Ladies European Tour - Lacoste Ladies Open De France, Céline Herbin - Photo credit: Tristan Jones

During a once again sunny day, Céline Herbin and Emily Kristine Pedersen offered the many spectators present at the Chantaco golf course a magnificent duel concluded with a breathtaking play-off. A bit like the third round on Saturday, the Dane quickly took the lead at the top of the standings, completing the first leg in -2 when her playing partner negotiated the first nine holes in +3. With five strokes behind nine holes to go, the case seemed settled, but Herbin regained hope in 10 with a birdie. The first act of an improbable comeback, followed by two new birdies on 14 and 15 and concluded with a bogey, double bogey from Pedersen on holes 16 and 17. “On the last nine holes I was calm, I felt good, and I knew I was going to come back in the par for the day. I believed in it, I gave myself birdie positions and three were kind enough to fall ”, says the Frenchwoman.

Tied to -11 at the end of the 18 holes after having returned 70 (par) cards for the day, the two players therefore went into play-off on hole number 18. After pars exchanged on the first two holes of Suddenly dead, Emily Pedersen missed a short putt to stay in the third, offering victory to Céline Herbin. “My caddy helped me stay focused on my game, and not watch Emily play, what not to do based on her. I had the patience to accept that the putts did not fall on the first two play-off holes, and I am relieved to have put in this little one yard putt in the third ”, indicates the latter, who was caddyed this week by her trainer Vicente Ballesteros, brother of the late Severiano.

At 32, Céline Herbin lifted the first trophy in a career that began in 2009 and marked by several difficult years. Member of the Ladies European Tour since 2012, the native of Avranches had had her chance a few times in recent seasons, but never managed to conclude. “I knew very well in my heart that I had plenty of play to win, that it was only a matter of time. We just had to accept to digest the painful experiences that I had in recent years. But these are the experiences that made me a better player ”, she admits. By winning at Chantaco, Herbin finally becomes the fourth Frenchwoman to win her national open, after the victories of Marie-Laure de Lorenzi (1988, 1993 and 1995), Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (2000) and Stéphanie Arricau (2004).

Another Dane, Malene Jorgensen, was third at -9, a stroke in front of English prodigy Charley Hull. Joanna Klatten, hole-in-one on hole number 1, took fifth place at -7, one length ahead of stage regional Anne-Lise Caudal. Note that Valentine Derrey also signed a hole-in-one (at 5), bringing to three the number of "aces" made during this historic edition of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.

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