- Chiara Tamburlini wins maiden LET title by seven shots at Joburg Ladies Open
- Swiss rookie moves to second position in the Order of Merit
Chiara Tamburlini sealed her first Ladies European Tour (LET) title in style at the Joburg Ladies Open as she dominated the field over the weekend to win by an emphatic seven shots.
After a faultless performance on Saturday moved the Swiss rookie six shots clear on 14-under par, Tamburlini completed the job on Sunday carding seven birdies en route to a round of 70 (-3).
“This obviously means a lot,” she said. “Being able to win on the LET in like my seventh start or so this year is really special. It just feels like all the hard work has paid off. I am honestly speechless at the moment and beyond grateful to be here and be able to win this tournament today.”
The 24-year-old started hot at Modderfontein Golf Club birdying her first two holes. A bogey on the par-3 3rd briefly halted her momentum before Tamburlini went in to cruise control, birdying the 5th and 9th to go out in 34 and move seven shots clear.
With the Joburg locals watching on, we were treated to a moment of magic on the par-3 11th when both Tamburlini and her playing partner Aunchisa Utama chipped in for birdie from an identical spot.
The Swiss rookie would follow this up with two more birdies on the 12th and 13th to move into dreamland with a 10 shot advantage. After three straight pars, Tamburlini dropped her first shot of the day on the 17th before she found water on the last hole.
But despite the double-bogey, Tamburlini was able to enjoy the moment as she sealed the seven-shot victory before being soaked in champagne by close friends Elena Moosmann and Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen.
The newest LET winner said: “I had always dreamed about it but I didn’t know that I was actually capable of doing it, so to be standing here now is just very, very nice.”
“I just tried to go lower and lower and keep pushing until the end really. I think that is what kept me in it. I just set myself small little goals during the round, so I didn’t get comfortable, and I think that worked out really well.”
The victory comes less than a year on from the Ole Miss graduate winning twice on the LET Access Series (LETAS) to secure her LET card.
With the win, Tamburlini becomes the second rookie to win this season after Shannon Tan’s heroics at the season opening Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
The 24-year-old also becomes the third Swiss player to win on the LET, following in the footsteps of Evelyn Orley (1990, Ladies Swiss Classic) and Morgane Metraux (2022 Ladies Italian Open).
In second place finished fellow rookie Utama on 10-under par. India’s Diksha Dagar and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes were one further back in a tie for third.
Belgium’s Manon De Roey, South Africa’s Nicole Garcia and Czechia’s Tereza Melecka finished in a tie for fifth on eight-under par. The full standings can be found here.
In the 2024 Order of Merit, Tamburlini soars up the standings into second position after collecting 500 points. She now sits on 761 points with England’s Bronte Law still leading the way on 1058.75 points.
The LET heads to Cape Town next week for the Investec South African Women’s Open which takes place between 25-28 April.
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