Morgane Metraux produced the best display of the Swiss players by producing a round of 68, with Kim then shooting a 69.

“I actually had a bad nine to start with a double bogey but I made a 90-foot putt for an eagle on the fifth hole, my 14th,” Morgane Metraux said afterwards.

“I just focused and the score just came.

“It is always better to just try to enjoy the day.

“I think I only missed one or two fairways, which is the key here.”

The Swiss team’s total of seven-under-par sees them currently lie one shot ahead of South Korea, who triumphed back in 2010 and 2012.

South Korea’s best performer was 16-year-old Hyun Kyung Park, who shot a round of 68 to push her team into second place.

Japan and China currently occupy third and fourth place in the overall standings, with the two teams having produced two and one-under-par rounds on the opening day.

United States, who have won the Espirito Santo Trophy a record 13 times, are currently tied for seventh place with Austria on two-over-par.

The championship will feature 164 players, in teams of two or three representing 55 nations.

Each team member plays 18-holes of stroke play for four days.

In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for the round.

The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.