World amateur number one Lottie Woad fired a warning shot across the bow of first-round rival Aloysa Margiela Atienza when she followed a 69 with a brilliant six-under 66 to top the qualifiers in the Women’s Amateur Championship at Portmarnock.

The reigning Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion (20) bounced back from an opening bogey with birdies at the second, fourth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 13th and 15th to top the leaderboard by five strokes on nine-under from Sweden’s Maja Ortengren, who shot 69 to be the only other player in the red.

Scores

Matchplay draw

Seven of the 13-strong Irish contingent made the 64 qualifiers for the matchplay as diminutive Singaporean Atienzan saw a 45-foot bomb from short of the ninth green at the fourth extra hole clatter the pin and drop.

She eliminated England’s Patience Rhodes in near darkness to end a six-way playoff for the 64th spot on 13-over.

American Anna Morgan was eliminated at the first extra hole, the 10th, as Atienza, Rhodes, Denmark’s Johanna Axelson, Americans Rebekka Skoler and Sydney Roberts made pars to advance.

Axelson and Skoler bowed out with bogeys at the ninth before Roberts was eliminated on their return to the tenth, where Rhodes from the left and Atienza from the right both made fantastic up and downs for par.

But it was the Singaporean who advanced with that dramatic birdie at the fourth extra hole, the ninth, where both women came up short of the green in near darkness.

Rhodes chipped weakly before Atienza hit her putt hard and watched it race towards the pin — and drop.

Her reward is a first-round clash with the impressive Woad, who also showed she could putt yesterday,

“It was good to get a feel for the greens, and hopefully that keeps on happening because Portmarnock is a great test,” English star Woad said after combining superb ball striking with a deft touch with her red-shafted putter.

Douglas’ Sara Byrne (23) headed the Irish challenge in a tie for eighth on four over and while she didn’t make a birdie in a second successive 74, she’s hoping the blade warms up when it really counts.

“The putter was ice cold today, unfortunately, but I struck the ball really well and did what I needed to do,” Byrne said. “I just wanted to go out there and hit fairways and greens. my caddie that we don’t need the putts to fall today.”

Annabel Wilson double-bogeyed the 18th for the second day running but still shot an impressive 73 to qualify in 12th on six-over alongside Anna Foster, who shot 77, while Kate Lanigan was a shot further back after a 75.

Beth Coulter made it on eight over after a 78 as Emma Fleming carded a 76 and Aine Donegan a 78 to share 40th on 10-over.