SCOT STARTED BOGEY, DOUBLE-BOGEY IN FINAL SLOVAK OPEN ROUND
Camilla Lennarth with the championship trophy.
SALLY WATSON FINISHES THIRD
BEHIND 1st-TIME WINNER CAMILLA
REPORT FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager
Camilla Lennarth fired a flawless final round of 66 to earn her first Ladies European Tour victory today at the Allianz
Ladies Slovak Open presented by Respect at Golf Resort Tále in the Low Tatras Mountains.
The
third year LET member ended on a four-round total of 11-under-par, four
strokes clear of England’s Melissa Reid, with Scotland’s Sally Watson
and England’s Hanna Ralph four shots further behind in a share of
third.
All
week, Lennarth had been hoping to see a bear at the Gray Bear golf
course and her wish was finally granted when she received the trophy. “I
really
like this place and hopefully next time I’ll see a bear because that’s
what I’ve been talking about all week!” she said.
The
26-year-old from Stockholm began the final round tied for the lead with
Scots rookie Sally Watson but quickly gained the advantage with a
birdie
on the first hole, which Watson bogeyed. Watson then double bogeyed the
second hole, opening up a four stroke gap.
“I
got off to a very good start. I haven’t been striking the ball very
well but I hit a good tee shot on one and a good shot into the green and
just
made a putt so I thought maybe this could be the day,” said Lennarth,
who made a 15 foot putt for birdie.
“From
then on I hit some very poor shots but I managed to recover very well. I
hit some incredible chip shots and lob shots from places where I didn’t
think I could do it and that kept me going.”
Lennarth
holed a chip shot from just off the front of the ninth
green for eagle to reach eight-under with a four-stroke advantage at
the turn, but Reid closed the gap to just two strokes after birdies on
holes 11, 14 and 15.
Lennarth replied by making a six-foot birdie putt on the par 4 15th and then rolled an uphill putt of 20 feet stone dead before tapping
in for birdie on the par 5 18th.
“I
didn’t know Melissa was that close because I saw after 10 that I was
four ahead and after 15 I saw that someone was closing in on me. Making a
long putt for par on 17 was very important.”
For
four-time tournament winner Reid, this was her best finish since her
last victory at the Pilsen Golf Masters two years ago. Her final round
67
included six birdies and one bogey.
Reid
said: “I’ve worked my socks off the last two months. My head hasn’t
been in it the last two years and I will be the first one to admit that,
but it’s nice to re-dedicate myself and I’ve not only been working hard
with my coach Kevin Craggs but also working hard with my trainer John
Woods so it’s great and nice that things are coming together and it’s
paying off.
“At
the start of the day I was going to take seven under as a finishing
total. I didn’t putt great today and I did feel that I left about three
or
four out there. I’m really happy with the way things are going. I was
hitting it really good, nice and long and I would have taken seven-under
at the start of the day. You don’t mind losing when you’ve played well
on the last day and the winner has played
even better.”
Tied
for the lead overnight, Watson’s 74 included five birdies, five bogies
and one double, but she was pleased to be making progress in her first
year on tour.
The Elie-based Scot said: “Obviously it wasn’t quite the finish I would
have liked but I struggled the last few rounds and didn’t hit it as well
as the first round so didn’t give myself as many chances and the short
game wasn’t quite as good as I would have
liked.
"Third place though, I’m continuing to move up the leader board so
hopefully I’ll be working my way into the winner’s circle sooner or
later.”
For
Ralph, who played her rookie year on the LET in 2010 before losing her
card, a tie for third is her career best finish and the first cut she
has made from four starts this year.
After signing for a final round of
68 she said: “It was a really good week. I didn’t know what to expect
coming back here because I played here in 2010 and enjoyed the course.
To finish in this position is amazing and I’m
so pleased. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. A really solid week,
very consistent and I’m really happy.
“I
think I just hit it in the right places, had a target and holed a
couple of putts on the front nine. I had three birdies in a row so it
was really
solid. I think the belief has always been there but now I know that I’m
good enough to be out here and I know that I can do it and I’m really
looking forward to Italy next week.”
The LET continues with the Ladies Italian Open at Perugia Golf Club, beginning on Friday.
ALL THE FINAL TOTALS
par 288 (4x72)
277 Camilla Lennarth (SWE) 70 72 69 66
281 Melissa Reid (ENG) 75 68 71 67
285 Sally Watson (SCO) 69 67 75 74, Hannah Ralph (ENG) 72 72 73 68
286 Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER) 72 74 68 72, Klara Spilkova (CZE) 71 68 74
73, Liz Young (ENG) 71 71 72 72, Valentine Derrey (FRA) 69 70 78 69
287 Sophie Sandolo (ITA) 73 70 71 73
288 Nicole Broch Larsen (DEN) 77 73 70 68, Beth Allen (USA) 70 74 73 71
289 Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA) 75 77 66 71, Patricia Sanz Barrio (ESP) 69 78 72 70, Kylie Walker (SCO) 68 78 73 70
290 Stefania Croce (ITA) 73 73 72 72, Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 70 71 79 70, Pamela Pretswell (SCO) 71 81 67 71
291 - Sophie Walker (ENG) 72 74 70 75, Maria Balikoeva (RUS) 72 69 78 72, Lauren Taylor (ENG) 70 74 73 74
292 - Eleanor Givens (ENG) 75 67 76 74, Connie Chen (RSA) 74 76 70 72
293 Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 72 75 73 73, Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) 79 71 70 73
294 Celine Herbin (FRA) 71 78 72 73, Julie Greciet (FRA) 74 74 74 72, Jade Schaeffer (FRA) 75 71 74 74
295 Trish Johnson (ENG) 74 76 70 75, Carly Booth (SCO) 75 74 75 71, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 72 80 69 74
296 Louise Larsson (SWE) 74 75 72 75, Kiran Matharu (ENG) 72 75 78 71, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 73 76 74 73
297
Maria Beautell (ESP) 74 74 72 77, Noora Tamminen (FIN) 72 73 80 72,
Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 74 74 75 74, Fabienne In-albon (SUI) 73 77 77
70
298 Christine Wolf (AUT) 74 75 71 78, Lucie Andre (FRA) 76 76 77 69,
Michele Thomson (SCO) 78 74 72 74, Vikki Laing (SCO) 77 71 80 70,
Charley Hull (ENG) 74 73 72 79
299 Hannah Burke (ENG) 70 79 75 75, Sophie Gustafson (SWE) 71 79 77 72,
Fiona Puyo (FRA) 78 71 78 72, Charlotte Ellis (ENG) 77 73 76 73,
Lydia Hall (WAL) 74 75 77 73
300 Johanka Steindlerova (CZE) 73 75 78 74
301 Mireia Prat (ESP) 76 75 73 77, Steffi Kirchmayr (GER) 70 81 76 74
302 Krista Bakker (FIN) 73 78 75 76, Viva Schlasberg (SWE) 72 77 74 79, Carmen Alonso (ESP) 78 73 69 82
303 Minea Blomqvist (FIN) 77 74 78 74
304 Linda Henriksson (FIN) 77 75 77 75, Cathryn Bristow (NZL) 77 75 79 73
305 Nikki Garrett (AUS) 77 75 75 78, Bree Arthur (AUS) 73 78 80 74,
Gemma Webster (SCO) 77 75 77 76, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 75 74 75 81
306 Caroline Afonso (FRA) 74 78 75 79
308 Rebecca Sorensen (SWE) 74 75 80 79
309 Karolina Kohoutova (CZE) 71 80 78 80
320 Anna Scott (ENG) 73 77 79 91
Labels: LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
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