STACEY KEATING WINS L E T PLAY-OFF IN SPAIN
NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
REPORT BY BETHAN CUTLER
LET Media Manager
Australian
Stacey Keating birdied the first extra hole in a sudden death play-off
to secure her maiden Ladies European Tour victory at the Tenerife Open
de España Femenino today.
Keating holed a five-footer for birdie on the 494-yard par-5 18th hole at Golf Las Américas after she tied on nine under par with Germany’s Caroline Masson.
“It
was a tough day out there and Caroline and I both played well. It was
nice to take it to a play-off and then get over the line,” said Keating,
26, from Cressy in Victoria.
Keating
closed with a two under par 70 to come from a stroke behind Masson but
it was a close final round duel in hot and windy conditions, with
temperatures at 29C.
The
pair tied for the lead after two holes and the lead exchanged several
times before Masson made a mistake in the play-off by hitting her second
shot into a water hazard. Her third came up short in the rough while
Keating hit a superb approach shot to five feet short of the flag.
“All
day it was very close and Caroline holed some putts when she needed to
so it was nice and it’s always nice to birdie the play-off hole,” said
Keating, in her second year as a professional.
She
added that the victory would make amends for the massive disappointment
of the previous week at the Ricoh Women’s British Open, where she was
disqualified for signing for an incorrect score when lying in a tie for
32nd place.
“I’ve
probably had the worst week of my life and the best week of my life in
two weeks. It was very disappointing last week but this makes up for it,
I can tell you. It will be all forgotten, last week,” she said, paying
tribute to her caddie, Darren Peters, who is also her boyfriend and the
support of her mentor, Karrie Webb.
“After
the disappointment of last week she’s been great. Her and Karen Lunn, I
have to mention her as well. They’ve been unbelievable. I don’t like to
say, the veterans out here, but they’ve been great and they really have
helped me and Kaz has been great out here this week.”
Masson,
the South African Women’s Open champion in July, was left close to
tears having come so close to her second victory this season.
She
said: “If you hit the worst shot of the week in a play-off it’s a bit
unlucky and I got lucky that I could actually hit that ball. If you hit a
shot like that you don’t deserve to win and Stacey played well. She
made birdie and just congratulations to her.”
Masson was a stroke ahead on 10 under par after a birdie on the par-five 16th, but she dropped a shot at 17 after hitting a poor tee shot behind a group of palm trees.
She
chose to chip out to the fairway rather than play a risky shot but
missed her par putt. Masson had a shorter birdie putt than Keating on
18, but both players made par to stay tied for the lead.
“You
have to scramble and I think she did that really well,” Masson said. “A
few more putts could have dropped but it’s always like that. I did it
pretty similar to her when I won in South Africa, didn’t make many
mistakes, a few good putts for par and that’s what she did today.”
England’s Trish Johnson also came close to her 22nd career victory with a final round 67 that left her in third position.
She
made a spectacular start with an eagle on the first and a birdie on the
sixth. A two under par back nine left her one stroke short of making
the play-off and she said:
“To shoot five under on the last day in pretty tricky conditions, you’ve got to be fairly happy. I’m a little bit disappointed to come up one short, I guess. I had a couple of chances.
"The 17th was disappointing. I had a straightforward birdie putt and left it in the jaws short. You know the greens are slow but to be fair to them, they are slow but you can hole some putts: you’ve just got to hit them harder than you’re normally used to. I thought if I could finish birdie, birdie, birdie, I might have a chance, which obviously I did.”
“To shoot five under on the last day in pretty tricky conditions, you’ve got to be fairly happy. I’m a little bit disappointed to come up one short, I guess. I had a couple of chances.
"The 17th was disappointing. I had a straightforward birdie putt and left it in the jaws short. You know the greens are slow but to be fair to them, they are slow but you can hole some putts: you’ve just got to hit them harder than you’re normally used to. I thought if I could finish birdie, birdie, birdie, I might have a chance, which obviously I did.”
