Sweden’s My Leander triumphed at the Rose Ladies Open after a phenomenal final round of four-under 68 and secured her maiden win on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
After rounds of 72 and 73 on the first two days at The Melbourne Club at Brocket Hall, the 28-year-old champion started the third round three strokes behind the leader.
Although the Swede opened her round with a bogey on the first hole, she then made three consecutive birdies on holes two through four.
Another bogey on the fifth followed by four pars had her make the turn in 34 shots (-1), close enough to the top of the leaderboard.
“I started this round with a bogey so to be standing here with the trophy is quite surreal but I’m very happy. I knew I made some birdies, but I stopped counting them and just went on with knowing I was under par for the day.
Leander started her back nine with a birdie and bogey on holes 10 and 11, respectively, before taking charge in Hertfordshire with another birdie on the 13th hole.
A strong finish saw the champion climb all the way to the top of the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes.
“I kind of knew the birdie on 17th would make a difference and then I hit it close on the 18th and made the putt.
“I didn’t really know what the standings were and the first time I looked at the scoreboard was after we walked off the last green. Until then I really didn’t think I was all the way up there, so it was such a pleasant surprise for me.”
Second-round leader Noemi Jimenez Martin from Spain finished runner-up after a final round of two-over 74.
The Spaniard had a perfect start to day three in England, opening the round with three consecutive birdies and adding another one on the fifth before dropping one stroke on the ninth and making the turn in 32 shots.
A tougher back nine tested the 28-year-old who ended up carding three bogeys and one double-bogey to finish three shots behind the winner.
France’s Yvie Chaucheprat, England’s Amy Taylor, and Czechia’s Sara Kouskova shared the third position at one-over-par.
Three players tied for sixth as England’s Rochelle Morris, Germany’s Patricia Isabel Schmidt, and New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori were at +2 after the final round.
At a total score of three-over-par and rounding out the top ten with a share of ninth are Spain’s Piti Martinez Bernal, French amateur Nastasia Nadaud, Norway’s Tina Mazarino, and Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer.
With her T3 finish, Kouskova moved to the top of the LETAS Order of Merit with 2,317.18 points.
She said: “It’s been a good run on LETAS even though we missed the first half of the season. We’re very excited about it and it’s a nice reward for all of our hard work.”
Germany’s Chiara Noja is second with 2,217.98 points and her compatriot Schmidt is third with 1,859.97 points.
Positions four through six that secure the 2023 LET card at the end of this season remain the same as Kobori is fourth (1,729.83 points), Dutch amateur Lauren Holmey fifth (1,552.80 points), and Sweden’s Anna Magnusson sixth (1,284.09 points).
The LETAS season continues next week with the Rose Ladies Open from 23–25 September in England.
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