve got something going in my life other than golf. I’m golf passionate, but if I have to stop after this week, it’s fine.

“Of course I will be sad and frustrated, but I know it’s not going to be the end of my life.

“I know I have to do something this week. I met Nicolas Colsaerts in August and he told me how bad his season was and then he won the French Open.

“So with my coach, we said, ‘You never know, you might do a Colsaerts this week.’ If I don’t do a Colsaerts, I will at least try to play my best golf to try to secure my playing rights for next year.”

Meanwhile, a second tournament victory for Woods, the winner of the 2014 Volvik RACV Ladies Masters in Australia, would allow her to re-join the LET next year.

•Follow live scoring at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open by clicking here.

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Hoylake LET pro Emma Goddard with legal firm Gateley’s John Burns after the Royal Liverpool pro received one of the LET’s Gateley grants to support her education.

ROYAL Liverpool’s Ladies European Tour player Emma Goddard has become the first recipient of the LET’s first Gateley education grant awards.

The new grant-aid scheme was launched at the beginning of December last year as part of the ‘LET’s Learn’ element of the tour’s development strategy.

It exists to encourage LET members to give thought to their personal development, which could be relevant to their careers as professional golfers or their longer-term plans.Emma joined the tour in 2015 and she achieved her maiden win on the LET’s Access Series in 2017 at the Riberia Sacra Patrimonio de la Humanidad International Ladies Open.She is now seeking to obtain an ASQ level five diploma in golf club management through the Golf Club Manager’s Association.Emma said: “At some point in the future I would like to be a director of golf and I feel the time is right for me to start working towards that goal. The Gateley grant will help me to gain the qualification that will give me the knowledge I need.”Having enjoyed five years on the LET starting in 2013, Leigh is working towards qualifying as a PGA coach and would like to undertake additional training to enhance her communications skills.

Leigh said: “This Gateley grant will enable me to attend a special course that will give me a much deeper understanding of how to communicate effectively.

“That will give me a much better understanding of my clients and how to reach out to them and to the goals they want to achieve.”

Soon after the first grants were offered to Emma and German-based Leigh Whittaker, two additional awards were made to Germany’s Esther Henseleit and France’s Astrid Vayson de Pradenne.

Although Esther is an LET rookie and has only just started her professional career, she believes that continuing her education is important.

She said: “Since I graduated from high school this summer, I noticed that I miss studying and learning something new besides the golf course.

“For that reason, I decided to start studying. I’m sure that it will help me to exercise my brain and be the best person and athlete I can be – on and off the golf course.”

Astrid turned pro in 2013 and secured her maiden professional victory at the 2018 Jabra Ladies Open, but has also worked as a physio since qualifying in 2011.

In order to maintain her physio registration, she must attend courses every year and her Gateley grant will enable her to attend a two-day course that explains the mechanisms and magnitude of the placebo effect of treatment and considers the ethical and moral implications of using placebo in physiotherapy.

Astrid said: “I am looking forward to an update on pain. Indeed, it is the number one concern of my patients, in front of functional limitations.”

The introduction of the grant-aid scheme is part of the LET’s longer-term objective to increase the number of women in decision-making roles in the sport.

It is also consistent with the aims set out in The R&A’s ‘Women in Golf Charter’, to which the LET is a signatory.

Sponsors Gateley are a legal firm with offices in England and Dubai. The LET headquarters are at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club.

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