New Zealander Stacey Tate today collected her second title in as many events on the ALPG Tour with victory at the Moss Vale Golf Club Ladies Classic sponsored by Corban Automotive, Wollongong. Rounds of 70 and 69 saw Tate finish on a 7-under par total of 139, one shot ahead of overnight co-leader Wendy Berger (68, 72) from Victoria and Mianne Bagger (71, 69) from Denmark.
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rnOn another perfect day for scoring where a third of the field broke par, Tate did just enough to secure back-to-back victories, and now has two wins from three starts in her rookie ALPG season. She started the day at 3-under par, just two shots behind the trio of Berger, Queensland’s Leah Hart and Malaysia’s Bing Lim. After slow start the Kiwi was 1-over par after three holes, she quickly climbed back into contention with three birdies in four holes from the 4th. Another birdie at the par-4 9th hole saw her make the turn in 3-under par for the day and 6-under for the tournament. Later she was asked if she started to think about another win, saying, “I dropped a really long putt on 7, and then thought I might be in with a chance.”
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rnUnder the Pro-Am format, it’s hard for the players to know what one another are doing out on the course and after a bogey at the par-4 13th and a missed birdie opportunity at the par-5 15th, Tate thought she’d “blown it”. However, she said to her caddie on the 17th that she “needed a birdie” and she did just that, finishing with birdies the last two holes. It was the 18th that proved the difference for Tate who said, “I found the trees on the right off the tee but still had a swing and then knocked it to a foot. That was definitely the winning shot.”
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rnTate was the fifth last group out on the course and had a nervous wait while the other players in contention completed their rounds. One by one they fell by the wayside before Berger, playing in the last group, reached the 18th. Sitting on 6-under par for the tournament, she left herself with a putt from 12-feet slightly above the hole with some right to left break. A playoff definitely looked possible but she left it short and the victory was Tate’s. In her victory speech she commended the groundstaff and organising committee for a “superb event on a fantastic golf course.”
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rnIn outright fourth place was last year’s Club Car Series winner, Vicky Thomas followed by the NSW pair of Jane Kim and Joanne Mills in a tie for 5th.
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rnTate also moves to the top of the Club Car Series with 1200 points accumulated from her two victories. Rachel Bailey slips to second on 1000 after not being able to play in this event while Mianne Bagger moves into third on 900 points after a consistent start to the season. For the current Club Car Series points table click here.
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