JULIE OTTO TOP BRIT IN FINLAND

Former Curtis Cup player Julie Otto, now a teaching golf pro based at Elie Sports Centre, Fife won 1,047 Euros for a joint 14th place finish at Hill Side Golf Club, Helsinki, Finland today in the Women's Bank Open 54-hole competition on the Ladies European Tour's developmental circuit, LETAS Julie, twice British amateur champion who worked for the R and A before she decided to have a fling late in her golf career as a professional, had ever improving rounds of 75, 72 and 70 for four-over-par 217. Pamela Pretswell (Hamilton), Katy McNicoll (Carnoustie) and Pamela Feggans from Patna, Ayrshire all shared 19th place on 218 and earned 853 Euros apiece. Katy score 73, 75 and 70; Feggans 73, 72 and 73 and Pretswell 72, 70 and 76. Winner of the 4,161 Euros top prize was Norway's Cecilie Lundgren with rounds of 68, 69 and 69 for seven-under 204. She won by two from German amateur Nina Holleder, 67-70-72 for 209 SUMMARY FROM THE LETAS WEBSITE Norway’s Cecilie Lundgreen picked up her second title of the season on the LET Access Series, winning the Women’s Bank Open by Catmandoo hosted by HLR Golf Academy at the Hill Side Golf Club near Helsinki on Saturday. The Norwegian finished on seven under par, after posting rounds of 68, 69 and 69 in cool and windy conditions. German amateur Nina Holleder shot a closing 72, 1 over par, to finish on her own in second place with a total of 209, 4 under par. Thirteen year old Chinese amateur Xin Ying Wang and Finland’s Linda Henriksson finished in a tie for third place on 2 under. Lundgreen, starting the day at 5 under par alongside Holleder, started strongly with birdies on the 528 yard par five third and another on the par five 6th, covering the front nine in 2 under and drawing away from the 24 year old German. Holleder, stumbled over the first few holes, covering the front nine in 2 over par but picked up a birdie on the 162 yard par three 12th to cover the closing nine in 1 under par. Lundgreen greatly improved her chances of gaining full playing rights for the 2013 Ladies European Tour season by moving to 3rd on the LET Access Series Order of Merit. "I should have been a tutor on a church youth camp this week. But I told the children that I have some work to do. So I really felt that I must do well here", said the winner. "I enjoyed playing here a lot. I stayed with a friendly local family and they spoiled me. I ate good food. And as I like cooking myself I really prefer home made food. It makes me feel better and then I play better", Lundgreen told the Finnish press. "I have played very well in the Nordic countries winning in Sweden and now in Finland. My next competition is in Denmark, and as I have some Danish blood from my father I think I could make another good competition there." Julie Tvede from Denmark shot the low round of the day with a 67 to move into a tie for 6th place with Spain’s Ana Larraneta and Swede Viva Schlasberg, all finishing at even par. The Women´s Bank Open was hosted by Finnish player Hanna-Leena Ronkainen, who formerly competed on the Ladies European Tour under her maiden name of Salonen. The Women’s Bank Open forms part of a charity campaign by the Finnish Golf Union and The Women´s Bank Charity (governed by the Finnish Church), where 59 golf clubs and more than 2000 golfers in Finland were involved in the campaign and raised 10,120 euros for charity. This is the equivalent of 404 new jobs for women in developing countries. The ambassadors of the charity campaign are professional golfers Ursula Wikström, Minea Blomqvist-Kakko and Kaisa Ruuttila as well as the young amateur Anne Hakula. Wikström finished in a tie for 14th place on four over par. The LET Access Series moves to Denmark next week for the Samso Ladies Open, which will take place from the 16 – 18 August at Samso Golf Club in Samso.

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