Spanish sensation Paula Marti wonher second title of the year in dramatic fashion
with a birdie, eagle finish in a final round five under par 68 for a 10 under
total in the £100,000 Kellogg's All-Bran Ladies British Masters, presented
by The Daily Telegraph at Mottram Hall GC.
The 21-year-old from Barcelona pipped compatriot Raquel Carriedo by a shot
after the 30-year-old from Zaragoza had led for most of the afternoon.
Scotland's Solheim Cup captain Dale Reid took sole possession of third place
firing a steady one under par 72 for eight under in the damp conditions, one shot
clear of Norwegian rookie Suzann Pettersen and Australian Joanne Mills.
England's Kirsty Taylor carded a final round 74 for sixth place on six under
and Chorley's Lora Fairclough tied for seventh with New Zealander Gina Scott.
Marti, who beat Carriedo in a playoff at the La Perla Italian Open in May to
win her maiden event in just five starts as a professional, began the day three
behind second round leader Pettersen and struggled to make any headway on her
front nine.
Carriedo started the day at a blistering pace, taking the challenge to Pettersen.
The Solheim Cup Spaniard fired an eagle and two birdies in her opening three holes
to make her intentions clear, aiming for her second title of both this season
and her career.
Pettersen answered with birdies of her own at the first and second and Marti
was languishing behind by four shots at the turn.
But the drama that was expected over the back nine materialised when Pettersen
lost her argument with a tree root on the 14th, taking three swipes to extract
her ball before racking up a triple bogey seven and falling out of the hunt.
Carriedo took over the mantle of leader, and Marti saw her chance, if only
she could make some of the putts she was missing earlier in the week.
A birdie from eight feet at the tenth saw her make a move and after a fantastic
par save on the 13th, knocking it to eight feet from a bunker 58-yards away, the
girl they call 'La Nina' birdied the 14th to move into Carriedo's slipstream.
Carriedo bogeyed the par three 11th, missing the green right, but she still
had a two shot lead over her rival.
Marti followed up with three pars until she birdied the 14th, hitting a wedge
to eight feet and draining the putt. But a bogey at the 16th, hitting the wrong
club second shot undid the hard work.
Carriedo tried in vain to sink a putt of any description, but they stayed above
ground. Even a chip on the 16th lipped out to add to her frustrations.
But Marti, playing in the group ahead pressed her foot on the gas at the par
five 17th. Her three wood approach found the bunker short of the green and after
making another amazing 'sandy' for birdie, this time from 48-yards away, she drew
within a shot.
And at the 510-yard par five closing hole, the 4000 plus crowd witnessed a
dramatic moment in women's golf when the big hitting Marti cannoned a drive into
the middle of the fairway, and knocked a five iron into nine feet.
The crowd erupted when the putt dropped for eagle and Carriedo could only muster
a par at the last to finish runner up for the seventh time on Tour.
"I am so happy," said Marti. "I never thought it was going to
happen like this. I have been struggling with my putter lately, but all the ones
I missed earlier in the week went in today, especially the last one.
"I knew I needed a good score today, especially when Raquel started so
fast. I think I was six shots behind at one point and I knew that I could make
up six shots around here, so I just stuck at it. I said to myself 'keep it up'
and concentrate on one shot at a time and that's what I did.
"It hit a couple of great bunker shots today - I don't know what was the
matter in the bunkers, I didn't even recognise myself in there - I made a fantastic
up and down on the 17th and it was really important to make that putt.
"And on the last, I ripped my driver (down the fairway) and I was just
hoping to make a two putt birdie. But when I saw it going straight at the flag,
I was just saying 'come on, come on' and when the putt went in - man,
it was so exciting," she added, £15,000 the richer as winner of her
second event in eight starts as a professional.
Carriedo was naturally, devastated at losing out to her rival again and expected
a challenge from her compatriot all day long.
"Yeah - I have to expect everything from her now, I was hitting the ball
really well and was very confident. I knew it was going to be about the putting
today and they just didn't want to go in on the back nine.
"On the 16th, I chipped up and the ball went around the hole and on the
17th I had a nine foot putt for birdie and I hit a great putt, but it didn't go.
"I gave it my best out there - absolutely. I just think I deserved to
make a birdie on 16 or 17, one or the other, but I suppose that's golf."
Reid was happy with the way her week ended. Having visited the Queen at Holyrood
Palace in Edinburgh to collect her OBE for services to golf, the 42-year-old from
Ladybank got into the hunt for her 27th career title after opening rounds of 70
and 69.
The veteran was aiming to win in three different decades, but with a final
round 72, she came up just shy, despite four birdies on the back nine.
"I felt if I could birdie the first hole, I would be in with a shout and
that would have got me started. I struggled with the greens today on the front
nine, but I made a good fightback.
"It's been a long time since I played that well, maybe I might pick up
some Solheim Cup points," she joked. "But I am quite happy with that
- a good week."
Pettersen still took confidence from her performance, despite her error on
the 14th.
"I thought I hit a good drive, but I got a bad bounce and it finished
under the tree. Maybe I should have taken a drop, but it looked as if I could
play it," said the 20-year-old from Oslo.
"But I still played steady golf, I didn't have as many birdies as I would
have liked, but I never looked like making any bogies either. Maybe I was too
defensive, to play as good as I did over the last few days and finish like that
is disappointing, but overall, it's good, really solid stuff."
The challenges from the local favourites and Solheim Cup stalwarts Trish Johnson
and Laura Davies did not materialise. The defending champion and former World
number one respectively finished in a share of ninth place with compatriot Diane
Barnard, who carded an equal best of the day 68.
