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Scotland’s Catriona Matthew is edging closer to claiming her second Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open title in three years on the Fidra Course at Archerfield Links in East Lothian.
The 44-year-old Scot is targeting her 11th career victory, just two weeks after playing a starring role on the European Solheim Cup Team in Colorado.
Despite playing in cold and wintery conditions, the Archerfield member from nearby North Berwick is using local knowledge and holding steady through a cold and blustery strong breeze, gusting at 20 to 30 miles per hour.
After posting the tournament low round of 67 in the second round on Friday, Matthew began the final round with a three stroke lead.
She quickly moved four ahead with a birdie on the par-5 second, after chipping to tap-in distance from the back of the green.
A second birdie, at the tricky par-5 sixth, saw her extend her lead to five shots over Hannah Burke, looking for her first LET win.
Matthew was six ahead after Burke bogeyed the par-four ninth, but then Matthew dropped a shot at the same hole after finding a pot bunker left of the green with her second shot and was five clear at the turn on seven-under.
Just when it looked as though the question was not if, but by how many shots would Matthew win, all of a sudden Burke eagled the 11th hole to get within three shots.
She birdied the 12th to briefly get within two strokes of the lead before Matthew birdied the 11th, the third of the course’s four par-5s.
Frenchwoman Anne-Lise Caudal was three strokes behind in sole third place after 11 holes, with her playing partner Ann-Kathrin Lindner one stroke back in lone fourth spot.
Heather MacRae and Stacy Lee Bregman both had rounds of 70 and looked likely to be amongst only a handful of players to score under par for the day.
