Anne-Lise Caudal leads all the way

for first win in Portugal Open

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Anne-Lise Caudal from France shot a final round 70 to claim her first Ladies European Tour title at the Portugal Ladies Open in the Algarve region.
The 24-year old second year tour player mixed five birdies and two bogeys for a 16-under-par 203 total and a one-stroke victory over compatriot Gwladys Nocera (66) and England’s Georgina Simpson (68) at Quinta de Cima Golf Club.
Caudal led after all three rounds of the tournament. She set a course record nine-under-par 64 in the first round and added a four-under-par 69 on the second day. She began the final round with a one-stroke lead over Sweden’s Louise Stahle but was delighted that her room-mate for the week, current European No 1 Gwladys Nocera, came second because it meant that the duo’s plan for the day came off perfectly.
Caudal said: “When we arrived at the golf course today, she said to me, “Okay, one and two; first and second.” I said, “Okay, why not.” “When I saw her on the leader board I thought “Unbelievable”. She is unbelievable. She is a great player.”
Caudal was tied for the lead with Stahle after the Swede birdied the first hole in the final round. Caudal birdied the sixth hole but Stahle took a one-stroke advantage into the back nine after three more birdies at the second, third and sixth holes.
After Stahle bogeyed the 12th and 13th holes and Caudal birdied the 13th, the Frenchwoman took a two stoke lead but then dropped a shot at the 14th hole. She then birdied the 15th but three putted the par-three 17th for bogey.
She shared the lead with Nocera and Simpson at 15-under standing on the 18th tee. Stahle, on 14-under at this point, was still in the hunt and both players hit two superb shots to the green at the par five 18th.
Both players faced similar eagle putts of 20 feet each, with Stahle putting first, uphill. When she missed hers short, Caudal followed suit with her downhill putt. However, she rolled in her second shot from three feet for birdie sealing the victory and a first prize of €30,000.
She was then soaked in celebratory water by her fellow French players, as has become the tour tradition.
“Before I hit the drive I saw the leader board and I saw that Gwladys and Georgina were minus 15,” said Caudal, who hails from the town of Ciboure near Biarritz. “I said, “Okay, if you make a birdie you win so just put the ball on the green and two putt.”
When I putted my ball and I saw the second was very short, I said, “Okay now you can do it! Okay, just watch the hole and no more.”
Caudal’s victory saw the trophy remain in French hands for the third consecutive year after Sophie Giquel and Stephanie Arricau won in 2007 and 2006 respectively. It was also the third tournament this year to be won by a French player after Nocera won both the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open and the ABN AMRO Ladies Open.
Nocera revealed how pleased she was to see her friend clinch the victory. “Anne-Lise is like a little sister on Tour and I’m really happy for her,” she said. “She is going to be in Evian and I think that’s great. She lost her card last year and now she wins a tournament. I think it’s good. It’s good for us because it’s good motivation to have the new ones kicking our butts.”
Caudal became the third first time winner in nine events on the 2008 LET schedule after Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin won the Garanti American Express Ladies Turkish Open and her compatriot Emma Zackrisson won the Ladies Spanish Open earlier this year.
It wasn’t only a French affair however. Georgina Simpson’s efforts at securing a first professional title meant that she was tied for the lead on 15-under after 15 holes, but a bogey at the par-3 17th-hole did not help her chances.
“Unfortunately I just had a little stumble on the way in,” said Simpson. “We didn’t drop a shot until 13, we three-putted 13 which I think was a little stumble. We had plenty of birdies and then unfortunately we missed the shot on 17 and put it in the bunker trying to go too much for the flag and the wind took it. I managed to birdie 18 and I played as well as I probably could on the day.
“It’s another second to add to my seconds and thirds. As long as I keep coming second and third, I’ll try and try and try and never give up on searching for that win.
“I’ve just been stressing over what should be where swing wise and putting. This week we’ve tried to take a step back and everything’s come together. We’ve almost had to take that step back to see it come together.
"It’s a weird way round but that’s golf. I’ve got to not overdo the thinking, stay positive and let it happen."
An impressive final round charge from Germany’s Martina Eberl saw her finish tied for fourth place with Stahle on 14-under-par. Eberl’s final round 67 included five birdies in her first six holes while Stahle signed for a 71.
Ireland’s Martina Gillen shot a final round 66 to finish alone on 13-under-par in sixth, which was her career best finish in a Ladies European Tour event.
Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin shared seventh with England’s Lisa Hall on 12-under-par. Italy’s Diana Luna was ninth on 11-under and Thailand’s Titiya Plucksataporn finished on 10-under-par in 10th.