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| Nocera and Lagoutte-Clement on the 18th green having been splashed with water by the supporting French players |
“I just thought, “make your par”. I was hoping that she wouldn’t make the putt for eagle because I knew that would be a struggle. I still have a few things to fix. I need to reach more greens and my concentration was a bit on and off throughout the week so I need to make sure everything is alright for next week.”
Winnings of €30,000 took Nocera from sixth place to fifth on the New Star Money List, which she now has a chance of winning with a strong finish at next week’s Dubai Ladies Masters.
Lagoutte-Clement, who came so close to a third LET victory, carded a final round of 69 and was pleased to have finished in outright second on six-under-par. She said: “I’m so happy, so excited.”
England’s Lisa Hall, a two-time winner in 2007, finished third on four-under-par after a 69 and was pleased with how she played.
“I birdied three of the last five holes so that was certainly a nice way to finish,” said Hall. “It was an enjoyable week. I didn’t have a three-putt all week and I think I might have been one of the few players who didn’t have a three-putt. But then my caddy would say that’s because I was leaving them all short! It was just very steady. I was never in any trouble.”
Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin finished fourth on three-under-par after a 69, while Thailand’s Titiya Plucksataporn had a career best finish of tied fifth on two-under-par. Denmark’s Karen-Margrethe Juul tied for sixth place with England’s Trish Johnson and Spain’s Marta Prieto on one-under-par while France’s Stephanie Arricau shared ninth place with England’s Laura Davies and Germany’s Martina Eberl on level par.
The best placed Indian player in the tournament was Tania Wadhwa, who was also the leading amateur, and she finished tied for 23rd position on five-over-par. The 15-year-old Wadhwa flew in from America especially to play in the tournament and her result bodes well for the future of women’s professional golf in India.