Australian
Nikki Garrett, who led after the first two rounds, shot a final round
70 to finish in fourth place, while Carlota Ciganda and Tania Elosegui
were the leading Spanish players in a four-way share of fifth place with
Esther Choe and Lee-Anne Pace on six under par.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Two years ago, Stacey Keating, still an amateur, lost a three-way play-off for the St Rule Trophy at the Old Course St Andrews. Laura Murray won the title. Amy Boulden was the third player in that play-off.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
Par 288 (4x72)
279 Stacey Keating (AUS) 70 69 70 70, Caroline Masson (DEU) 69 69 70 71 (Keating won play-off)
280 Trish Johnson (ENG) 67 74 72 67
281 Nikki Garrett (AUS) 64 73 74 70
282 Tania Elosegui (ESP) 69 74 71 68, Lee-Anne Pace (ZAF) 68 72 72 70,
Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 71 70 74 67, Esther Choe (USA) 70 69 73 70
283 Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 69 70 75 69, Diana Luna (ITA) 72 72 70 69,
Ashleigh Simon (ZAF) 70 73 72 68, Henrietta Zuel (ENG) 73 72 71 67,
Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 70 73 71 69
284 Florentyna Parker (ENG) 69 69 77 69, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 71 69 72 72
286 Hannah Burke (ENG) 70 70 73 73, Rebecca Artis (AUS) 69 76 72 69
287 Connie Chen (ZAF) 72 72 75 68, Laura Davies (ENG) 69 70 77 71, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 71 73 72 71
288 Melissa Reid (ENG) 74 69 74 71, Stefania Croce (ITA) 72 71 77 68,
Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 74 70 73 71, Line Vedel (DNK) 75 70 75 68,
Carly Booth (SCO) 72 69 77 70, Jessica Yadloczky (USA) 72 73 72 71,
Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 68 74 74 72, Holly Aitchison (ENG) 73 71 72 72
289 Caroline Westrup (SWE) 73 73 70 73, Charlotte Ellis (ENG) 72 71 76
70, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 74 71 73 71, Joanna Klatten (FRA) 69 69 72
79, Lucie Andre (FRA) 73 72 73 71
290 Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 69 74 76 71, Celine Palomar (FRA) 71 67 73
79, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 71 75 73 71, Miriam Nagl (DEU) 68 74 74 74,
Anais Maggetti (CHE) 69 73 75 73
291 Pamela Feggans (SCO) 75 71 70 75, Rachel Bailey (AUS) 73 70 74 74,
Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 71 74 74 72, Julie Greciet (FRA) 69 72 76 74
292 Beth Allen (USA) 73 71 76 72, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 71 70 77 74,
Tandi Cuningham (ZAF) 75 71 71 75, Rebecca Codd (IRL) 72 73 73 74,
Lydia Hall (WAL) 70 74 69 79
293 Frances Bondad (AUS) 69 74 78 72
294 Bree Arthur (AUS) 74 70 78 72, Sara Beautell Largo (ESP) 70 71 78
75, Malene Jorgensen (DNK) 70 74 75 75, Maria Ohlsson (SWE) 73 72 70
79
295 Barbara Genuini (FRA) 72 74 76 73, Monique Smit (ZAF) 72 72 75 76, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 71 75 76 73
296
- Carin Koch (SWE) 70 74 76 76, Kylie Walker (SCO) 73 72 79 72,
Georgina Simpson (ENG) 73 71 77 75, Clare Queen (SCO) 73 72 74 77,
Sophie Walker (ENG) 73 71 76 76, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) 77 69 76
74
298 - Laura Cabanillas (ESP) 71 75 79 73
299 - Dawn Shockley (USA) 70 74 76 79
Bethan Cutler
Media Manager
Ladies European Tour
Mobile: +44 (0)7980056045
Labels: LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
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