Gwladys Nocera of France claimed her first Ladies European Tour title and a prize of 75,000 euros today at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open in Golf Gerre Losone.
Nocera, who has been runner-up four times in the last two seasons and who was beaten by three strokes to last week’s Ladies Spanish Open title, won by three shots over England’s Laura Davies, with Lisa Hall finishing a shots further back in outright third.
Nocera’s course record 63 in the third round moved her to within one shot of the lead entering the final round and she carded a final round of 71 to claim the title at fifteen under par 273.
She becomes the second French winner of the event after Marie-Laure de Lorenzi won at Golf Club de Lausanne in 1997 and, as she turns 31 tomorrow, it was the best birthday present she could have wished for.
“I’m kind of speechless right now because I have been waiting for this win for a couple of weeks and I’m just so happy it’s unbelievable,” said the Biarritz-based Solheim Cup player.
“I tried to play as I always play. Like yesterday I was really focused on my game and trying to be more aggressive. Before, when I didn’t win I played it too cool, so I said to myself just go for it and give yourself a chance to win.”
Nocera, who already topped the LET’s New Star Money List before the event, moved even further ahead of the pack after her victory with a total of 126,606.91 euros earned in four events and she has now posted three top ten finishes this season. As well as finishing second last week in Spain, she also finished tied for eighth place at Australia’s ANZ Ladies Masters in February.
Davies, who carded a final round of 70 for a total of 12-under-par 276, moved into second position on the New Star Money List with 54,979.47 euros in earnings.
“I feel I should have given Gwladys a better run for her money but at the end of the day I didn’t hole a putt,” said Davies. “I’m delighted to have shot 12 under although it should have been 20 under. That’s just a fact. I hit it well enough to have shot 20 under but I was rubbish for the last few holes.”
Nocera was paired with the overnight leader Hall in the final round today. Hall held a one shot lead heading into the final day but blew her title chances by posting seven bogeys and just three birdies for a final round of four-over-par 76, for an 11-under-par total. Nevertheless she was delighted with her final position after a year off from competitive golf and playing on a sponsor’s invitation.
With Nocera’s victory, she automatically qualifies to play in the US$3 million Evian Masters for the next two years and she is fully exempt on the LET for the next three years. She also earns 20 Solheim Cup points and moves to the top of the European Team rankings.
Having made her debut in the competition last year in Indiana, when she defeated American Cristie Kerr 2&1 in the singles, she is keen to taste a team victory next year when the competition returns to Sweden.
“Playing in The Solheim once, you want to do it again and in 2007, I want to be in that team so I’ll do my best to be there. It was great. It was the best time golf wise ever and being in the team with all the great players was amazing.”
Now that she has won once, she believes she can win again. She was second three times on the Ladies European Tour in 2005: after a playoff against Shani Waugh at the Thailand Ladies Open, at the Siemens Austrian Ladies Open when Federica Piovano holed a 14 metre eagle putt at the last hole and at the Catalonia Ladies Masters, where she finished tied for second with Paula Marti. Nocera is a quality ball striker and her win surprised very few who have been watching her on the LET circuit.
Fellow French woman Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, who is the 2007 Solheim Cup vice Captain, came to the tournament to show Nocera some support this weekend. “I told her I wanted to be here when she won and she has done it! It was only a matter of time,” said de Lorenzi, who is, on paper, the defending champion from 1997, although she has since retired.
In her winner’s speech, Nocera thanked her Australian caddie Steve Walsh, as since the pair joined forces at the Evian Masters in 2005 she has not dropped outside the top 20 positions in any tournament bar the 2005 Weetabix Women’s British Open, where she finished tied for 42nd.
“He kept telling me to play one shot at a time today and not to think about the next step so he helped me stay in the present,” said Nocera, who is coached by French coach Olivier Leglise.
“Last week I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t lose the tournament; she (Brooky) won it. So I told myself to keep going and I was thinking my time will come.”
Today, after so many close opportunities, Nocera claimed victory over an in form Davies and a quality field at one of the largest tournaments on the LET schedule. Her timing could not have been any better.
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