Rebecca Hudson wins play-off

for Tenerife Ladies Open

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

By BETHAN CUTLER
England’s Rebecca Hudson birdied the third extra hole of a sudden-death play-off against Anne-Lise Caudal from France to capture the Tenerife Ladies Open at Golf Costa Adeje today.

Hudson, pictured right, 29, from Doncaster, began the final round one shot behind Caudal and posted a final round 69 in regulation play to finish on 10-under-par 278 in total.

Caudal, who won the previous week’s tournament in Portugal, was a shot ahead with one hole to play, but bogeyed the par-5 18th after hitting her second shot into a greenside bunker, from where she took four shots to get down. She signed for a final round 70.

Both players birdied the 472-yard 18th hole at the first extra time of asking. Hudson rolled in a 12 footer for birdie while Caudal replied by holing hers from four feet. They both made pars on the 18th at the second extra hole, both players just missing their birdie chances.

After Caudal took a par 4 at the third extra hole, the 377yd 17th, Hudson sank her 3ft birdie putt to claim her second individual Ladies European Tour title and a first prize of €45,000. It was her first LET victory since the 2006 OTP Bank Ladies European Open in Hungary, although she also won the European Cup in Spain in April, which was a team event.
“I didn’t expect Anne-Lise to bogey the last in regulation play so to actually get into the play-off and then win it, I’m thrilled,” said Hudson, who is playing in her sixth season on the LET.

“I did not expect her to make any mistakes. Making a 5 on that hole is a bit like a dropped shot because it is quite a short par-5 but it was playing into the wind today. It was difficult so I didn’t expect her to make a 6.

"When she did it was a bit of a shock but I managed to hole that 12 footer on the first way round and that was crucial. Pressure or however the situation is took its toll and what happened, happened. I’ll definitely have a nice bottle of something tonight.”

Hudson said she would celebrate her victory with fellow Tour player and long-time friend Kirsty Fisher, who was caddying for her over the weekend after missing the cut herself.

Caudal was pleased to cap a month of strong performances, during which she posted tied fourth, third, first and second in Germany, Holland, Portugal and Tenerife respectively. “I am happy with my day. I played good today but just made a bogey on the 18th. After that I played well in the play-off but Rebecca made a good shot on the 17th. I’m happy with my result and my month,” she said.

Referring to her bunker shot on the 18th, which she played out just short of the green, she said: “The sand is not very easy here and you don’t know what the ball can do. I hit a good shot but I don’t know what happened.”

She will now take a two-week break.

European number one Gwladys Nocera shot a final round 68 to finish on a total of seven-under-par and shared third with Spanish amateur Carlota Ciganda, who led at the halfway stage of the tournament and had a final round of 71.

Another Spanish amateur, Marta Silva (72), finished on six-under-par in a share of fifth with England’s Melissa Reid (73) and Russian Maria Verchenova (72). Spain’s Paula Marti (69) finished in a share of eighth position with Denmark’s Lisa Holm Sorensen (73) on five-under-par.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4 x 72)

Players from Spain unless stated

278 Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 70 68 71 69, Anna-Lise Caudal (Fra) 70 69 69 70 (Hudson won sudden-death play-off at third hole).
281 Carlota Ciganda (amateur) 69 66 75 71, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 69 71 73 68
282 Marta Silva (amateur) 71 71 68 72, Maria Verchenova (Rus) 68 69 73 72, Melissa Reid (Eng) 70 71 68 73
283 Lisa Sorensen (Den) 73 66 71 73, Paula Marti 72 71 71 69
284 Krista Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 69 68 73 74, Anja Monke (Ger) 69 74 71 70, Lotta Maria Wahlin (Swe) 73 70 75 66, Louise Stahle (Swe) 69 69 73 73, Martina Eberl (Ger) 72 73 69 70
285 Tania Elosegui 72 74 68 71, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 72 74 69 70
286 Felicity Johnson (Eng) 70 70 73 73, Mianne Bagger (Den) 74 73 68 71, Joanne Mills (Aus) 72 70 73 71, Federica Piovano (Ita) 71 70 75 70
287 Zuzana Kamasova (Svk) 70 72 77 68, Julie Greciet (Fra) 67 74 73 73, Diana Luna (Ita) 70 73 69 75, Denise Becker (Ger) 69 75 72 71, Eva Steinberger (Aut) 71 72 66 78
288 Leah Hart (Aus) 72 72 70 74, Becky Brewerton (Wal) 73 74 70 71, Trish Johnson (Eng) 68 72 75 73, Emma Cabrera Bello 75 71 71 71
289 Martina Gillen (Ire) 73 74 71 71
290 Vittoria Valvassori (Ita) 74 72 70 74, Laura Terebey (US) 69 74 74 73, Marta Prieto 75 70 71 74, Azahara Munoz 76 72 71 71, Stefanie Michl (Aut) 71 74 73 72, Carmen Alonso 69 72 74 75
291 Karen Lunn (Aus) 72 72 74 73, Dana Lacey (Aus) 69 75 71 76, Marina Arruti 75 72 69 75, Lisa Hall (Eng) 74 73 70 74, Lynn t Brooky (Nzl) 71 75 72 73, Nicole Gergely (Aut) 72 71 75 73, Melodie Bourdy (Fra) 73 73 73 72, Clare Queen (Sco) 71 73 71 76
292 Julie Tvede (Den) 71 72 73 76, Samantha Head (Eng) 73 73 74 72
293 Elin Ohlsson (Swe) 70 75 74 74
294 Beatriz Recari 73 72 71 78, Ana-Belen Sanchez 77 70 78 69, Kaisa Ruuttila (Fin) 72 71 77 74
295 Cherie Byrnes (Aus) 73 74 74 74, Lydia Hall (Wal) 72 74 73 76, Maria Boden (Swe) 73 72 77 73
296 Rui Yokomine (Jpn) 75 73 72 76, Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 74 72 73 77, Laura Cabanillas Gomez 76 72 73 75
297 Rebecca Coakley (Ire) 72 76 74 75, Sarah Nicholson (Nzl) 76 70 76 75
298 Sofia Renell (Swe) 79 69 74 76, Kathryn Imrie (Sco) 73 74 74 77, Joanne Clingan 74 72 76 76, Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned) 74 74 75 75
299 Georgina Simpson (Eng) 77 69 80 73
300 Isabella Maconi (Ita) 78 68 72 82
301 Emma Lyons (Eng) 73 75 71 82
302 Kate Combes (Aus) 75 73 75 79
304 Karen-Margrethe Juul (Den) 74 73 80 77