Olivia Jordan-Higgins finishes runner-up at Capital Hills
English Olivia Jordan-Higgins was more than thrilled after she got off to a stunning start in the Credit Union Challenge 2012, but she had to face trouble when her nearest rival American Jaclyn Sweeney outperformed
her in the final round by posting a 203.
Higgins, who was pretty confident after registering a solid score in the first two rounds, made an all-out effort to get ahead of Sweeney, but failed to make a dent in her rival’s position and ended up posting
a 204 on the leaderboard.
Although one-stroke defeat did not come as big shock, but her hope of becoming an LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) star shattered, leaving her regretting a lousy play on some of the holes in the
final round.
Higgins battled rivals in a fearsome roster that also included contenders like the defending champion Sydnee Michaels of the United States, Tzu-Chi Lin, Dori Carter, Emma Jandel, Rachel Connor, Jessi Gebhardt,
Kristin Walla, Allison Duncan, Libby Smith, Laura Martin, Abby Bools, Marcela Leon, Hannah Jun, Katie Kempter, Kris Tamulis, Calle Nielson, Cara Freeman and Amy Eneroth.
None of the top-ranked contenders came close to giving a tough time to Higgins, but Sweeney proved tougher than analysts and players had anticipated.
The tournament, played at Capital Hills, Albany, saw the English golfer play a balanced game in the final round on Sunday, as she avoided making serious mistakes. Although the roster was strong enough to trouble
players, Higgins was one of the players to remain in contention till the last moments.
She parred the first seven holes and drained one birdie on the eighth hole on the front nine. Commentators said that the Symetra Tour star could have done even better on the front nine, but she fumbled on some
holes.
However, Higgins improved her game on the back nine, as she shot three birdies and one bogey.
Most of the attention was focused on the winner, Sweeney, as she managed to win her LPGA Tour card by clinching a victory on the Symetra Tour event. She displayed a stellar performance in all the three rounds,
not giving a single chance to rivals at all.
Speaking about her performance, Sweeney said that she just focused on playing a positive game, which helped her win the battle.
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