Anne-Lise Caudal - © Sunshine Ladies Tour

Anne-Lise Caudal won with two strokes ahead of a total card of 212 (-4) with a final round of 73 to put an end to a seven-year scarcity at Glendower Golf Club.

Swaziland player Dlamini signed a 75, allowing her to finish second, while Kiera Floyd, 14-year-old GolfRSA Elite Squad member from Ebotse, rolled a 73 to win the amateur title with a third place in par.

Anne-Lise Caudal's victory earned her a check worth R28 (€ 000), 1650 points which raised her to fifth place in the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit as well as a ticket for the Jabra Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour in May.

Wet, but smiling after her Sunshine Ladies Tour teammates sprayed her on the 18th green, the Saint-Jean de Luz native said: “This is my first win since I beat Laura Davies in the Unicredit German Ladies Open 2012 and it's a very special time for me. A victory is a victory, and it doesn't matter whether it is here or on the Ladies European Tour. You still have to play to win. I am very, very happy to be champion again. "

Anne-Lise Caudal and Nobuhle Dlamini were tied for the lead with five under the par at the start of the final, Dlamini had taken the advantage from the start, after a bogey from Caudal.

The Paus Basque player did very well, despite two more bogeys at holes 4 and 6, while Dlamini also backed off with two bogeys at 2 and 6 and a triple on the par 4 of hole 7.

The Swazi tied with Anne-Lise Caudal after a birdie on the 10, but Caudal took back two strokes and never gave in. Both players birdied on the 15 par-5 and bogeyed on the 17 court before ending the round with the par on the 18.

"It wasn't pretty golf," said Anne-Lise Caudal. “Nobby hit a few bad shots on the start but she recovered with some great saves for par. I didn't play as well in the second round and my putting was not at its best, but I managed to multiply the pars to stay in the race. "

A recurring wrist injury has kept her from returning to the elite level in the sport, but Caudal believes she is back on an upward curve. “I feel like a winner again,” she says.

“I've been on the Sunshine Ladies Tour for six years, but this year is the first time I've played all season. I gained a lot of confidence here, came in second and been in the top group a few times over the past two months. I always kept good form when I was playing three or four weeks in a row and knew I was going to have a good week. "

Anne-Lise Caudal was instrumental in bringing Jabra to South Africa and was thrilled that she could win the first event for her sponsor.

“I wanted to win for Jabra this week, to show them they're supporting the right winning horse. I wanted to enter the Jabra Ladies Open on merit, not with an invitation. I hope they will give Nobby a place, »Stressed Anne-Lise Caudal.

“I'm really happy that Jabra came to the tournament this week and got to see for herself how great the Sunshine Ladies Tour is. The level is high, it's a hotly contested competition and there are some wonderful players who are great ambassadors of golf and of South Africa. "

Caudal - the fifth new international Sunshine Ladies Tour champion this season - will face Dlamini again in the season final at the Joburg Ladies Open, and the French golfer will return next week to the Soweto Country Club.

“I think next week will be another tough week,” she said. “It's always tight at the end of the season and we're also playing for a bigger prize money and I think I could fight twice in a row. But first, we'll celebrate with a braai tonight at Nicole Garcia's. "

Floyd, who birdieed the two par-5s out of the 9 back finishes third, received a special mention from the 2019 Jabra Ladies Classic champion at the awards ceremony.

"Kiera will be a star one day," Caudal said. " She's only 14, but she didn't back down in the last group and she played to win. She's been successful so far and her short game is very solid, so it won't be long before she wins titles on the Sunshine Ladies Tour.."