kirkwoodgolf.co.uk The site for
golf news
you can't find
anywhere else!
Webmaster: Gillian Kirkwood
Contributing Editor: Colin Farquharson

Saturday, June 16, 2007

IT'S CIGANDA v NORDQVIST FOR LADIES BRITISH OPEN
AMATEUR TITLE ON SUNDAY MORNING

It’s Spain v Sweden in the 18-hole final of the Ladies’ British open amateur championship for the second year in a row at Alwoodley Golf Club, Leeds.
Anna Nordqvist, 20-year-old, 6ft 2in Swedish blonde, is through to the last stage again. She lost to Belen Mozo from Spain) in the final at Royal County Down 12 months ago.
Belen did not defend the title this week but ready to bid to emulate her compatriot’s success is Carlota Ciganda, a 17-year-old from Pamplona, with the lowest handicap (+4.8) in the starting field of 144.
The final will tee off at 8.30 on Sunday morning after it was decided to bring forward the semi-finals to Saturday afternoon.
In the semi-finals on the first sunny afternoon at the Leeds course since early in the week, Ciganda gave a stunning performance with four-under-par figures to beat Caroline Westrup (Sweden), a Florida State University student who is ranked No 3 on the American women’s college circuit.
Carlota had six birdies and two bogeys in winning by 5 and 4.
She made a flying start with birdies at the first two holes before Westrup won the second with a par.
The long fourth was halved in birdie 4s and as the halved sequence was continued, both players had 2s at the short seventh.
Ciganda reached the turn in three-under-par 34 after winning the short ninth with a 3.
A rare half in bogey 5s at the 10th was followed by a half in par 3s at the 11th before the Spanish girl suddenly raised her game a notch or two again to birdie the 12th, par the 13th and then birdie the short 14th to ring down the curtain on a day when she was seven under par for her two victories.
Anna Nordqvist was two under par in beating the last British hope, Rachel Bell (Ganton), playing in her native Yorkshire, by 4 and 2.
Anna took a stranglehold on the outcome of the semi-final when she won five holes in a row from the third, birdieing the fifth in the middle of her purple patch.
Five up at the turn, which she reached in an approximate one-under-par 36, the Swedish player lost her first hole of the afternoon at the 10th which she bogeyed.
Encouraged, Bell then birdied the 12th to be three down and parred the 13th to slash her deficit to two holes.
Nordqvist stopped the slide away from her by birdieing the short 14th to regain a three-hole lead. After a half in par 4s at the 15th, the Swedish six-footer finished the match in the grand manner with an eagle 3 at the 16th for a 4 and 2 win.Anna was British girls' open champion in 2004.

Labels: