Latest news with #Fünfstück
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Laura Fünfstück holds nerve to claim maiden LET victory
Laura Fünfstück held her nerve during the final round of the PIF London Championship to clinch a one-stroke victory at Centurion Club. On a sunny day in Hertfordshire, it was a tightly contested final day with 10 players finishing within three shots of Fünfstück. The German star had a three-shot lead overnight but had a tricky start to the day as she was three-over after four holes. However, she recovered well and produced a stunning back nine to leave her with a one-foot birdie to seal her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title with a score of 10-under-par. "At the beginning of the day, I said I want to earn this today and I did on the back nine," said Fünfstück. "I was so nervous, I had half a sausage for breakfast. I'm starving now. I'm so happy, I'm so pleased. That was fun. "Hopefully, we're just getting started. It's massively kind of validating because everyone defines themselves if they're a Tour winner or not." After her tricky start, the 30-year-old, who lives in London with her wife fellow LET professional Rosie Davies, bounced back with a birdie on the seventh before dropping another shot on the ninth. The German then kicked into gear on the back nine rolling in birdies on 12 and 14 to put herself back into contention before she finished in style with birdies on 17 and 18 for her final round of 72 (-1). She continued: "Last week [AIG Women's Open], semi-helped with that because I was in contention after the first few days and then gave it away a lot on the weekend. I knew what it was like to not have the start that you want to have. "If you keep plotting away, I knew there were a lot of chances on the back nine. I'm super pleased that I got it over the line. "I can't thank the people on my team that have pushed me over the years enough, they believed in me when I haven't especially my wife – she's a superhero – and I definitely wouldn't be here without her." Ecuador's Daniela Darquea produced a round of 68 on the final day to finish in outright second place with a total of nine-under-par at Centurion Club. The LET rookie dropped just two shots and rolled in seven birdies to record her best-ever finish on the LET. Five-time LET winner Anne Van Dam finished with a flourish carding an eagle on the last to end the week in solo third place on eight-under-par. Seven players finished in a share of fourth place with Olivia Cowan, Adela Cernousek, Alice Hewson, Lee-Anne Pace, Mimi Rhodes, Kim Metraux and Manon De Roey all on seven-under-par. Lauren Walsh finished best of the Irish with a two-under par closing round of 71, which contained five birdies and three dropped strokes. The Kildare woman finished on even par overall in tied-34th. Lurgan's Annabel Wilson finished three strokes further back after an even par round of 73 on Saturday, leaving her in tied-49th. Sara Byrne and Anna Foster missed yesterday's cut at the 54-hole event, which was won last year by Leona Maguire, who was not around this week. In the LET Order of Merit, Rhodes extends her lead at the top and now has 1,821.74 points to her name and PIF London Championship winner Fünfstück has climbed from 32nd to 11th in the rankings.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Annabel Wilson leads Irish contingent at Centurion Club
Lurgan's Annabel Wilson is tied-15th after the opening round at the PIF London Championship with Alexandra Swayne and Laura Fünfstück leading the way at the Centurion Club. Defending champion Leona Maguire - who won in spectacular fashion with an eagle at the final hole last year - is absent but Wilson leads a four-strong Irish contingent after firing a two-under par opening round 71 around the London venue. Lauren Walsh is two strokes further back on even par, the Kildare golfer bouncing back from a double-bogey and bogey on successive holes on the third and fourth with birdies on the fifth and seventh. Sara Byrne carded a one-over 74, which included five bogeys and four birdies, while Anna Foster is well back after a five-over par 78. In glorious conditions, Swayne and Fünfstück both fired rounds of 67 (-6) on the first day to share the lead. It was a good start for Swayne, who represents the U.S. Virgin Islands, as she made a birdie on 10 before her only dropped shot of the day on 11. She rolled in back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 before an eagle on the first and rounded out her day with birdies on seven and eight to be tied for the lead on six-under-par. Germany's Fünfstück began her day with an eagle at the first and added a birdie on the second before another on the ninth. Her only bogey of the round came on 11, but she bounced back with birdies on 12 and 13 and finished in style with another birdie at the last to be tied alongside Swayne. Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini and Spain's Carlota Ciganda are in a share of third place on five-under-par. Three-time LET winner Tamburlini had eight birdies and three bogeys on her scorecard for her round of 68. English trio Cara Gainer, Mimi Rhodes and Charlotte Laffar, Sweden's Bringner, and Italy's Alessandra Fanali are in a tie for fifth place on four-under-par.
