(6 June 2011 – Rotterdam, Holland)
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England&aposs Melissa Reid came from five shots behind overnight leader Holly Aitchison to clinch her second Ladies European Tour victory at the Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open in Holland. She carded a 2-under par 70 in the final round at Golfclub Broekpolder, which was enough to get past Aitchison who failed to handle the pressure of leading posting a final round of 4-over par 76. She was joined in a tie for second by Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) and Caroline Afonso (France).
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rnReid was able to celebrate on the practise putting green where she was preparing for a playoff before hearing Aitchison had missed her birdie chance to tie Reid’s 54-hole total of 3-under par.
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rnIn the most exciting climax to a Ladies European Tour event all year, Reid stepped up to the mark in the final round following a disappointing three weeks. The 23-year-old from Derby had tied for 25th, 13th and 29th in Portugal, Germany and Slovakia respectively and she vowed to ‘step it up.’
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rnReid said, “I saw my coach on Monday and we analysed everything that I was doing the last few weeks and realised that I was doing a lot out of my comfort zone. It has been a tough couple of weeks, really. The last four tournaments I’ve not played great and I’ve suffered with a virus. I said to my coach, Dave Ridley, I meant business this week. It’s just awesome: an amazing feeling. I’ve not won for a year, so it’s good.”
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rn“Obviously I knew it was going to be tough out there today but I stayed patient. Lee Griffiths, my caddie, was brilliant. He kept me completely basically in my own little bubble and we did it. It feels amazing; I’m ecstatic.”
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rnReid claimed her maiden victory at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open a year ago. She has finished second seven times since her rookie season in 2008 and has posted three top-five finishes this season, as well as tying for second at the European Nations Cup as a team with Laura Davies.
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rnSetting out in cooler, overcast conditions after several showers earlier in the day, Reid picked up her first birdie at the short fourth. She dropped a stroke at the par-five sixth after her tee shot went right and her second rebounded backwards from the trees. She bounced back with birdies at the seventh and the eighth holes to be only two behind Aitchison at the turn.
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rnOn the back nine, she played solid golf through the toughest holes and moved one clear of the field with a birdie on 15, before (according to Griffiths) making a career par on 16 after hitting a bad tee shot out to the right. The ball was half plugged in the bunker and she splashed out to 30-feet before holing from across the green.
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rnReid made a three-putt for bogey on 17, and had further drama at the last hole when she found the trees off the tee. She took a penalty drop, hit her third short of the green, chipped up and holed a 4-footer to win post 3-under par with two groups left on the golf course.
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rnWith the last being a birdieable par-5, Reid prepared for a playoff but Aitchison could not find the required birdie and the five bogeys she had posted since her last birdie left her one shot short. Reid pocketed €37,500 for the win and moved up to 2nd on the Henderson Money List and also 2nd on the Solheim Cup points table, virtually assuring herself that she&aposll be at Killeen Castle in September.
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rnThe highlight for the ALPG contingent was Frances Bondad who won a BMW 640i convertible worth €102,500 when she holed in one at the 16th hole in the final round. On an otherwise disappointing day where she carded a final round of 3-over par 75 to slip to a tie for 36th, the 23-year-old from Greystanes registered her first hole in one at a professional tournament when she struck a gripped down 4-iron into the 146-metre hole.
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rnLynnette Brooky was the best placed ALPG Member in a tie for 9th at 1-over par while Danielle Montgomery posted her best ever result on the LET finishing in a tie for 12th. Rebecca Flood (T21), Rebecca Codd, Nikki Garrett and Stacey Keating (all T24), Bree Arthur (T36), Karen Lunn (52nd) and Caroline Bon (61st) also made the cut.