ANNE VAN DAM Powers to Fourth Ladies European Tour Title
On March 3, Anne Van Dam from The Netherlands has surged home on the final nine to win the Canberra Women’s Classic at Royal Canberra Golf Club by three strokes: her third Ladies European Tour title inside six months and her fourth overall.
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nne began the day as joint leader on 11 under and duelled with defending champion Jiyai Shin (Korea Republic) through the back nine before picking up four shots in the final four holes with a final round of six under 65. Katja Pogacar (Slovenia) – the other overnight leader – also came home strongly with two birdies in the final four holes to finish 14-under par, one ahead of Jiyai. Anne said after shooting eight under in the second round to put her in contention, she knew she had to go to another level to win the championship. “It gave me so much confidence that I knew I could birdie every hole here. I just had to stay patient, trust my long game and I was really happy with the way I putted.” The day began with a group of five players separated by just two shots at the top of the leaderboard and while Anne led at the halfway mark by one shot, Jiyai and Carly Booth (Scotland) and Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden) were all within striking distance. Jiyai looked the most threatening having moved to 12 under and she then drew level with Anne at the 12th, only to lose the lead the next hole with a bogey five. But the defending champion refused to surrender her title and again drew level with a birdie on 15.
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Ladies GOLF Summer/Autumn 2019/20 • ISSUE 26
Just when it looked like the championship was shifting, the long-hitting Anne reached the 15th in two and then holed the eagle putt to move to 15 under. Jiyai continued to stake a claim for the title when she birdied 16 to be one shot behind Anne. The Korean bogeyed 17 and Anne seized the advantage with birdie on the 16th and then crowned her victory with another birdie on 18 to finish on 17 under (196). The ActewAGL Canberra Classic is Anne’s fourth title on the European Tour. “I’ve hit a lot of golf balls over the past couple of months and, with my coach Dave, we’ve been working on my swing, so I’m really happy with it right now,” she said. Katja Pogacar surged home with a final round of 68 to claim second place, her best finish on the Ladies European Tour. “It was my first time playing in the last group in front of a large gallery, which was different and a great experience… and I loved it. “I’m so happy to have performed under the pressure. It was a little shaky in the beginning, but I finished strongly…which will give me a lot of confidence for the whole season.” www.ladiesgolfmagazine.com.au
