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Ingrid Lindblad (above) booked a place in next month’s AIG Women’s Open after closing with a fine 5-under-par 67 Saturday to win the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Royal Park I Roveri in Italy.
The 21-year-old world No 5 from Halmstad, Sweden, started the final round one shot behind compatriot Sara Kjellker, but six birdies in her opening 11 holes saw her race into the lead and even her sole bogey of the day on the 14th did little to halt her progress.
Lindblad’s 67 was enough to see her finish three shots ahead of Germany’s Alexandra Försterling on 9-under 279 and become the first Swede to win the European Golf Association’s premier ladies’ event since Caroline Hedwall claimed the second of her two titles on home soil at Falsterbo in 2009. Försterling closed with a 69 to move up from fourth place overnight and claim the silver medal.
This year’s championship was dominated from start to finish by the strong Swedish contingent with 22-year-old debutant Kjellker claiming the bronze medal despite finishing with a 73.
World No 8 Beatrice Wallin also had a day she will want to forget, closing with a 74, but clung to fourth place on 283 one shot ahead of countrywoman Meja Örtengren who finished the event with a 73.
They were not the only Swedes to feature in the top 10 because world No 3 Linn Grant (final-round 72) and world No 4 Maja Stark (final-round 71) shared sixth place on 285 alongside Spain’s Carolina López-Chacarra and Italy’s Benedetta Moresco.
A seventh Swede, Nora Sundberg, also was not far behind after closing with a 68 to climb into a share of 12th place alongside Spain’s Elena Hualde Zúñiga on 287.
“It’s been a great day,” said Lindblad who goes into her junior year at Louisiana State University after the summer recess. “I played great today. I think I missed my first green on 12 so I hit a lot of greens at the beginning and had lots of birdie chances.
“It’s cool having my name on the trophy. I think the last Swede to win it was Caroline Hedwall so it’s been a while.
“It was very cool having three in the last group, just walking around speaking Swedish was very unusual for an international tournament.
“It’s been a great day all round.”
While Europe’s top women were competing in Italy, Under-16 boys and girls were in Finland for the European Golf Association’s European Young Masters at Vierumäki Golf Club. The event was inaugurated in 1995 when Sergio García was the winner of the boys’ competition, and it counts Rafa Cabrera-Bello (1999 and 2000) and Suzann Pettersen among its other former winners. Rory McIlroy, Carlota Ciganda, Eddie Pepperell, Nicolas Colsaerts and Matteo Manassero all have collected medals as well.
Vierumäki proved to be a happy hunting ground for Spain’s Jorge Siyuan Hao, who started the last day of the boys’ event one shot behind Tim Wiedemeyer but posted 70 to finish five shots ahead of the faltering German on 9-under par 207.
Wiedemeyer clinched medallist honours on his way to helping Germany win the recent European Boys’ Team Championship in Denmark, but on this occasion a back nine of 41 saw him fall into second place with a closing 76.
Turkey’s Can Gürdenli shot a final-round 69 to clinch the bronze medal on 3-under 213. That gave him a three-shot cushion ahead of Wiedemeyer’s compatriot Peer Wernicke and France’s Noa Auch-Roy.
Most of the fireworks on the final day came in the girls’ event, where Germany’s Helen Briem closed with a superb 7-under 65 to claim victory on 11-under par 205.
Briem opened and finished her round with eagles to leapfrog overnight leader Denisa Vodičková and finish two shots ahead of the Czech Republic player and Belgium’s Savannah De Bock. De Bock was awarded the silver medal because her final-round 67 was three shots lower than Vodičková’s 70.
Briem’s spectacular round helped Germany complete a seven-shot victory ahead of Spain in the concurrent mixed team event with an 18-under-par total of 630. It was the country’s third consecutive win in the team competition. France was third, one shot further back.
Colin Callander