Azahara Muñoz from Malaga retained her title at the Ladies Open de France, played at the Chantaco course in San Juan de Luz, with a birdie on the last hole, which prevented a playoff with María Hernández from Navarre, leader from the beginning, and Amy Boulden from Wales.
Also winner of the Ladies Masters in Madrid in 2009, Muñoz, 26 years old and a native of San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella, came back from the four strokes of advantage with which Hernandez began the last round and put the finishing touch to a magnificent season in which she has achieved eight top ten and won with Spain in the Crown International.
Although a bogey on hole 3 marred the start of the day, Muñoz was solid and effective. Two birdies on 7 and 9 fed her hopes of a comeback, which she sealed with three more in the last four holes.
In the last, with Boulden already in the clubhouse waiting for the resolution of the final match, the Malaga player got the winning birdie, while Hernandez, who was equal with the Welsh player and her partner, had to settle for a par in a black day in which she ruined all the work of the first three days. Three bogeys in the second half of the course buried her chances of victory.
Muñoz, who combines the European and North American circuits, finished victorious with a total of 269 strokes, eleven under par, one ahead of Boulden and Muñoz, while England’s Florentyna Parker was fourth and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda finished sixth, five strokes behind.
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