(27 April 2010 – Alicante, Spain)
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Australia&aposs team of Karrie Webb and Karen Lunn came so close to winning the Communitat Valenciana European Nations Cup in Spain, only to be beaten by Sweden&aposs Anna Nordqvist and Sophie Gustafson on the third playoff hole. After a titanic tussle on the final day, it took an eagle on the last hole in regulation by Sweden just to make the playoff, which they eventually won with a birdie. The team from Italy (Veronica Zorzi and Giulia Sergas) finished in outright third place, two shots behind Sweden and Australia.
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rnHeading into the final day, Australia trailed Sweden by two shots with the format being the Valencian Cup format, where the players tee off, then switch and play their partners ball for the next shot (on par 4’s) and the next two shots (on par 5’s) before selecting the best ball and completing the hole in alternate shots. After four holes, Australia had moved to the lead after 4 straight birdies moved them to 19-under par. They couldn’t manage any more birdies on the front nine while Sweden notched birdies on the 5th and 9th holes to join Australia in the lead with nine holes to play.
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rnBoth teams had moved to 20-under with birdies early on the back nine before Australia regained the lead courtesy of a bogey by the Swedes at the 14th. Australia, playing in the group in front could not make any more birdies until the 18th hole, moving to 21-under. It looked like they had it in the bag with the Swedes needing an eagle on the last hole. However, it was not to be as Gustafson drilled a 7-wood from 212 yards to finish 6-feet from the hole which World No.7 Nordqvist calmly stepped up and rolled in to force the playoff.
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rnAfter both teams made regulation pars at the first playoff hole, Lunn drained a 6-foot birdie putt on the second only to be matched by another clutch 5-footer from Nordqvist. The third time around it was Webb who had the chance to force another playoff hole, only to see her birdie chance from 20-feet horseshoe out. This left the Swedes a tap-in for birdie and the title. Afterwards, Nordqvist said, “Coming into 18 in regulation, knowing that we had to make eagle to get into the play-off, it was either win or lose; all or nothing. We both hit the fairway and when Sophie hit that incredible shot up on the fairway we had a chance of making an eagle just to get in there. So, just getting in there, I mean, you just go for it. It took us three holes. Karrie hit a great putt on that last hole and unfortunately it didn’t go in. Coming up with a birdie and winning, it’s just an incredible feeling right now.”
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rnUnderstandably, the Australians were gutted, feeling they had every chance to win the event in regulation. Lunn summed it up, saying, “You want to win so badly but like I said, we just didn’t really get the job done. We hung in and hung in, in the playoff but Webby hit a great putt there and I don’t know how it missed. It’s a bit devastating to lose like that, especially when she hit such a great putt.”
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rnWebb added, “It’s been a great week. I’ve had a lot of fun with Karen and we’ve played well. Obviously the Swedes make an eagle at the last, put us into a playoff and we never had two balls in play that hit the fairway at all on 18 in the playoff, but we had our chances and if it was meant to be that one would have gone in. It just wasn’t meant to go in, I guess.”
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rnFOX Sports will be showing the event’s highlights package at the following times:
rn• Wednesday 28 April – 5am (Fox 1)
rn• Friday 30 April – 10am (Fox 3)
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Photos courtesy of Tristan Jones/LET