ALPG/LET - WEBB SUPREME FOR 7TH ANZ TITLE

(7 March 2010 – Gold Coast, Australia)

The much anticipated battle between the undisputed champion of Australian Women&aposs golf, Karrie Webb, and arguably her heir apparent and the defending champion of the ANZ Masters, Katherine Hull, appeared as if it might become a reality on day four of the event at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast. Webb would eventually run out the winner by a massive six shots over Hull and Korean Bo Mee Lee but she was pressed hard in the first 14 holes today before extinguishing the challenge of Hull and others and then waltzing to an emphatic victory, her 7th in the past 13 stagings of the event.

Webb led by one heading into the final day over Hull and Lee, but by the turn she had moved two ahead of Hull and three ahead of Lee. On paper that sounds straight forward enough but Webb produced some heroics over the opening nine holes that are well worth recounting. All three in the final pairing would birdie the first but Webb holed lengthy birdie putts at 3rd and 4th and at that point was two ahead of Lee and fellow Korean So Yeon Ryu, with Hull unable to keep pace at that point.

Hull moved closer when she pitched in from short of the green for birdie at the par three 5th and gained further ground when she holed from 15 feet at the 6th. She had moved within one of Webb but the six time champion was about to produce something quite special. Webb’s tee shot at the par four 7th finished along the left of the fairway providing a perfect angle to a hole cut in the front right of the green. From 120 metres and from a slightly downhill lie in the fairway her 9 iron flew straight and true catching the flagstick and dropping into the hole for an eagle. All of a sudden Webb was three ahead of Hull but the Sunshine Coast’s favourite golfing daughter had a trick or two left of her own. She hit a superb approach to 5 feet at the 8th for birdie and then birdied the 9th but Webb would also birdie the par five 9th and as they made the turn Webb was two ahead and three ahead of Bo Mee Lee.

Webb and Hull had opened up a break from the rest of the field and although others were within striking distance, it appeared at that point as if the closing nine holes would develop into a duel between Webb and Hull. So it was to prove. The pair traded blows in the early stages of the back nine but when Webb holed from 25 feet at the 14th she moved three clear. Surely with her experience and the momentum she was building then surely this was an unassailable lead? It certainly was as Webb hit two great shots to just off the back edge at the par five 15th and had not only moved four ahead of Hull but has moved to 10-under for the day.

Was the previous tournament record of 26 under in jeopardy and was a 59 possible? Three birdies over the closing three holes would see her become the first Australian to break 60 in either an ALPG or PGA Tour of Australasia event and the manner in which she was playing it was certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. A par at the 16th put those thoughts to bed but a tournament record was still on the cards. When Hull bogeyed the 17th, Webb was about to enjoy the thrill of a five shot lead playing the last and that would allow her the opportunity to not only enjoy such, but the plaudits of the crowd as she graced the 18th fairway as a winner for the 7th time.

Hull’s dropped shot allowed Lee to join her in a share of second position as the final trio headed to the last hole and there would therefore be much interest in who finished as runner-up. That honour would be shared between Hull and Lee but there was no mistaking who would take the major honours. Karrie Webb was not only able to match her tournament record but she produced a new course best of 61 (not a record due to preferred lies being in force) and reasserted her position as the Queen of Royal Pines.

Webb was delighted but tired after her round. “I stood in the 13th fairway and thought to myself that I am eight under for the day and yet I am only two ahead. I was mentally exhausted. Then a couple of holes later when I stood on the 16th tee I couldn’t quite work out how many under I was and then when I realised I was ten under I briefly allowed myself to think that if I birdied the final three holes then 59 might be possible. Then I thought I just am too tired to even think of 59.”

“The quality of golf generally today was unbelievable. Katherine pushed me all day and just when I thought I had created some breathing space, Katherine came back at me.”
rnShe was asked about the shot at the 7th? “It was 125 yards metres and it was on a slightly downhill lie. I hit a 9 iron and held it up against the breeze and it came out just as I had pictured it, which doesn’t often happen. It hardly touched the flag on the way into the hole in fact there was virtually no damage to the hole.”

“It’s hard to separate the all of them out and pick the best one but it is a great feeling just to have won seven,” said Webb when asked how this compares with her six other victories. How does this win compare to her other 26 under par victory in 1999? “I had to work a lot harder for it this year. I had only a two shot lead with five or six holes to play today whereas back then I cruised for most of the last day. It was nice to be able to walk down the last with a five shot lead but I actually didn’t think that was going to happen earlier.”

Hull probably best summed up the feelings of the also rans. “It was nice that I was able to challenge her for a while but Karrie was impressive to watch. She played flawless golf – you can never rule out a Hall of Famer.” The round of 61 also matched her previous low in tournament golf recorded in 2000 at the LPGA’s Oldsmobile Classic.

Hee-Kyung Seo finished alone in 4th position at 19 under but there would be another four shots back to the 5th placed So Yeon Ryu while in a share of 6th place was Tamie Durdin whose last round of 65 was the second best of the day. Denmark’s Iben Tinning shared 6th with Durdin.

The ALPG and Ladies European Tours now move south to Melbourne and the Commonwealth Golf Club for this week’s Handa Australian Women’s Open.

Story by Bruce Young – Photos by Paul Melville