Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson fired a phenomenal final round of five-under-under 67 to claim her first LET title by a stroke at the Helsingborg Open.
The 27-year-old from Taby started the last day one shot behind the second-round leaders, Nicole Garcia from South Africa and Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain.
It took another 16 holes for her to tie for the lead with Pelaez Trivino, until she finally won with a dramatic eagle.
Playing in the penultimate group, in warm and benign conditions, Pettersson went out in 35 after making a solitary birdie on the par-5 fifth hole. She bogeyed the narrow par-4 11th but then picked up birdies at the 12th, 15th and 16th holes, before making an incredible eagle on the par-5 18th to come home in 32.
After setting the clubhouse target at 11-under-par, she faced a nerve wracking wait on the practice putting green as Pelaez Trivino, who had led all day, played the last hole. The Spaniard needed an eagle to win outright or a birdie to force a play-off, but her third shot, a chip from the front of the green, checked up six feet short of the hole. Then, her birdie putt slipped agonisingly past the left side. The resulting par, and a final round score of 69, was enough for Pettersson to win by the slimmest of margins.
“I don’t think it has sunk in yet to be honest. I don’t really know what happened out there. I’m in shock, but it feels good,” said the second year LET player, who had previously recorded two runner-up places on the LET in Scandinavia, at the 2022 Skaftö Open and Åland Open.
“I obviously like playing at home and it was really, really fun. I really like playing in Sweden. Even though I’m not from Helsingborg, I still feel the support.
“I hit a really good drive on 18 and I told my caddie, (Philip Axelsson) who’s my boyfriend, that it was the last drive of the tournament and it was nice to finish with a good drive. Then I had about 180 metres left, and I hit a 5-iron to about two metres, or eight feet, and the putt went in.
“I just tried to hit a good putt. I was nervous but I didn’t know what it would lead to, so I was thinking I would try to finish with a good putt for my own score.
“I haven’t been in this position before. I came second twice last season, but I didn’t get to play in a play-off, so I didn’t know exactly how I should handle it. I was just waiting to see what would happen. I tried to hit some putts and stay loose and warm. When she didn’t make it, it was surreal. I didn’t quite realise that it meant that I had won.
“I skipped one of my best friends’ weddings this week to play in this event. She was understanding but I’m sure she will understand even more now.”
Pelaez Trivino occupied solo second place after another solid performance for her fifth top 10 finish of the season.
“I knew I had to fight to the last hole and that’s what I did. This is golf. She played great today. I played very good golf today too, but it just wasn’t quite enough,” said the 25-year-old from Malaga, who moved up into second position on the Race to Costa del Sol.
It was a great performance by fellow second year player Smilla Tarning Soenderby of Denmark, whose 68 ensured she finished in outright third position on nine-under-par. The 22-year-old from Fredericia was extremely happy to record a career best result on the LET and to be under par in all three of her rounds. She moved to her highest ever ranking of 27th on the Race to Costa del Sol.
Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova had another good week on the LET with a final round of 66 – the joint best round of the week – to end in fourth place on eight-under-par.
She said: “It was an amazing back nine of 30. It was a solid round and then on nine I hit it in the water and made a bogey. I made a birdie on 12 and then eagle on 13 and that got everything going and I realised I could get close. I tried to get as close as I could and I really did, the last three holes I birdied, so it was great. When you get the flow going and things are going well, it’s nice. I think it’s good preparation for next week’s Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.”
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall had a final round of 70 to end in fifth position on seven-under-par. England’s Lily May Humphreys and April Angurasaranee tied for sixth place.
Another Swede, Emma Thorngren, and India’s Diksha Dagar shared eighth place, with Norwegian Renate Grimstad and South African Casandra Alexandra in a tie for 10th.
In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, Aditi Ashok continues to lead but Ana Peláez Trivino has jumped into second ahead of Linn Grant, in third, and Klara Davidson Spilkova remains in fourth place.
Chiara Noja and Lily May Humphreys are still in fifth and sixth place respectively, but with 500 points for her win, Pettersson has climbed 53 places from 60th to seventh place.
Pauline Roussin moves down to eighth, Patricia Schmidt has gone to ninth place and Carlota Ciganda sits in tenth.
The LET now moves to Stockholm for the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed at Ullna Golf Club, the second event in the Swedish swing.
Pettersson was a member of Ullna Golf Club during her years at East Carolina University and knows the course well. Now attached to Taby Golf Club, she lives just 15 minutes from the venue and added: “It will be nice to stay in my own bed next week.”
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