Win No.8 for Nocera in Norway
- Tuesday, 26 August 2008
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Starting the third and final round a shot behind Diana Luna of Italy, the 33-year-old from France closed with a four-under 68 to finish on 13-under-par 203 at Haga Golf Club.
She won by three from Spaniard Tania Elosegui, who had a 67 and England’s Samantha Head, who had a 68, with a further eight players in a share of 20third place on eight-under-par.
The victory was Nocera’s third of the season and underlined her dominance on the LET this year after wins in Scotland and the Netherlands. She became the sole player to have won three times this year, a feat she also achieved in 2006, but still lies in second place on the New Star Money List behind Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson, who won the lucrative Evian Masters in July.
“My aim is still to win the New Star Money List so I knew I had to win at least this week and a couple more. I’m getting closer to my goal but I still have a lot of work to do,” said the two-time Solheim Cup player. “I really played well today, the best round of the week.”
Nocera made two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine to find herself in a tie for the lead with Luna after nine holes on the final day. After both players birdied the par-five 10th hole, they remained neck and neck but Luna bogeyed the 12th hole giving Nocera=2 0the advantage.
At the 481-yard, par-five, 14th hole, Nocera rolled in a 23 footer for eagle and then cemented her lead with back to back birdies on holes 16 and 17.
At the 372-yard, par-four, 18th hole, Nocera found the water on the right with her tee shot, but maintained her composure to take a bogey.
“I didn’t see it until I got there and I knew I had a four stroke lead so it was alright. I just had to make a five and go with it,” she explained. “When I was 13-under after 16 I knew I was fine so I just had time to think about it, that is why I am cool now, because I had three holes to think about the win.”
Head, who earned two victories on the LET, in 1999 and 2001, posted her best finish since the 2005 OTP Bank Ladies Central European Open in Hungary. She said that=2 0she had been struggling until a forced break from golf due to tonsillitis gave her time to review the situation.
“I wasn’t shooting any low scores and a couple of weeks ago I had to pull out of the British Open after qualifying and I was so gutted but it gave me two weeks off to think about why I’m not shooting low scores. Those two weeks off really helped me,” she explained.
“I was not holing enough putts. That was it. I just thought about how I’m going to hole more putts. I worked in my own head, visualisation and all that stuff. I did it by myself.”
On her renewed confidence, she added: “I feel like there is a win in me but obviously I’m not ready yet. I wasn’t ready this week but every week is a new week so I’m just waiting and being patient.”
Elosegui also posted a season best finish, hoisting herself from a share of eighth place entering the final round.” I’m very happy. I was struggling a bit with the putting at the beginning. I only had two birdies on the front nine. I made birdies on one and six. I hit a very good seven iron into 14 and made the putt for eagle so that was great,” she said. “I was quite nervous at the end but I managed to get a birdie on 17 with two putts. I felt so nervous and the putts were short on 17 and 18 but I am happy.”
The leading Norwegian player was Marianne Skarpnord, who shot a closing 70 to share 16th place on five-under-par, while the leading amateur was Norway’s Lene Krog.
