THAI TEENAGER SWEEPS PAST CHARLEY HULL FOR MOROCCO WIN
FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Thai teenager Ariya Jutanugarn followed up her win at the LET Q School in Morocco last December with her first professional title at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Agadir on Morocco's western Atlantic coastline today.
The 17-year-old rookie, pictured above, from Bangkok again displayed her remarkable talent when she came from a stroke behind overnight leader Charley Hull from Kettering to earn a three-stroke victory with rounds of 69, 67, 67 and 67 for a 14 under par total at the par-71 Golf de l’Ocean.
This was only her fourth start on the LET since winning the LET’s Lalla Aicha Tour School in Marrakech in December, backing up her status of one of the new generation of rising superstars in women’s golf.Jutanugarn was fast out of the gates in the final round, immediately moving clear of fellow 17-year-old rookie Hull with a two-shot swing on the first hole.
Hull started with a one-stroke lead at 11 under par but was forced to salvage a good bogey on the first hole. After a burst of adrenaline, she hit her second through the green into sandy waste.
Having found her ball in a deep hole, Hull called a rules official but no evidence of a burrowing animal was found and she had to play out over the green, chip up and hole a 15-footer for bogey.
Meanwhile Jutanugarn birdied the first three holes to quickly establish a three-stroke advantage and almost holed a seven-footer for birdie on the fourth.
She then birdied the seventh to get to 14 under, four clear of Hull, who then bogeyed the eighth to drop back into a share of second with American Beth Allen, giving Jutanugarn a five-shot lead.
Jutanugarn then dropped her first shot of the day at the par-3 ninth, after missing the green left and playing a chip shot from a grassy bank. Out in three under, she held a four-shot lead over Hull and Allen at the turn.
Jutanugarn pulled five shots clear with a birdie on 10 and then all three players birdied the 11th.
Jutanugarn’s momentum stalled when she double bogeyed the par-5 15th, having driven into the bushes left of the fairway and very briefly she held only a one-stroke lead over Allen. However, the Thai holed a solid 10 foot putt on the 17th to regain a three-stroke lead and at the 18th, safely two-putted for par.
After winning, Jutanugarn said: “I played very good today on the front nine and on the second nine, the par 5, it got really exciting because there was only one shot lead. I have experience from my last one and that made me a little bit nervous.
"Yesterday my putting was not very good but the front nine made me confident with my putting. The 15th hole, I was really scared with my driver because in the practice round I didn’t hit my driver well, so when I hit to the left, I thought, a bogey is fine, but I had seven!”
Both Jutanugarn and Hull attended the LET’s Lalla Aicha Tour School in December, but it was Jutanugarn who took home the winner’s cheque today for €48,750.
She will now move to the top of the LET’s ISPS Handa Order of Merit and is expected to move up from 42nd in the Rolex World Rankings when they are released on Monday morning.
When asked how she would spend the money, she replied: “It’s all for my dad! I’m going to keep playing on the European Tour and I hope to win some more.”
Her sister Moraya gained playing right son the LPGA Tour at its winter Q School.
England's Melissa Reid and Laura Davies were tied for eighth on five under after respective rounds of 69 and 71.
Kelsey MacDonald, playing as an amateur and the only Scot to survive the halfway cut, finished T57 on seven-over-par 291 with rounds of 70, 73, 74 and 74.
