Having led from the start, Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson ended Pre-Qualifying at the 2022 LET Q-School at the top of the standings on nine-under-par.
The 26-year-old produced rounds of 67 (-4), 70 (-3), 69 (-2) and 73 (E) to finish one shot ahead of Nigeria’s Georgia Iziemgbe Oboh at La Manga Club.
Pettersson began her day on the South Course with a bogey at the second but bounced back with birdies on the fourth and 11th holes.
A double bogey on the 12th saw the Swede’s lead at the top reduce but a birdie on the last meant she secured the win at Pre-Qualifying.
“I didn’t really play my best today but I’m very happy with even par. I was a little tired and I just didn’t really have the same ball-striking, as I had the last three days,” said Pettersson.
“I was a little bit further from the pin and not that many birdie chances. I played solid overall and saved my mistakes pretty good.”
Speaking about her birdie on the last, Pettersson had a chance for eagle but was happy to finish on a high.
“I hit a pretty good drive and then I had 164m into the pin,” she said. “I just said let’s go a little further, so we clear the hazard and I had about a 10m putt downhill which actually stopped short on the lip. It was a nice tap-in birdie and a nice finish for the day.”
With one week down, Pettersson heads into the Final Stage with a confidence boost and is hoping to rest over the coming days.
She added: “It is mentally tough for sure and obviously I went for the win, but you just have to remember it doesn’t matter if you finish first or 75th – it is about making it through and that’s what I did. Now I’m going to recharge my batteries and hopefully play the same next week.”
In second place on eight-under-par was Nigeria’s Oboh who carded the round of the day, a bogey-free 66 (-5) on the North Course.
“The conditions today were great today as it was sunny and there wasn’t a lot of wind. It is always great to be bogey-free,” said Oboh.
“It has all been coming together to be honest. I didn’t do anything that special today but again I think I played smart and took advantage of holes when I could and made a few good putts.
“I have been getting used to the courses this year and the conditions. Also, just knowing where the misses are here is a really big thing. My swing has just been in great shape. Everything has fallen into place today and it was my LET career-best score. I’m grateful that I was able to pull it off.”
Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey finished in third place on six-under-par after a final round of 71 on the North Course.
The 24-year-old explained: “It has been good. I had six weeks off before this, so it has been a nice way to ease in before next week and I’m pretty happy. I hit a lot of greens. There are few things I want to work on before next week, but it was really fun to learn both courses and get back into competitive golf again.”
Next on the leaderboard were four Spaniards – Ana Pelaez and Paz Marfa Sans ended Pre-Qualifying on five-under-par in a share of fourth place, while Elena Hualde and Marta Sanz Barrio were one shot further back in T6.
Pelaez, who turned professional in August, rolled in five birdies and two bogey in her round of 68 (-3) and she was pleased with how her game at La Manga has been so far.
“It has been pretty good. I have enjoyed the course a lot and also having my caddie with me makes everything so much easier,” she said.
Scotland’s Jane Turner ended the tournament in eighth place on three-under-par, Sweden’s Linda Henriksson was ninth on one-under and four players were level par after 72 holes.
The cut fell at +12 with exactly 75 players including 13 amateurs making it through to Final Stage, which takes place between December 16-20.
Follow all the action on @LETGolf, @letaccess and @LaMangaClub on Instagram and Twitter and Ladies European Tour on Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #LETQSchool.
