(10 May 2010 – Antalya, Turkey)
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It has taken three seasons and four runner-up finishes, but Melissa Reid has finally fulfilled the promise she has shown since her stellar amateur days, with her first professional victory at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open in Antalya. Reid finished at 3-under par; two shots clear of Holland’s Christel Boeljon and Denmark’s Iben Tinning with Becky Brewerton (Wales) and Mollie Fankhauser (USA) a further two shots back in a tie for 4th.
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rnReid went into the final day at 4-under par; a two shot buffer over experienced campaigners Brewerton and Tinning with Laura Davies ominously four shots back with Boeljon at even par. Her lead had stretched to four with birdies at the 2nd and 8th holes, with none of the challengers making a run at her on the difficult National Golf Club course. Davies was the first to fall by the wayside with an outward nine of 1-over was quickly followed with her second double-bogey of the day at the 10th hole. She would go on to post a round of 5-over par 77 and finish in a tie for 8th. Brewerton was next with a double-bogey on the 12th assuring she would not challenge Reid.
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rnAfter making the turn four in front, Reid started to wobble with her third bogey in as many days at the par-4 10th hole, following that with a bogey at the par-5 12th hole. She had slipped back to 4-under par, just two in front of Tinning, who would bogey the 14th to fall further behind. Up ahead, Boeljon made her run with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15, leaving her just one shot behind after Reid made another bogey at the 15th.
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rnWith three holes to play, the pressure was definitely on Reid, however she responded well to finish with three pars including getting up and down from the cart path beside the 17th green. Boeljon herself had made bogey at that hole to fall two behind, leaving Reid with a two-shot cushion playing the last. Afterwards she said, “I’m very, very happy to be standing here with the trophy. It wasn’t easy. I played really well on the front nine and didn’t do much wrong: I hit one bad shot and the back nine took its toll on me. I think I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes and I felt ready this week to win.”
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She was asked about the pressure she felt from her team of ‘backers’ which includes Sir Clive Woodward, to which she replied, “Obviously I’m aware of it but it’s more the pressure that I put on myself. Now I know that even when I don’t play well on the back nine, I can still pull off shots, even when the pressure’s on. It’s just a fantastic feeling. It’s great to feel that I can win, even without an A game.”
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For the ALPG contingent, it wasn’t the happiest of weeks with only three of the nine players competing making the cut. Rebecca Coakley continued her good form of the last 12 months finishing in a tie for 14th at 5-over par, with Karen Lunn a shot further back in 19th while Lynnette Brooky kickstarted her season with a tie for 28th at 7-over par.
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The players move to Germany this week for the €330,000 Unicredit Ladies German Open Presented by Audi in Munich.
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Photos courtesy of Tristan Jones/LET.
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