Date: July 06, 2015
Author: Martin Blake

Artis continues Euro surge

Rebecca Artis has continued her breakout year on the Ladies European Tour with a fourth place in the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters in England.

Artis, 26, originally from Coonabarabran in New South Wales, carded a final-round 71 at Buckinghamshire Golf Club to continue her recent run.

She is ninth on the money list on the LET with more than 69,000 euros of earnings this season.

American Beth Allen shot a final round of 67 to come from five shots behind the overnight leader Caroline Masson and claim her first professional title after a string of second places.

Allen, 33, from San Diego, California, said: “I wasn’t sure if it was ever going to happen so I’m really, really happy. I’ve waited a long time for this and I wanted it so, so bad, I’m ecstatic.”

Meanwhile the Australians who teed it up overseas at the weekend in the hope of reaching the Open Championship field at St Andrews later this month went home disappointed.

The likes of Robert Allenby, who withdrew from the Greenbrier Classic in the United States, and Aaron Baddeley, who missed the cut, were denied.

The top four non-exempt players in the Greenbrier were given a spot in the Open field, with New Zealander Danny Lee winning on the US Tour for the first time and grabbing his berth in the season’s next major championship.

Queenslander Steven Bowditch finished tied-13th, but he had already qualified to play the Open.

On the European Tour Marcus Fraser was tied-15th in the Open de France, which also offered up spots in the field at St Andrews. Fraser is already in that field.

Golf Australia rookie squad member Ryan Ruffels, one of the world’s best amateurs, missed the cut on his European Tour debut.