(Salamanca, June 2 2002) Karine Icher from France survived a nerve wracking final day to win the €37,500 first prize as she beat local favourite Raquel Carriedo from Spain by one shot at the Caja Duero Open de Espana at Campo de Golf Salamanca.
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| A hug from Jean-Michelle Neauville, Icher’s caddy |
Brooky, who turned in one over par, closed the gap to two shots with an unlikely birdie at the 10th, pitching to three feet from the trees to move back to eight under.
However, at the par five 11th, the 34-year-old Kiwi knew it was not her day as she lipped out from four feet to apply pressure.
Icher made birdie at the same hole with a simple two putt, and at the 12th, Carriedo responded with another birdie.
But at the 13th the European number began to show signs of nerves in front of the partisan local crowd. The 30-year-old from Zaragoza misjudged her approach to the tricky par three and was lucky to see her ball make the carry over the pond.
Icher fired a five wood fractionally right of the green and when Carriedo left her chip ten feet short, Icher seized the moment and holed from off the green for an unlikely birdie two.
Carriedo missed her par putt and compounded the error at the 14th when she failed to get up and down from behind the green. Icher scrambled a par at the 15th, holing from eight feet after having not visited the short grass once, and both Carriedo and Brooky could not nail home their ten foot birdie putts.
