Date: September 16, 2008
Author:

Delight for Davies

England&aposs Laura Davies successfully defended her Austrian title at Golf Club Fohrenwald in Wiener Neustadt. Davies, who began Sunday&aposs final round tied for the lead with Swede Emma Zackrisson, shot a four-under-par 68 in cold conditions to finish on 15-under-par 273, three strokes ahead of compatriot Lisa Hall. Aussie Karen Lunn finished in a tie for 18th, while Frances Bondad shared 40th place at one-over. Nikki Garrett and Dana Lacey both missed the cut. Davies said: “Four times I&aposve been here and four times I&aposve been in the presentation. Twice a winner now – it&aposs good.” “The first year I came here I knew I liked the course and I knew I could win and sure enough the last two years I have.” Davies posted rounds of 71, 67, 67 and 68 to notch her first win since Australia&aposs New South Wales Open in January. “I love winning and that is what I do this for. It is just fantastic to have won,” she said. The four-time major champion held the momentum from the start with birdies on the seventh and eighth holes. Back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and 11th stalled her momentum, but she then hit a superb drive to four feet short of the flag at the 291 yard par four 12th and rolled in the eagle putt to extend her lead. The 44-year-old explained: “The bogeys on 10 and 11 were not unlucky, but silly chips, and I didn&apost even birdie nine so I was starting to panic a little bit.” “We hadn&apost seen a scoreboard all day and sure enough I was only one ahead at that point. I hit that driver and it was probably one of the best shots I&aposve ever hit.” “That was pretty much the time when I really felt comfortable to win.” In a dramatic finish, Luna aced the par-three 16th hole to pull within one of Davies, who then birdied the same hole, sinking a crucial 12 footer. Davies, who finished with a birdie at the par-five last hole, now hopes to build on her success with further victories and Solheim Cup points. She explained: “I want to get my confidence back. I want to be ready to go again next year and be in the Solheim Cup. That is a big thing for me next year.” Luna was able to take some comfort from her third career hole-in-one as she hit a brilliant nine-iron almost straight into the hole on 16, winning her either a BMW motorcycle or a Mini car. She has yet to make her mind up – although she does not ride. Meanwhile, Katherine Hull continued her recent strong form with a share of fourth place at the LPGA&aposs Bell-Micro Classic in Alabama. The Canadian Open champion, Hull shot a one-over 73 in the final round to finish level with South Korean Hee Young Park and American Danielle Downey. Queenslander Sarah-Jane Kenyon produced an excellent performance, just a week after gaining her tour card, finishing in a tie for 16th – level with world No.5 Paula Creamer.