Lee-Anne Pace (South Africa)
Congratulations Lee-Anne. Five birdies in a closing round of 68 but the most important of those at the 18th. Talk to us about the final hole there. I thought I needed a birdie to win outright, for sure, to have a really good chance. I hit it okay but it was a pretty long putt. I thought, ‘hit it okay, give it a good chance.’ Then I thought, ‘Wow, it went in.’
A fantastic second shot played into perfect position after you were in a bit of trouble there under a tree. I was under a tree so I just hit it low, grabbed a rescue and punched it out. Everything just worked out, to be honest.
Was there a lot of scoreboard watching? Were you aware of where you stood during the round? During the round, yes. On the last hole I didn’t want to look. I knew what I had to do or what I wanted to do so I didn’t look until I made the putt and then I looked at it.
What does it feel like to finally be a winner on the Ladies European Tour? It’s great. I can’t stop smiling. My lips hurt; my cheeks hurt but it’s awesome; really good.
What did you do in terms of preparation for this tournament? I changed my swing last week. I worked a bit with my coach last week to get it back a bit more on plane. It was a bit high so I worked to get it a bit lower and get my hands inside a little bit more. I’m hitting more of a draw and I’m hitting it longer a little bit. I changed my putter which is the main thing.
Where were you last week? In Denmark, with my coach James Petts. I have another coach in South Africa, Val Holland. The putting is the main reason.
This is your first win on the LET? I won in South Africa but it was a much smaller tournament. This is huge for me. This means everything. I started the week thinking, ‘okay, I have to do well this week.’ Then after two days, I’m like, ‘I have a chance to win,’ not trying to think too much. I was hitting the ball well and the putting was good.
Vikki Laing (Scotland)
How can you summarise your performance this week? Overall I’m pretty happy. A 69 is pretty good today. It was windy and tough conditions out there. Lee-Anne must have played awesome as well. Four under is a great score. Obviously I’m a wee bit disappointed to be second but overall happy.
What happened over the last couple of holes? I did the same thing yesterday. I was nervous all day, from the first tee.
