CATRIONA MATTHEW

WINS IN SWEDEN:

FIRST SINCE 2004

FROM THE LADIES' EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

North Berwick's golfing daughter Catriona Matthew claimed her fifth worldwide title with a three-stroke victory at the Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika on Sunday.

The 37-year-old Scot posted a final round of four-under-par 68 to finish on nine-under 279 for the tournament – ahead of Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson and American Laura Diaz - to win her first professional title since the Wendy’s Championship for Children in 2004.

Matthew, picture right from LET website, was making only her 14th start of the year after coming back from maternity leave in March. She stormed into a comfortable lead after an astonishing start to her round.

She birdied four of the first five holes to take a five-stroke lead on nine-under-par before a bogey on the sixth hole temporarily halted her progress.

Another bogey at the 10th saw the mother-of-one drop to within one shot of second-day leader Diaz, who made a charge with three birdies in a row from the ninth hole. However Matthew pulled four strokes clear after back-to-back birdies at the 12th and 13th holes.

“Obviously I played really well. I got off to a good start,” said Matthew, who took six months off to have baby daughter Katie on December 18.

“I hit the ball really well. I was a little bit shaky on 10 and pushed my second shot but the birdies on 12 and 13 settled me down and I had good chances coming in.

“It’s fantastic. I haven’t won in a couple of years and there’s a great field here this week so I’m just thankful to have won.”

Like Diaz, Gustafson also made a charge with three consecutive birdies to move to five-under-par for the tournament after 12 holes. Another birdie on the 16th contributed to a faultless 68 for the 21-time tournament winner.
Diaz, who had started the day three shots off the pace on two-under-par, also posted a 68, but it wasn’t enough to catch Matthew, who began the day tied for the lead with American Brittany Lincicome on five-under-par.

Lincicome, the 2007 Ginn Open champion, stuttered to a 76 and eventually finished eighth on one-under-par.

Sweden’s Maria Hjorth enhanced her chances of being selected for the European Solheim Cup Team with an excellent two-under-par 70 to take a share of third place on four-under with World No 6 Suzann Pettersen of Norway.

Barsebäck regular Louise Stahle finished tied-sixth on three-under-par, while compatriot Caroline Hedwall was the leading amateur in seventh position on two-under.
Host Annika Sörenstam put her difficult week behind her after carding a confidence-boosting four-under-par 68 to finish in ninth place on level par.

“Today was a little different in many ways,” said Sörenstam, who spent some time on the range with her coach Henri Reis following her 74 on Saturday.

“I was able to hit some fairways and when you hit fairways you get birdie opportunities and I hit a few. A few putts make quite a difference.”

Following her ninth place, the former World Number One leapfrogged fellow Swede Linda Wessberg in the European Solheim Cup Team standings for the side that will face the United States next month at Halmstad in Sweden.

Sörenstam now takes fifth place, just inside the cut-off point for automatic selection. Next week’s Wales Ladies Championship of Europe at Machynys Peninsula Golf Club in Llanelli is the final qualifying event for the European side.

Matthew, who beat Rosie Jones 3 and 1 in the singles to reclaim the Solheim Cup for Europe at Barsebäck in 2003, said she had been delighted to return to the scene of Europe’s triumph.

"I have some happy memories here,” she enthused.“I loved the greens - I have never holed so many putts.

“It just about felt like I was playing in Scotland, I had so much support.”

Matthew also paid tribute to tournament Sörenstam, whom the Scot described as ‘the best golfer ever’.

“To play in a tournament hosted by Annika is just fantastic,” she said.

Matthew earned a first prize of €78.750 and climbed 12 places to third on the LET’s New Star Money List following her win.

She is also expected to climb from her 30th position in the Rolex World Rankings when the updated rankings are released on Monday.