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17 September 2011, Benahavis, Spain: American Beth Allen will chase her debut Ladies European Tour victory at the Open de España Femenino.
The 29 year-old Californian finished the third day at the head of affairs after a round of level par 72 at La Quinta Golf Resort on the Costa del Sol. She ended at seven under par, one stroke clear of England’s Melissa Reid (70) Finland’s Ursula (70) Wikstrom and South African Lee-Anne Pace (73).
Allen held steady with three birdies against three bogeys on another scorching day in Marbella, making up her score on the par fives.
She was delighted that in her fourth season on the Ladies European Tour, she would finally get to play with one of her best friends, Reid, in the last group on Sunday. The duo is grouped with Wikstrom, also in search of her first win.
“I am thrilled, I wasn’t expecting that at all; I thought I would have to do a little better than level par to be leading but I am happy with it,” said Allen, whose season-best finish was a tie for 18th in Prague last week. “I didn’t play very well at all today, I had two three-putts and just never really got anything going. I made birdie on a couple of par five coming in and scrounged it up I guess.”
There will be a friendly European-US rivalry in the last group on Sunday ahead of next week’s Solheim Cup, which pits the best 12 European players against their rivals from the United States.
Allen and a group of friends will celebrate Reid’s birthday tonight, as she turns 24 on Monday, just prior to making her Cup debut at Killeen Castle in Ireland.
Reid will be in pursuit of her third LET title following a second win at the Deloitte Ladies Open in Holland in June. Her card contained an eagle, a double, three birdies and one bogey and she said: “I played all right today I hit a couple of bad shots. I hit an horrendous shot actually on 11: it cost me two shots and then hit a bad putt on 12 that that is my three shots gone really. But it was a bit tricky today; the pins are tucked away a little bit and bit more wind, but I have put myself in contention now which is nice.
“The course today has been playing differently to what it has the last few days it was really wet the first day and it dried out a bit yesterday and today it kind of firmed up quite a bit.”
Wikstrom also had a colourful scorecard, with an eagle on the 14th and said: “I started really badly so It was a little bit frustrating but then on the back nine I got some birdies and an eagle and it is not like anyone is going too fast today so that helped me as well.”
Italian duo Veronica Zorzi and Stefania Croce are currently tied for fifth place on five under par, whilst overnight leader Tania Elósegui from Spain shot 79 to slip back into a share of seventh alongside Sweden’s Carin Koch and Italian Diana Luna.
Thai LET rookie Nontaya Srisawang recorded her second hole in one of the season at the 186-yard 6th hole, but after winning a Skoda in Slovakia, there was no prize this time. There would have been a Seat car for an ace at the 11th.
Open de España Femenino
La Quinta Golf Resort in Marbella, Benahavis on the Costa del Sol (par 72)
15-18 September 2011
Scores at the end of round 3:
209 – Beth Allen (USA) 69 68 72
210 – Melissa Reid (ENG) 71 69 70, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 72 68 70, Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 68 69 73
211 – Veronica Zorzi (ITA) 71 71 69, Stefania Croce (ITA) 72 68 71
212 – Carin Koch (SWE) 70 73 69, Diana Luna (ITA) 71 70 71, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 68 65 79
213 – Laura Cabanillas (ESP) 72 71 70, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 76 67 70, Frances Bondad (AUS) 70 72 71, Stacey Keating (AUS) 69 69 75
214 – Louise Stahle (SWE) 72 71 71
215 – Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 71 71 73
216 – Ashleigh Simon (SA) 73 72 71, Raquel Carriedo (ESP) 73 71 72, Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 72 71 73, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 72 70 74, Louise Larsson (SWE) 71 70 75, Becky Brewerton (WAL) 67 72 77
217 – Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 75 68 74, Caroline Westrup (SWE) 71 76 70
218 – Emma Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 76 69 73, Stefanie Michl (AUT) 74 72 72, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 78 68 72, Caroline Masson (GER) 73 71 74, Rebecca Codd (IRE) 73 74 71, Melodie Bourdy (FRA) 72 70 76
219 – Line Vedel (DEN) 70 75 74, Joanna Klatten (FRA) 72 73 74, Caroline Hedwall (SWE) 71 73 75, Tara Davies (WAL) 74 72 73, Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LU) 68 73 78, Mianne Bagger (DEN) 73 76 70
220 – Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 73 72 75, Anna Rossi (ITA) 75 71 74, Marjet van der Graaff (NL) 74 70 76, Lynn Kenny (SCO) 71 73 76, Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 76 71 73, Trish Johnson (ENG) 71 72 77, Julie Tvede (DEN) 73 74 73, Charlie Douglass (ENG) 72 76 72
221 – Bree Arthur (AUS) 72 75 74, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN) 73 70 78, Teresa Caballer (Am) (ESP) 74 73 74, Jenni Kuosa (FIN) 75 74 72
222 – Kim Welch (USA) 72 73 77, Garrett Phillips (USA) 74 72 76, Karen Lunn (AUS) 73 73 76, Klara Spilkova (CZE) 77 72 73, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 77 72 73
223 – Laura Davies (ENG) 74 72 77, Sahra Hassan (WAL) 73 71 79, Marina Arruti (ESP) 73 75 75, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 77 71 75, Georgina Simpson (ENG) 74 75 74, Carly Booth (SCO) 76 73 74, Henrietta Zuel (ENG) 77 72 74
224 – Lucie Andre (FRA) 73 73 78, Mireia Prat (Am) (ESP) 76 70 78, Adriana Zwanck (ESP) 76 71 77, Lynnette Brooky (NZ) 76 72 76, Kate Combes (AUS) 75 73 76, Rachel Bell (ENG) 76 73 75
225 – Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 75 73 77, Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 74 75 76
226 – Morgana Robbertze (SA) 75 73 78, Kyra van Leeuwen (NL) 74 75 77, Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) 72 77 77
228 – Caroline Martens (NOR) 74 74 80
229 – Kym Larratt (ENG) 78 71 80
