Linda Wessberg takes route 66 in Paris

Swede Linda Wessberg produced a brilliant six-under-par 66 in the opening round of the Open de France.

Wessberg, who won the event in 2007, had seven birdies and a solitary bogey in an impressive round at the Paris International Golf Club to lead by a stroke.

The chasing pack consisted of Italian Diana Luna, Caroline Masson of Germany and South Africa's Stacy Lee Bregman, bunched together on 67.

After excelling on a rain-softened course, Wessberg said: "It's a great golf course.

"It's playing pretty tough, I think, especially now that it's soggy in the ground. I think we've been very lucky with the weather.

"I played pretty solid; hit a lot of fairways and 15 greens. I played great last week as well but I couldn't hole one putt."