CATRIONA GAVE HERSELF OUTSIDE CHANCE BUT COULDN'T FOLLOW IT UP
FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
Calcarsongolf@btinternet.com
For an hour or so, spanning her brilliant birdie-eagle finish to a third-round 68, and the start of the fourth round only three shots off the lead, Catriona Matthew's followers were dreaming of a Scottish win in the Ricoh Women's British Open over the Old Course, St Andrews.
Even the 43-year-old North Berwick player, who won this Major in 2009 at Royal Lytham, admitted that she thought she was in with a chance.
In that delayed third-round finale, Catriona birdied the Road Hole 17th - played as a par-4 instead of a par-5 this week - and then conjured up an eagle 2 at the par-4 18th, holing a lob wedge approach shot from 137 yards.
After having the bad luck to bogey the first two holes of her third round before Saturday's 12.30 play suspension which lasted the rest of the day, Catriona covered the remaining 16 holes in six under par.
"Yes, I felt I had a chance after shooting a 68," said Catriona.
But the wind got up again - although not as strongly as it did on Saturday - and Matthew slipped out of the picture with a 78 for level par 288 which gave her a joint 11th place finish, eight shots behind the American winner, Stacy Lewis.
"I didn't play all that badly. What robbed me of most of my momentum was a triple bogey 8 at the long fifth. I wouldn't have minded but it was possibly the best drive I had all day. But it took a vicious kick to the right and landed in a bunker, right up against the face,
"I didn't get it out the first time and had to play out backwards. Even then I should never have finished with an 8. I took five shots to get on the green and then three-putted
"I also had a bad three putt at the 10th. Putts are affected by the wind and I was putting downwind but did not allow for it and charged past the hole with my first putt."
Catriona said she was obviously disappointed but she is looking forward to playing in another Solheim Cup match, this one in Denver, Colorado.
"Solheim Cup matches are my favourite week of the year," said Catriona who is bound to finish up as team captain when her playing star begins to wane ... a few years down the road.
"We have a lot of rookies in the team this year but I think we have a very good chance of repeating the win we pulled off in Ireland."
Calcarsongolf@btinternet.com
For an hour or so, spanning her brilliant birdie-eagle finish to a third-round 68, and the start of the fourth round only three shots off the lead, Catriona Matthew's followers were dreaming of a Scottish win in the Ricoh Women's British Open over the Old Course, St Andrews.
Even the 43-year-old North Berwick player, who won this Major in 2009 at Royal Lytham, admitted that she thought she was in with a chance.
In that delayed third-round finale, Catriona birdied the Road Hole 17th - played as a par-4 instead of a par-5 this week - and then conjured up an eagle 2 at the par-4 18th, holing a lob wedge approach shot from 137 yards.
After having the bad luck to bogey the first two holes of her third round before Saturday's 12.30 play suspension which lasted the rest of the day, Catriona covered the remaining 16 holes in six under par.
"Yes, I felt I had a chance after shooting a 68," said Catriona.
But the wind got up again - although not as strongly as it did on Saturday - and Matthew slipped out of the picture with a 78 for level par 288 which gave her a joint 11th place finish, eight shots behind the American winner, Stacy Lewis.
"I didn't play all that badly. What robbed me of most of my momentum was a triple bogey 8 at the long fifth. I wouldn't have minded but it was possibly the best drive I had all day. But it took a vicious kick to the right and landed in a bunker, right up against the face,
"I didn't get it out the first time and had to play out backwards. Even then I should never have finished with an 8. I took five shots to get on the green and then three-putted
"I also had a bad three putt at the 10th. Putts are affected by the wind and I was putting downwind but did not allow for it and charged past the hole with my first putt."
Catriona said she was obviously disappointed but she is looking forward to playing in another Solheim Cup match, this one in Denver, Colorado.
"Solheim Cup matches are my favourite week of the year," said Catriona who is bound to finish up as team captain when her playing star begins to wane ... a few years down the road.
"We have a lot of rookies in the team this year but I think we have a very good chance of repeating the win we pulled off in Ireland."
Labels: Pro Ladies
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 7:39:00 pm
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