A three-hole blitz on her back nine has young Australian Stephanie Kyriacou in contention at the Scandinavian Mixed tournament in Gothenburg.

Kyriacou turned heads in February last year when she beat an international field by eight shots to win the Australian Ladies Classic in Bonville.

The win earned the 20-year-old Sydneysider a two-year exemption on the Ladies European Tour as well as a spot at one of the women's majors, the Evian Championship, in France in July.

Kyriacou made a slow start when she dropped a shot on the 10th - her opening hole - before making birdie on the par-four 13th to even her card.

She turned and made bogey on the first, before a run of birdie-birdie-eagle on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes put her in the mix.

A further birdie on the ninth gave Kyriacou a four-under 68, leaving her four behind leaders Austrian Christine Wolf and Englishman Sam Horsfield at the EPGA's inaugural tournament.

The field of 78 men and 78 women are competing on the same course at Vallda Golf and Country Club for prizemoney of one million euros and one trophy.

Wolf had an eagle and six birdies in her 64 to set the clubhouse target, which was matched minutes later by Horsfield, who carded nine birdies and a solitary bogey.

"I started quite well and birdied the first two par-fives that came up and actually hit it quite close on some of the holes but didn't make any putts on the front nine," said Wolf.

"Then all of a sudden, I hit it close and towards the end the putter got really hot. It was nice!

"We love competing against the guys, we have had a few mixed events at home. It is just fun. At home there is a lot of guys I play against, and I really like competing against them."

Wolf and Horsfield are a stroke ahead of Finland's Kalle Samooja, the English pair of Steven Brown and Ashley Chesters, and Spain's Pep Angles.

The tournament is co-hosted by Swedish duo Annika Sorenstam and Henrik Stenson.

Sorenstam was initially announced as a non-playing host but, 13 years after retiring, the 10-time major champion continued her recent return to professional golf and birdied the last for a 73 in her first appearance on home soil since 2008.

Stenson, who has failed to record a single top-10 finish since winning the Hero World Challenge in December 2019, carded four birdies and two bogeys in a round of 70.

Australia's Scott Hend shot a three-under 69, one stroke better than compatriots Jake Mcleod, Jason Scrivener and Maverick Antcliff.