Teenage Frenchwoman Margaux Brejo has symbolically put her country on her shoulders to take the Round 1 lead at the World Deaf Golf Championships on the Gold Coast.

A field of 104 players from across the globe teed off at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Monday morning, Brejo leading the women’s event with a round of 1-under 71 as defending champion Nico Guldan of Germany also shot 71 to lead the men’s event by two.

Brejo has a three-stroke lead from defending champion Vanessa Girke (74) with American pair Erica Pressley (78) and Ashlyn Johnson (79) third and fourth respectively.

In the crowd for the final day of the men’s Olympic golf competition and day one of the women’s competition at Le Golf National earlier this month, Brejo has adopted her own method to display national pride.

Rather than use a pull buggy, Brejo carries her clubs, and draws strong symbolism from it.

“I think I’m the only player who takes my bag on my shoulder and it gives me a difference because I think I have my country on my shoulders,” said Brejo.

“That’s a representation for me, and I’m a little bit superstitious about that.”

Playing off plus-4 at Fontaineblau Golf Club an hour south of Paris, 17-year-old Brejo was fourth at the 2022 World Deaf Golf Championships in Hawaii.

She made a terrific start to the 2024 championship with birdies at 13 and 17 to turn in 1-under. Brejo made bogey after almost driving the green at six, three-putted eight for par after driving the green but closed with birdie at the par-5 ninth to take momentum into day two.

“That was the most important for me,” Brejo said of her closing birdie.

“On the eighth I take the green in one and I take three putts, on the sixth I make a chip and three putts and seven I take the green in one and make three putts. Very, very bad, so nine was the most important for me to feel positive for the next round.”

While Brejo finished well, Girke made double-bogey on the ninth to hand her a three-shot deficit heading into Round 2.

“The last hole, I got a little bit tired, I think,” said Girke.

“I’ve had some back pain the last few weeks and a bit struggle with my swing so I’m pretty happy that today it was pretty good.”

As defending champion and with experience playing the ProGolfTour in Europe, Guldan began the championship as the man to beat.

With birdies at one, three and eight he raced out to an early lead but made three bogeys on the back nine to end the day 1-under and two strokes clear of Australian Jack Besley.

Playing off plus-4 at Heilbronn-Hohenlohe Golf Club in Germany, Guldan struggled to maintain his rhythm on the back nine and stay on good terms with putting surfaces very different than what he is used to.

He is well placed to go back-to-back but is viewing this championship as something of a free hit.

“Of course I try to defend my title, but I go with the mind game that I already have one title so I don’t have to, but I want to,” Guldan said.

“Today was solid. I will go to train after this a little bit and then I hope I can defend it.”

Winner of the Australian Deaf Golf Championship at Royal Pines last September, Besley has his eyes on a second World Deaf title 10 years after his first.

The Assistant Course Superintendent at Southern Golf Club in Melbourne, Besley birdied 16 and 17 before dropping a shot on 18 in his round of 73.

“I learned what not to do on a few tees,” Besley said of the knowledge he took from his victory at Royal Pines 12 months ago.

“Instead of just going guns blazing with the driver, you just sort of dial it down, just hit maybe a 3-wood or a 3-iron, just take the water out of play.

“I found the water a few times last year, so I adjusted that, kept it in play and sort of reflected a little bit on the score as well.”

Dunedoo’s Chantell Greaves is the best-placed Australian in the women’s event, the reigning Australian champion tied for 10th after a difficult finish to her first round.

Round 1 scores