Laura Davies |
Davies stated her intentions at the beginning of the week when she had just overtaken France’s Gwladys Nocera at the top of the New Star Money List. With her prize winner’s cheque for 30,000 euros, she surged further ahead in the race to become the European no.1 and she has now earned more than 425,000 euros in eight appearances.
Davies, who fired 69 and 68 in her first two rounds, began her final round with a two stroke lead and started the day with a flourish by eagling the par-five second hole. However she immediately gave two strokes back with bogeys at the third and sixth holes, narrowing her lead to just two strokes over a chasing Ellen Smets of Belgium, who eventually finished in outright second.
Davies holed a long curling 15 foot putt at the par-four seventh hole to move to eight-under and played the front nine in one-under 35.
She missed a short birdie putt on the long par-five 10th but compensated by sinking a killer putt from 20 feet at the next to move to nine-under with a three stroke lead.
Ellen Smets |
Ellen Smets of Belgium, who played in the penultimate match, had a 70 and finished in second position on five-under-par. It was Smets’ best career finish on the LET and she claimed 20,300 euros in prize money.
Australian rookie Nikki Garrett carded a final round 70 to tie for third on four-under-par with the first round leader Virginie Lagoutte of France, who had a 71.
Sweden’s Cecilia Ekelundh had a 70 and finished fifth on three-under while five players tied for sixth on one-under-par including Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, last week’s Wales Ladies Champion Linda Wessberg of Sweden and Rebecca Hudson, who won this year in Hungary.