The irony wasn’t lost on Áine Donegan as she came up the 18th hole to complete her opening round of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open on the Palmer South. A rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s hit Dreams was playing, the words of the chorus – “thunder only happens when it’s raining” – floating from the tented village as Donegan negotiated the closing hole with a par five that enabled the 24-year-old Clare woman to sign for an opening three-under-par 69 to lead the Irish challenge. But Donegan’s fine effort still cast her among the pursuers as South Africa’s Casandra Alexander, who posted a bogey-free nine-under-par 63 to establish a four-stroke lead despite the constant rain which accompanied her from the first hole to the last.Alexander was so in the zone she didn’t know her score until it came time to tot up the numbers. Her 63 included nine birdies in a display of course management that underlined why the 27-year-old Springbok is positioned atop the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit.“I’m trying to get that win but it takes more than good golf to get championships,” said Alexander. “Everything has to come together. A little bit of luck, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.“I have come second six times this year and each one has been a different scenario that I haven’t been in control of. I think, yes, it is in the head, but it also comes down to if it’s your time it is your time.”She leads Italy’s Alessandra Fanali, England’s Lily May Humphreys, Jana Melichova from the Czech Republic and the Isle of Man’s Ana Dawson, all in tied-second.Donegan, however, could take considerable satisfaction from her 69 to lead the home challenge inside the top 10, with Leona Maguire making a solid start with a round of 71. Annabel Wilson also signed for a 71, while Anna Foster and Canice Screen had level-par 72s.Before her round, Donegan watched a number of players on the practice range bemoaning their luck, the incessant rain hinting at the conditions to come.Áine Donegan during Wednesday's practice round. Photograph: Nick Elliott/Inpho Donegan and her veteran caddie Harry Ewing picked up on the prevailing mood. “A lot of people were saying, ‘Oh my God, the weather, the weather!’ I said it to Harry on the range, ‘Everyone’s giving out about the weather, like kind of nearly using it already as an excuse to play bad’. So, I went out with the (mindset): ‘Don’t let the weather affect your shots, and don’t use it as kind of an out’,” she said. In her rookie season on the LET, Donegan – who finished tied-10th in the PIF London last month – has settled in well to the globetrotting life after a fine collegiate and amateur career, which included qualifying for two US Opens and contending through the halfway point in the 2023 edition at the iconic Pebble Beach.“I probably sound like a broken record now, but Harry’s been really good on the bag. Obviously, there’s been ups and downs throughout the year, started off really well in Wollongong in Australia, and then struggled for a little bit in South Africa. But it’s a big learning curve. Even just logistically, it’s a huge learning curve,” added Donegan, in a four-way tie for ninth heading into the second round.“Each week you learn a lot, and it’s important to reflect. I’m very lucky to have really good coaches who support me and we reflect after most weeks and just focus on the week after coming up. It’s a huge learning curve, but I’m really enjoying it, which is the most important thing.”Maguire managed to complete nine holes of her opening round before the rain set in for the rest of the day. Her 71 featured three birdies and two bogeys, leaving her tied-20th. “I felt like I hit a lot of nice shots,” Maguire said of her Thursday round. “The approach shots have definitely been better lately. The driver which has been really good all year the last two weeks seems to not be quite as good but there’s still plenty of good in there and I feel like there’s a low one out there this week hopefully. I’m just trying to keep giving myself chances.”She’s joined at the K Club by her new caddied Simon Keelan, who previously carried the bag of Séamus Power on the PGA Tour.Of linking up with Keelan, who will be at the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands in a fortnight’s time Maguire said “the timing just worked out quite nicely” regarding the Corkman’s availability.