Sweden's Lotta Wahlin wins Wales
Ladies Championship after play-off

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin won the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe, defeating Germany’s Martina Eberl at the second extra hole of a sudden death play-off.
The 24-year-old birdied the par-5 18th hole twice in the play-off at Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club in Llanelli, South Wales. Eberl, who led after the first and second rounds, birdied the first extra hole but bogeyed the second after her ball twice found the sand near the green.
Wahlin, who won her first official Ladies European Tour title at the Turkish Ladies Open three months ago, had a chance to win the tournament at the 18th green in regulation, but missed a three-footer for par and dropped a shot, falling back into a tie with Eberl.
“I did everything for the crowd, to make it more exciting,” she said. Wahlin battled through wind and light showers to sign for a final round of one-under 71 and a seven-under-par total after 54 holes, Saturday’s play having been cancelled due to unplayable conditions.
Wahlin earned a first prize of £52,500 (€66,737) and ensured that her name will be etched alongside the other multiple winners on the LET. “I’m just so happy. When I won the last time I was leading every day and it was quite obvious that I was going to win. This time I came from fifth place but I’m just so happy. Now I have proved to myself that I’m one of the best players on this tour and I’m really proud of that,” she said.
The Swede began the final round in fifth place, two shots behind the overnight leader Eberl. She carded an eagle and three bogeys on the front nine for an outward total of one-over 37 and was three behind Eberl at the turn. Eberl dropped shots at the 10th and 15th, but despite a birdie at the 14th she was overtaken by Wahlin, who birdied holes 11, 13 and 15.
“I was just very focused because it was tough conditions. When I started I wasn’t playing good at all in the beginning but it got better,” said Wahlin, while Eberl said she was happy to take second. “I am happy, which is weird because I just lost a play-off,” said Eberl, the recent BMW Ladies Italian Open champion. “Like I said at the beginning of the week I was hitting the ball really poorly. Today was much better and just getting into a play-off made my day. A play-off is always a little question of luck too and I was really unlucky on 18. I had a really bad bunker lie. I am glad she birdied because otherwise I would have been mad!”
The English pair of Henrietta Zuel (last year's British girls champion Henrietta Brockway) and Georgina Simpson shared third position on six-under-par, while Sweden’s Maria Boden and last year’s champion Australian Joanne Mills tied for fifth on five-under.
Becky Brewerton was the leading Welsh player, finishing in a share of 11th place on three-under-par. But last year’s English Open champion failed to mount a challenge on the final day, dropping too many shots on both the front and back nine.
She posted of final round of 76 and said: “I felt like I was fighting my game all day. I didn’t get the ball anywhere near the hole with my putts apart from when I had a putt for an eagle. I think I had 38 putts.”
Brewerton will follow the LET circuit to the SAS Masters in Norway next week, before returning to LPGA Qualifying School in America in a month’s time.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72)
209 Lotta Maria Wahlin (Swe) 71 67 71, Martina Eberl (Ger) 65 71 73 (Wahlin won sudden-death play-off at second hole).
210 Georgina Simpson 66 74 70, Henrietta Zuel 66 71 73
211 Joanne Mills (Aus) 70 70 71, Maria Boden (Swe) 71 71 69
212 Paula Marti (Spa) 68 71 73, Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 70 71 71, Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 72 70 70, Samantha Head 74 71 67
213 Felicity Johnson 77 69 67, Lisa Hall 70 67 76, Nathalie David (Fra) 72 72 69, Becky Brewerton 66 71 76, Louise Stahle (Swe) 70 72 71, Anna Rawson (Aus) 71 72 70, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 69 70 74, Sophie Walker 69 76 68, Kiran Matharu 67 75 71, Martina Gillen 70 71 72, Cecillia Ekelundh (Swe) 73 71 69, Clare Queen 71 70 72
214 Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 75 68 71, Lynn t Brooky (Nzl) 74 72 68, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 72 72 70
215 Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 72 70 73, Melissa Reid 70 75 70, Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned) 75 69 71, Federica Piovano (Ita) 70 69 76, Isabella Maconi (Ita) 71 72 72, Lisa Sorensen (Den) 73 71 71, Ana-Belen Sanchez (Spa) 69 73 73, Melodie Bourdy (Fra) 68 77 70
216 Rebecca Coakley 72 73 71, Beatriz Recari (Spa) 73 71 72, Emma Zackrisson (Swe) 73 72 71
217 Anna Rossi (Ita) 72 72 73, Laura Terebey (US) 73 71 73, Marta Prieto (Spa) 70 71 76, Joanne Morley 74 69 74, Nina Reis (Swe) 72 73 72, Rebecca Hudson 70 73 74, Emma Cabrera Bello (Spa) 72 74 71
218 Lara Tadiotto (Bel) 68 73 77, Sahra Hassan 70 75 73, Elizabeth McKinnon (Swe) 72 72 74, Carmen Alonso (Spa) 73 73 72
219 Mianne Bagger (Den) 71 73 75, Karen-Margreth Juul (Den) 71 74 74, Dana Lacey (Aus) 70 76 73, Amy Yang (USA) 75 68 76, Lee-Anne Pace (US) 72 73 74, Trish Johnson 70 74 75
220 Laura Davies 70 71 79, Zuzana Kamasova (Svk) 75 70 75, Laurette Maritz (Rsa) 72 71 77, Katharina Schallenberg (Ger) 71 74 75, Maria Verchenova (Rus) 74 72 74, Danielle Montgomery 72 73 75, Jodi Ewart 72 74 74
221 Karen Lunn (Aus) 74 70 77, Anja Monke (Ger) 70 73 78, Lydia Hall 71 74 76, Diana Luna (Ita) 71 75 75
222 Stephanie Arricau (Fra) 72 71 79
223 Stefanie Michl (Aut) 70 73 80
225 Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (Aus) 71 72 82