The Nairn Dunbar player, who will graduate from Stirling University in a month or two, will turn professional later and says she will play on the new Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour before the next LET Qualifying School process back in Morocco.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
1
|  |
69
|
67
|
67
|
67
|
270
|
-14
|
€ 48,750.00
| |
2
|  |
70
|
68
|
67
|
68
|
273
|
-11
|
€ 27,868.75
| |
 |
68
|
70
|
64
|
71
|
273
|
-11
|
€ 27,868.75
| ||
4
| |
70
|
70
|
65
|
69
|
274
|
-10
|
€ 17,550.00
| |
5
|  |
73
|
66
|
69
|
68
|
276
|
-8
|
€ 13,780.00
| |
6
|  |
72
|
68
|
69
|
69
|
278
|
-6
|
€ 10,562.50
| |
 |
66
|
76
|
70
|
66
|
278
|
-6
|
€ 10,562.50
| ||
8
|  |
72
|
70
|
71
|
66
|
279
|
-5
|
€ 6,971.25
| |
| |
71
|
68
|
69
|
71
|
279
|
-5
|
€ 6,971.25
| ||
 |
70
|
68
|
67
|
74
|
279
|
-5
|
€ 6,971.25
| ||
| |
69
|
71
|
70
|
69
|
279
|
-5
|
€ 6,971.25
| ||
12
| |
72
|
73
|
69
|
66
|
280
|
-4
|
€ 5,167.50
| |
 |
72
|
68
|
74
|
66
|
280
|
-4
|
€ 5,167.50
| ||
 |
70
|
76
|
68
|
66
|
280
|
-4
|
€ 5,167.50
| ||
| |
70
|
68
|
72
|
70
|
280
|
-4
|
€ 5,167.50
| ||
16
| |
71
|
70
|
71
|
69
|
281
|
-3
|
€ 4,680.00
| |
17
| |
75
|
67
|
73
|
67
|
282
|
-2
|
€ 4,550.00
| |
18
| |
73
|
70
|
72
|
68
|
283
|
-1
|
€ 4,249.38
| |
| |
72
|
73
|
70
|
68
|
283
|
-1
|
€ 4,249.38
| ||
| |
72
|
69
|
72
|
70
|
283
|
-1
|
€ 4,249.38
| ||
 |
71
|
71
|
73
|
68
|
283
|
-1
|
€ 4,249.38
| ||
22
|  |
74
|
70
|
68
|
72
|
284
|
E
|
€ 3,851.25
| |
| |
73
|
70
|
74
|
67
|
284
|
E
| |||
| |
72
|
72
|
69
|
71
|
284
|
E
|
€ 3,851.25
| ||
| |
70
|
70
|
72
|
72
|
284
|
E
|
€ 3,851.25
| ||
| |
69
|
72
|
72
|
71
|
284
|
E
|
€ 3,851.25
| ||
27
| |
76
|
69
|
70
|
70
|
285
|
1
|
€ 3,558.75
| |
| |
71
|
72
|
70
|
72
|
285
|
1
|
€ 3,558.75
| ||
29
| |
77
|
69
|
71
|
69
|
286
|
2
|
€ 3,266.25
| |
 |
73
|
73
|
71
|
69
|
286
|
2
|
€ 3,266.25
| ||
 |
73
|
69
|
72
|
72
|
286
|
2
|
€ 3,266.25
| ||
 |
71
|
70
|
71
|
74
|
286
|
2
|
€ 3,266.25
| ||
33
| |
77
|
69
|
66
|
75
|
287
|
3
|
€ 2,827.50
| |
| |
75
|
69
|
73
|
70
|
287
|
3
|
€ 2,827.50
| ||
| |
74
|
68
|
76
|
69
|
287
|
3
|
€ 2,827.50
| ||
| |
72
|
72
|
70
|
73
|
287
|
3
|
€ 2,827.50
| ||
| |
72
|
72
|
69
|
74
|
287
|
3
|
€ 2,827.50
| ||
38
| |
74
|
72
|
74
|
68
|
288
|
4
|
€ 2,280.42
| |
| |
74
|
72
|
72
|
70
|
288
|
4
|
€ 2,280.42
| ||
 |
74
|
71
|
71
|
72
|
288
|
4
|
€ 2,280.42
| ||
| |
74
|
71
|
69
|
74
|
288
|
4
|
€ 2,280.42
| ||
| |
74
|
69
|
77
|
68
|
288
|
4
|
€ 2,280.42
| ||
| |
73
|
71
|
73
|
71
|
288
|
4
|
€ 2,280.42
| ||
44
| |
74
|
70
|
76
|
69
|
289
|
5
|
€ 1,787.50
| |
| |
73
|
72
|
73
|
71
|
289
|
5
|
€ 1,787.50
| ||
 |
73
|
72
|
72
|
72
|
289
|
5
|
€ 1,787.50
| ||
| |
73
|
72
|
70
|
74
|
289
|
5
|
€ 1,787.50
| ||
| |
72
|
72
|
75
|
70
|
289
|
5
|
€ 1,787.50
| ||
| |
72
|
71
|
71
|
75
|
289
|
5
|
€ 1,787.50
| ||
50
|  |
74
|
71
|
75
|
70
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| |
| |
74
|
71
|
74
|
71
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| ||
 |
74
|
70
|
74
|
72
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| ||
 |
72
|
71
|
76
|
71
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| ||
| |
72
|
71
|
70
|
77
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| ||
| |
72
|
70
|
71
|
77
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| ||
| |
69
|
71
|
80
|
70
|
290
|
6
|
€ 1,365.00
| ||
57
| |
72
|
74
|
73
|
72
|
291
|
7
|
€ 1,105.00
| |
 |
70
|
73
|
74
|
74
|
291
|
7
| |||
59
| |
74
|
72
|
74
|
72
|
292
|
8
|
€ 1,072.50
| |
60
| |
75
|
71
|
70
|
77
|
293
|
9
|
€ 1,040.00
| |
61
|  |
72
|
74
|
73
|
75
|
294
|
10
|
€ 1,007.50
| |
62
|  |
76
|
67
|
77
|
80
|
300
|
16
|
€ 958.75
| |
| |
73
|
72
|
78
|
77
|
300
|
16
|
€ 958.75
| ||
64
|  |
71
|
73
|
79
|
78
|
301
|
17
|
€ 910.00
|
Labels: LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 5:26:00 pm
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