Italian Diana Luna created a new Ladies European Tour record when she became the first bogey-free winner of an LET event at the UniCredit Ladies German Open presented by Audi.
Not since the LET’s hole-by-hole records began in 2000, had there ever previously been a winner on the LET who had played bogey-free golf for 72 holes.
Luna carded 24 birdies for the tournament and no bogeys for a total score of 24 under par 264 at Golfpark Gut Häusern in Munich and she wasn’t in trouble all week, scoring rounds of 67, 67, 65 and 65.
Holding a two shot lead going into the final round, Luna gave a masterful front nine display of 33, three under, before carding four further birdies on the back nine.
Only three times have players not dropped a shot during the whole of a men’s European, Senior or Challenge Tour event.
David J Russell won the 1992 Open de Lyon Trophée V33 with rounds of 68, 66, 67 and 66 for a 21 under par total of 267.
Jesper Parnevik won the 1995 Volvo Scandinavian Masters without a bogey in his 18 under par winning total of 270.
Meanwhile, Manuel Piñero did not drop a shot in the 2002 Gin Monte Carlo Invitational on the European Senior Tour. He shot rounds of 68-67-66 for a 54-hole total of 201 (-6). He finished tied for third.
According to the US PGA Tour website, not since Lee Trevino won the 1974 Greater New Orleans Classic has there been a winner who has played bogey-free golf for 72 holes, while the LPGA does not hold the statistic.
Luna explained her thoughts during the final round: “I had a couple of bogey chances, let’s call them, because I made a bad shot on the 12th, the par-three, but I made a great save from the left side and I really wanted to do it. At that stage I knew it was something very special. I was focusing shot by shot but I was aware it was very special so I kept trying not to make any bogeys.”
Luna’s caddie, Sven Gislander, described her shots as like, ‘laser guided missiles’, so straight and long were they throughout the week. Gislander admitted that he could not sleep for three hours after final round, as he kept thinking of the three-wood shot Luna hit as an approach to the green from 217 metres at the par-five third hole. The ball sailed over all manner of rough, while at the 16th, she holed an important putt for par. He recalled how he had said, “You can’t miss, can you?” and Luna replied, “No”, with a smile.
Luna’s professional career began in 2002 and it took off with her maiden victory at the Tenerife Ladies Open in 2004. She won two titles in 2009 as she established herself as a leading force in Europe with back-to-back victories at the AIB Ladies Irish Open and SAS Ladies Masters in Norway, before representing her continent at The Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms near Chicago.
She took much of the 2010 season off after the arrival of her first daughter, Elena, and is playing a limited schedule this year, with a maximum of three events in a row.
In her last three starts in Europe, she has tied for fifth, fourth and first in Turkey, Portugal and Germany respectively and she has now moved to the top of the 2011 Henderson Money List where she holds a lead of €10,442 ahead of Holland’s Christel Boeljon, who is playing at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open this week. Luna is skipping the event but will return for the Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open, which will be played at Broekpolder Golf Club in Rotterdam from June 3-5.
