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Anne-Lise Caudal wins The Portugese Ladies Open

June 16th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Anne-Lise Caudal from France shot a final round 70 to claim her first Ladies European Tour title at the Portugal Ladies Open in the Algarve region.

The 24-year old second year tour player mixed five birdies and two bogeys for a 16-under-par 203 total and a one stroke victory over compatriot Gwladys Nocera (66) and England’s Georgina Simpson (68) at Quinta de Cima Golf Club.

Caudal led after all three round of the tournament. She set a course record nine-under-par 64 in the first round and added a four-under-par 69 on the second day. She began the final round with a one stroke lead over Sweden’s Louise Stahle but was delighted that her room-mate for the week, current European number one Gwladys Nocera, came second because it meant that the duo’s plan for the day came off perfectly.

Caudal said: “When we arrived at the golf course today, she said to me, “Okay, one and two; first and second.” I said, “Okay, why not.”

“When I saw her on the leader board I thought “Unbelievable”. She is unbelievable. She is a great player.”

Caudal was tied for the lead with Stahle after the Swede birdied the first hole in the final round. Caudal birdied the sixth hole but Stahle took a one stroke advantage into the back nine after three more birdies at the second, third and sixth holes.

After Stahle bogeyed the 12th and 13th holes and Caudal birdied the 13th, the Frenchwoman took a two stoke lead but then dropped a shot at the 14th hole. She then birdied the 15th but three putted the par-three 17th for bogey. She shared the lead with Nocera and Simpson at 15-under standing on the 18th tee.

“I said, “Okay, if you make a birdie you win so just put the ball on the green and two putt.” When I putted my ball and I saw the second was very short, I said, “Okay now you can do it! Okay, just watch the hole and no more.”

Caudal’s victory saw the trophy remain in French hands for the third consecutive year after Sophie Giquel and Stephanie Arricau won in 2007 and 2006 respectively. It was also the third tournament this year to be won by a French player after Nocera won both the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open and the ABN AMRO Ladies Open.

Nocera revealed how pleased she was to see her friend clinch the victory. “Anne-Lise is like a little sister on Tour and I’m really happy for her,” she said. “She is going to be in Evian and I think that’s great. She lost her card last year and now she wins a tournament. I think it’s good. It’s good for us because it’s good motivation to have the new ones kicking our butts.”

Caudal became the third first time winner in nine events on the 2008 LET schedule after Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin won the Garanti American Express Ladies Turkish Open and her compatriot Emma Zackrisson won the Ladies Spanish Open earlier this year.

It wasn’t only a French affair however. Simpson’s efforts at securing a first professional title meant that she was tied for the lead on 15-under after 15 holes, but a bogey at the par three 17th-hole did not help her chances.

“Unfortunately I just had a little stumble on the way in,” said Simpson. “We didn’t drop a shot until 13, we three-putted 13 which I think was a little stumble. We had plenty of birdies and then unfortunately we missed the shot on 17 and put it in the bunker trying to go too much for the flag and the wind took it. I managed to birdie 18 and I played as well as I probably could on the day.

“It’s another second to add to my seconds and thirds. As long as I keep coming second and third, I’ll try and try and try and never give up on searching for that win.

“I’ve just been stressing over what should be where swing wise and putting. This week we’ve tried to take a step back and everything’s come together. We’ve almost had to take that step back to see it come together. It’s a weird way round but that’s golf. I’ve got to not overdo the thinking, stay positive and let it happen. “

Top 10 Results

1   Anne-Lise Caudal (203) -16

T2  Georgina Simpson, Gwladys Nocera (204) -15

T4  Louise Stahle, Martina Eberl (205) -14

6  Martina Gillen (206) -13

T7  Lisa Hall, Lotta Whalin (207) -12

9  Diana Luna (208) -11

10 Titiya Plucksataporn (209) -10

ANZ Ladies Masters - Royal Pines Resort - Lisa Hall Wins

February 11th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Lisa Hall has won the Australia ANZ Ladies Masters at the Royal Pines Resort, in Queensland with a superb round of six under par 66 to take the tournament by one shot from Hyun-Ju Shin. Hall has with this win now qualified to play in the HSBC Champions tournament being played this month in Singapore.

Hall came from one stroke behind the overnight leaders - defending champion Karrie Webb, Hyun Ju Shin and Tamie Durden. With good course management and some high quality shots she posted a winning total of 13 under par, 203.

The tournament had been cut to 3 rounds because of heavy rain and flooding on the first day.Hall had posted her score, and could only watch and hope for a play-off as Shin approached the 18th green tied with a putt to win. Shin left her birdie putt 4 feet short, and missed the par putt, so handing the title to Hall.

“It was shocking,” said the 40-year-old Hall, who now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband David “It wasn’t shocking in that she didn’t make it because in golf anything can happen but at that point it was the realization that I had won.”

“I certainly thought I’d be in a play-off. In golf all sorts of things can happen so I was on the lucky end of it today I think. I was quite relieved that it didn’t go in.”

Shin who has won twice on the LPGA of Japan took second place with a 12 under par total. An interpreter translated “Over the 3 days I never missed a short putt, but there was so much pressure it was a bad stroke. I really wanted a victory, but I’m happy to be second.”

It was a good tournament for Englands Felicity Johnson who shot the best round with a 7 under par 65 to finish with a share of third with Louise Stahle from Sweden.
Karrie Webb who was the defending champion and has previously won this event 6 times finished in 5th place on 10 under par.
She said “Obviously I’m very disappointed not to have given myself a better chance today,” said Webb. “I really struggled with my driver all week and struggled again up until the last couple of holes.”

Lisa who won on the LET in 2007, in Denmark and Northern Ireland has really turned her game around from 3 years ago when she considered quitting the game in favour of coaching believes that this title is a huge achievement. “ I think with how I played the whole day and how the end result happened I don’t think it could get much better than that,” said Hall.To shoot six under in the last round and beat Karrie Webb in Australia, it’s got to be high up there. I had two wins last year, both in play-offs and both very different. One was an eight-hole play-off and one was just one hole.”

Copyright © 2008 Ladies Play Golf

Credits: | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund