Marianne Skarpnord ended six years on the LET without a win to claim her fourth Ladies European Tour title after a fierce fight for the Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic - Bonville. For her part, Céline Herbin had a last delicate day at Bonville (77, + 5).

  • Skarpnord wins victory at Bonville, Herbin finishes 16th
    Marianne Skarpnord - © Tristan Jones / LET

Skarpnord had a final round of 69 to secure a two-stage victory over eight-under-par Hannah Green of Australia and Spain's Nuria Iturrios after four laps at Bonville Golf Resort.

" I am glad. I am very, very happy because over the past two years I have had some difficulties and I haven't played as well as I wanted ”, said the 33-year-old Norwegian, who finished second in the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open last month and has now reached the top of the LET charts. “I had a great start to the year and it's nice to see the hard work I have done and finally give good results. "

Skarpnord started the final round one stroke behind the leader of the day before, Madelene Sagstrom, and bogeyed the first hole, but she quickly won her place among the 5 players in the lead pack composed of Sagstrom, Hannah Green, Daniela Holmqvist and Nuria Iturrios after the Swede made a double Bogey at the third hole.

She took the lead after making a birdie putt on the sixth hole and then made a birdie in two shots on the long 7 to keep her advantage.

Finally 16th (+2 total), Céline Herbin finished ten strokes behind the Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord. Three shots behind the leading pack at the start of the last lap, the Frenchwoman could hope to participate in the fight for the title. But she quickly saw her hopes fly after a go to +3, punctuated by four bogeys for a single birdie. Her return to +2 (three bogeys and a birdie) finally pushes her back to sixteenth final in +2 total.

The other French women have not been more successful. Solid on the first leg (-1), Justine Dreher had a little slump on the return (double then bogey at 12 and 13) and returned a last card of 74 (+2) to take 31st place in the final ( +5 total). Emie Peronnin follows at the 57th row (+14), ahead of Agathe Sauzon (61st, + 15), Isabelle Boineau and Camille Chevalier (65th, + 17).

NSW amateur Doey Choi briefly took the lead in solo after back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, but Skarpnord then responded with birdies on the 10th and 11th to regain the lead with eight under the through.

Although Skarnord bogeyed on the 13th, Choi then double bogeyed on the 14. Sweden's Jenny Haglund, who had a head start, on her tee shot ended up in the water on the 17th and Choi did the same, finding themselves tied for fourth with Holmqvist.

With one stroke ahead and three strokes to go, Skarpnord missed a strike in the 16th to be tied with Iturrios, but then brilliantly landed a birdie putt on 17 and then another on the 18 after a big blow. of driver 300 meters facing the wind.

Skarpnord, who shares a winter home at 13th Beach Golf Links in Victoria with her fiance Richard Green and who speaks English with an Australian accent, says she has relaxed over the past few years.

“Ten years ago, all I wanted to do was play golf. Then one day comes a time where you wonder, "Do I really want to do this?" Do I want to go through all this misery and pain? I managed to get out of it, because I often thought that I had had enough and that I was going to find a suitable job and stay home. There is something in me that cannot do it. I can't give up. That's what I love to do, even if it's hard when it goes wrong. The good times are so good, I think that's what you strive to look for every time you participate in a tournament. "

Australian Hanna Green, who got 71 points to share second place, had mixed emotions. She said : "It was very disappointing and I'm very frustrated with the way I played today, but I can't complain about the result and I'm just very happy I birdieed the last hole."

Iturrios, who also got a 71 card, was delighted with his best result since winning the 2016 Lalla Meryem Cup and said: “I am so excited and happy. I had the best caddy I could have, which is a friend, and she was very helpful and supportive. I stayed in the present. It was great to see how many people had come out. I am very happy with the work I have done and I will continue to work on it. "

Skarpnord is now looking forward to taking a road trip through Sydney to next week's event, the ActewAGL Canberra Classic at the Royal Canberra Golf Club.

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