Laura Davies wins the Spanish Women's Open
Laura Davies broke her own record, which is never a bad thing.
At the age of 46, the British golfer won the Spanish Women’s Open Sunday, becoming the oldest player to win on the Ladies European Tour, passing herself in the record books. The win was the 76th career title of Davies’ long and successful career.
Her final score of 11-under-par, including a closing round of even-par 71 at the Flamingos golf course in Benahavís, Spain, was good enough to beat Rebecca Hudson, Frances Bondad, and Christina Kim by two shots.
But there were some bumps on her road to victory, which came just two weeks after winning the Austrian Women’s Open.
On the 13th hole in the final round, Davies’ carded what’s known in golf as a snowman. Leading the tournament by three shots at the turn, Davies gave up her lead on the 13th, scoring a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-four.
Her drive off the tee found a rocky slope to the side of the fairway. It eventually took her three swings to escape the hazard, hitting the stone before the ball on her first two tries. Her fourth shot found the fairway and at the end of the disastrous hole,
she suddenly found herself tied for the lead.
The situation was eerily similar to what happened in the last event she played.
During the final round of last week’s Open de France, Davies was tied for the lead after ten holes, only to triple-bogey the 11th and eventually falling out of contention. This time though, she bounced back, carding birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to
regain her lead, which she would maintain until the end.
“I thought I’d blown it,” she said after her victory. “Because last week I had the triple on number 11 and I did blow last week, so it works on your mind a bit. It was nice to come straight back with those two birdies.”
“After last week, I thought the bogey man was following us around again,” said Johnny Scott, Davies’ caddie. “I think it made a big difference going birdie, birdie, after that. It saved the day.”
Davies took home €52,500 with the win, her fourth of the season. Thanks in large part to this win and her three other victories over the season in New Zealand, Germany, and Austria, Davies now sits atop the LET’s 2010 Henderson Money List, leading Lee-Anne
Pace of South Africa by €4,038.
One of the greatest women golfers of all time, the win was Davies’ 43rd on the LET. She has also claimed 20 victories on the LPGA Tour as well as 13 victories on various other tours.
There are five events remaining on the LET season, with the tour travelling to China, South Korea, India, and Dubai in the next few weeks.
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