England's
Samantha Head won her maiden professional title Sunday after fellow Briton Trish
Johnson missed a six foot putt for par on the final hole of the £100,000 Ladies
Italian Open in Tuscany.
Identical
twin Head, who posted four birdies on her way to a two under 71, finished with
a five under par winning aggregate, one ahead of Johnson and four other players
tied for second spot. Having three putted the last to set the clubhouse target
at five under, Head had to endure a nervous wait while Johnson completed her final
two holes. But the joint overnight leader was unable to improve on her score,
and an emotional Head was left to collect the £15,000 winner's cheque when Johnson
three putted the last.
Playing
alongside Johnson in the final group of the day, Finland's Rikka Hakkarainen also
had an opportunity to force a playoff, having just moved to four under par thanks
to a birdie on the 17th. But Finland's only female professional golfer missed
the 12-foot birdie putt and had to settle for second alongside Johnson.
France's
Patricia Meunier Lebouc, Mette Hageman of the Netherlands and Spain's Marina Arruti.
"I kept asking James my husband to pinch me because I just couldn't believe that
I'd won," said Head, whose twin sister Johanna finished in joint 12th place at
one under par. "I thought I'd blown it on 18 when I left it 10-foot short, and
I certainly didn't expect Trish (Johnson) to three putt the last. I felt like
crying while I was watching the others come in. "I wasn't expecting to win because
I still don't feel like I played particularly well. I made some good putts but
I didn't hit the ball that good."
It
proved to be a very emotional victory for the 26-year-old from Sussex because
this time last year her husband was in hospital suffering from a life-threatening
illness. "James was recovering from an operation about this time last year and
I didn't know whether he'd come through it - an experience like that really puts
everything else into perspective," added Head, who moved ahead of her sister into
23rd place on the Ladies European Tour (LET) moneylist.
"Jo
(Head) has been playing much better than me for most of the season, which also
puts pressure on me. But for some reason we both knew that I'd win before she
did. I dreamt last week that I'd won in Germany. Thankfully it came true today."
Having toured the front half of the Poggio dei Medici layout with a two under
35, Head moved into the lead with a birdie a 12-foot birdie at the 10th. Although
she three putted for bogey at the 14th, she reclaimed a share of the lead with
a 25-foot birdie at the 17th, only to drop back to five under on 18.
Johnson,
who claimed to have been inspired by the European Ryder Cup team over the past
couple of days, posted a disappointing 74 that included two birdies and three
bogeys. Arruti, winner of the 1999 Ladies Austrian Open, carded the day's joint
lowest score - a three under 70 - while Meunier Lebouc and Hageman fired 71 and
72 respectively. Hakkarainen secured what was easily her best place of the season
after posting a level par 73.
Amateur
Giulia Sergas led the local challenge, carding a final round 75 to finish with
a two over par 221 aggregate. The promising 19-year-old, who plans to turn professional
after next month's World Amateur Championship, has now finished the leading amateur
in each of her three starts on the 1999 LET, including the 1999 Weetabix Womens
British Open at Woburn.
