The final round at the Centurion Club saw ideal conditions for scoring and both Lauren Walsh and Annabel Wilson bettered their Saturday scores which had seen them drop down the leaderboard.
A blistering start by Walsh saw the Kildare native take two birdies from the first two holes as the 24-year-old hit all fairways and greens in regulation on the front nine.
A miscue on the par-5 eighth hole saw a sore bogey for Walsh but the 2023 NCAA champion continued to hold momentum as she birdied the 10th and 13th holes.
With a very low round on the horizon, Walsh will undoubtedly be disappointed to give away back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes but did well to keep composure and finish with a birdie at the par-5 18th.
The final round was Walsh’s lowest round of the weekend, scoring two-under-par which saw her finish her weekend in T34 at even par.
A rollercoaster front nine for Annabel Wilson was not the best way for the Derry native to amend her five-over-par round two, but the 24-year-old did well to limit the damages.
A birdie on the first, followed by back-to-back bogeys and another birdie on the next three holes made for eventful viewing but a double bogey on the par-4 eighth hole was a major blow for the rookie as she finished her final round at even par, taking her to three-over for the tournament and finishing in a tie for 49th.
The other end of the leaderboard saw Germany’s Laura Fuenfstueck secure her first win on the Ladies European Tour by one stroke, with a score of 10-under-par.
The 30-year-old held a three-shot lead heading into the final round, but a slow start saw the German three-over after four holes.
“At the beginning of the day, I said I want to earn this today and I did on the back nine,” said Fuenfstueck. “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,” she added.
The back nine really showed what Fuenfstueck is capable of as she made four birdies under pressure to take her back to the top of the leaderboard.
“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,” said Fuenfstueck.
“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,” she added emotionally.
Hunting Fuenfstueck was Ecuador’s Daniela Darquea as she produced a five-under-par round to secure a lone second place on nine-under.
“It was wonderful, I had so much fun,” said Darquea. “I think the back nine was very competitive. I’m really happy to see Laura win, I gave it my best,” said the LET rookie.
“I’m really happy with the result and I hope to get a win by the end of the year. I’ve been working hard on my putting, I changed something which has made a big difference, so I’m excited to see what’s to come,” added Darquea.
Five-time LET winner Anne Van Dam ended her weekend with an eagle on the last to secure a solo third place at eight-under-par whilst 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.
Next up for the LET is a one-week break followed by the Hills Open at Hills Golf & Sports Club between 22-24 August.
Leaderboard
