Azahara Muñoz is already part of the history of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino, a historically elusive title that rests since that 2016 edition on its Hispanic soil thanks to a heroic and patient, fearless and calm performance, opposing characteristics that on this occasion were necessary to overcome the American Beth Allen in a final day to remember. The golfer from Malaga, tremendously excited after the achievement of the feat, with hundreds of feelings to the surface related to her family, effort and tenacity, recently inscribed her name in the history of Spanish golf in Rio de Janeiro by becoming the first woman to hit the ball in the Olympic Games, a historic milestone that now underpins with a triumph as long awaited as desired for many, many years. As already announced by the Malagueña herself since both acquired a significant advantage over the rest of their rivals at the end of the third day, Azahara Muñoz and Beth Allen established from the first hole an exclusive duel, where the rest of the participants played an absolutely secondary role before the sublime prominence of both players. Nobody missed the intervention of more golfers in the outcome of the tournament because both offered a show worthy of praise, a vehement and ardent combat that began to take shape since the two shared the tee of hole 1. Beth Allen, with a one-stroke lead over her in practice only rival, made a tremendously aggressive proposal from the start, with two birdies in the first three holes, a carousel of hits that Azahara Muñoz, as she could, countered with a birdie on the 3rd hole. The Malaga, somewhat less fine than in previous days, with strokes approaching the flag generally less decisive that forced her to kick from farther away than desired, nevertheless defended with passion and enthusiasm against the bellicose approach of Beth Allen, another birdie on the 7th hole that compensated a bogey on the 8th before overcoming again, on the 9th, the Malaga, point of the course where a determined and courageous putt of the American, executed even in a reckless way, downhill, contrasted with an inopportune and painful tie of the Spaniard. The situation, with only 9 holes ahead and 3 ahead for the American, became gloomy and gloomy, although Azahara Muñoz, all chaste and patient, kept in the chamber the best of his extensive repertoire of golf to the delight of his numerous followers, legion of encouragement and support that was especially evident when Beth Allen, in the 12th and 13th holes, transformed its imperishable consistency in distrust and doubt. A ball in the water on the 12th and a 30-centimeter putt missed in an incredible way on the 13th altered her rocky security in favor of Azahara Muñoz, who step by step, with stubborn temperance, caught up with the American on the 14th hole. The reaction, hopeful and exciting, was however stopped short the next hole, a faulty start of the Spanish, to the right of the fairway, which led to bogey, a new drama of increasing intensity that reached an even higher point when Azahara Muñoz, cheered by his audience, holed an impressive putt from 8 meters on the 17th hole – “the same thing happened to me, on the same spot, when I won the French Open and I said to myself, if you did it then, you’re going to do it now”, the Malaga-born player said later, sobbing with joy- that left the American speechless. The story, the story of the Spanish Open, the story of Spanish women’s golf, the story of Azahara Muñoz, converged in a truly dramatic and overwhelming denouement. Beth Allen, also with accounts pending to settle with this tournament -second in 2011 and third in 2014-, sent the ball into the water at the last hole shortly before Azahara Muñoz, with a splendid second approach shot, dictated the sentence, the sentence of the Open de España, of Spanish women’s golf and of the Malaga native herself, undisputed protagonist for the second time in just two months in the annals of this sport. FINAL CLASSIFICATION 1.- Azahara Muñoz (Spain) 278 (72+66+70+70) 2.- Beth Allen (United States) 279 (72+68+67+72) 3.- Georgia Hall (England) 283 (72+73+70+68) +.- Sophie Walker (England) 283 (70+71+71+71+71) 5.- Florentyna Parker (England) 284 (69+73+75+67) 27.- Laura Cabanillas (Spain) 292 (74+74+72+72+72) +.- Noemí Jiménez (Spain) 292 (73+72+72+77+70)
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