GolfPlus May 2018 Digital Edition (May 2018) | Page 43

/DGLHVRQWKH/LQN
“The last drive
was a bomb!
I was just in
the moment,
I wasn’t
shaking, but I
was shaking
after the ball
was in.”
Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid personally presented the prize to Haglund
HAGLUND WINS LALLA MERYEM CUP
weden’s Jenny Haglund made a birdie
on the second play-off hole to claim
her ¿ rst Ladies European Tour title at
the Lalla Meryem Cup in Rabat, Morocco.
Haglund shared a three-way tie for the
72-hole lead with overnight co-leader Sarah
Kemp and the 2017 event champion Klara
Spilkova on three-under-par 285, after
¿ ring rounds of 75, 72, 68 and 70 over the
Blue Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.
The trio returned to the 18th tee and made
pars at the ¿ rst extra hole, but Haglund took
the spoils after she blasted a 249-metre/272-
yard drive down the 18th fairway and
converted a four-foot putt for birdie from
below the hole. “It feels amazing! It’s been
a great tournament and a great week and I’m
very happy that it ¿ nished this way,” said
the 24-year-old second year LET member
from Karlstad, who had previously won the
2016 Norrporten Ladies Open on the LET
Access Series, a few weeks after turning
professional.
Haglund, who tied for 11th in the 2017
Lalla Meryem Cup as a rookie, began the
¿ nal round four strokes behind the leaders
and played the front nine in level par, but
made three birdies coming home at holes
12, 14 and 15 to take the outright lead,
before dropping back into a tie with a three-
putt bogey on the dif¿ cult 16th, playing
downwind. “When I made those three
birdies on the back nine, going into 16,
I knew I had a chance, because I saw the
leader board by the green. I kept going and
played my game and it was enough to get
me into the play-off,” she said.
“The last drive was a bomb! I was just
in the moment, I wasn’t shaking, but I was
shaking after the ball was in.
“It will de¿ nitely build a lot of
con¿ dence. I’ve been working on that part
a lot so I’m very happy to be standing here
and I’m very proud of myself.”
It was so near but so far for Kemp,
whose short birdie putt at the second extra
hole ran agonizingly close by. The 32-year-
old from New South Wales made some key
up and downs over the front nine to build
a two-stroke lead. She then chipped in for
birdie at the 10th to extend her lead to three
strokes, but the 11th hole was her undoing
after she drove her ball right into the water
hazard and hit her next shot through the
green, running up a double bogey six.
The 13-season professional would have
to settle for her third runner-up ¿ nish on the
LET, following the 2006 Catalonia Ladies
Masters and the 2010 New Zealand Open
and a 26th top-10 ¿ nish in total. She said:
“I’m obviously a little disappointed. I didn’t
play as well as I had the past few days, but
my goal this week was to put myself in
contention and I did that, so it’s my equal
best ¿ nish out on the Ladies European Tour
and all in all it’s been a great week.
“I actually really enjoyed the play-off.
I was nervous, but I had a really good time.
I hope that I get that opportunity again and
hopefully I can do something different. All
in all, I achieved my goal for this week and
the more I’m in this situation the better I’ll
get at it.” Spilkova, who tied for second,
had holed a solid 12-foot putt for birdie
on 17 to tie for the lead and had a golden
opportunity to win in regulation play with
a ¿ ve-footer for birdie on the 18th green,
but her apprehensive effort ended above the
hole.
The 23-year-old from Prague said: “I
have so many emotions right now, because
I’ve been so nervous since last week. I
wasn’t nervous at all and then I came to the
green and I felt crazy nervous and I didn’t
make it, so I hope I can save it for the next
tournament. It was a great performance and
I’m really thankful.” Another Swede, Lynn
Carlsson, recorded her career best ¿ nish of
fourth place and ¿ nished on two-under-par,
after a ¿ nal round of 75.
The round of the week was a ¿ nal round
of 67, which belonged to Xi Yu Lin of
China and she tied for ¿ fth with Germany’s
Karoline Lampert and 17-year-old rookie
Julia Engström from Sweden. Two more
rookies, Katja Pogacar from Slovenia and
Laura Fuenfstueck of Germany, tied for
eighth place with Sweden’s Lina Boqvist.
With her win, Haglund earned a cheque
for €67,500 and moved to the top of the
LET Order of Merit, with Kemp second and
Spilkova third.
GolfPlus
MAY
2018
53