AZAHARA BOWS OUT WITH VICTORY IN

FIRST ALL-SPANISH BRITISH FINAL

Azahara Munoz from Malaga, playing in the tournament for the last time before turning professional, won the 107th Ladies British Open amateur championship under blue skies and brilliant sunshine this afternoon at the Royal St David’s Golf Club links, Harlech in North Wales.
The 21-year-old, who won the British girls title at Lanark in 2004, beat her 19-year-old compatriot, Carlota Ciganda from Pamplona, by 2 and 1 in the first all-Spanish final in the tournament’s history.
The pair had dominated the tournament, heading the match-play qualifiers with eight-under-par totals of 138. Ciganda’s better second round had earned her the No 1 seeding role, and Munoz the No 2 berth.
So the erstwhile Arizona State University team-mates – Azahara graduated after four years last month – were on course to meet in the final from the start.
Munoz, who had been five under par in winning her morning semi-final against Caroline Masson (Germany), was three under par at the finish of a final which was studded with 11 birdies.

In the morning semi-finals, the sole surviving British player in the last four, Bedfordshire’s Laura Collin (John O’Gaunt), 22-year-old daughter of Eyemouth-born Alistair Collin who played for Scotland boys at a time when Sandy Lyle was playing for England’s boys, put up a very good show before losing by 2 and 1 to Carlota Ciganda.
Laura was two up after eight holes and was not pulled back to all square until her Spanish opponent birdied the long 15th. Ciganda then promptly won the 16th with a birdie and the 17th with a par for the match!
Collin was level par for the 17 holes while Ciganda was two under par.
Azahara Munoz was an impressive five under par – six birdies, one bogey – in beating
Germany’s Caroline Masson by 4 and 3 in the second semi-final. Caroline, a student at Oklahoma State and a Junior Solheim Cup player, was herself one under par for the 15 holes played.
Saturday results:
Semi-final – Carlota Ciganda (Spain) bt Laura Collin (John O’Gaunt) 2 and 1, Azahara Munoz (Spain) bt Caroline Masson (Germany) 4 and 3.
Final (18 holes) – Munoz bt Ciganda 2 and 1.