ANGEL YIN GRABS CLUBHOUSE LEAD

One behind overnight, Yin, 17, who resides in Arcadia, Florida, bogeyed the par-4 third hole but picked up a pair of birdies on the long fifth and par-4 7th.

Yin, who will turn 18 just before the Lacoste Ladies Open de France in a fortnight, then birdied the 10th to take the outright lead on four-under-par, but dropped a shot at the par-5 16th falling into a share of the lead and ending her round at three-under-par, alongside Walker after 17 and one clear of Floridian Lewis.

A prodigious talent who is ranked fifth in driving distance on Tour with an average drive of 260 yards, Yin has posted two top 10s from six starts on the LET this season, including a best finish of third at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco and tied ninth at the recent ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters in Germany.

She is currently 19th on the Order of Merit and lying second on the Rookie rankings, behind top ranked Spaniard Nuria Iturrios, the Lalla Meryem Cup champion. Yin has earned €51,551.67 so far this season and is €28,177.50 behind Iturrios. The winner’s cheque this week is €45,000, so there is much at stake, with Yin looking to become the first United States player to win the LET’s Rookie of the Year prize since Laura Diaz (née Philo) in 1998 and the fourth American to win the award overall.