There are no more adjectives to describe the winning streak of Emily Kristine Pedersen in the Ladies European Tour, culminated with the victory of the Danish player in the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España and in the Race to Costa del Sol, the order of merit of the circuit. Pedersen (-15) was escorted on the podium by two Spaniards who shone throughout the tournament, Nuria Iturrioz and amateur Ana Pelaez, and certified her dominance in Javier Arana’s carefully designed course with a final round 66.
The Danish player achieved her third consecutive victory in the LET (fourth of the season, not counting the team version of the Saudi Ladies International), something that had not happened since Marie-Laure de Lorenzi achieved it in 1989 by winning one after another the Ford Ladies’ Classic, the Hennessy Ladies Cup and the BMW Ladies Classic. Moreover, it is not the first time she has won in our country, as in 2013 she won the H.M. the Queen’s Cup by beating Sweden’s Linnea Strom at Pula Golf.
For the second day in a row, Pedersen started solidly and closed the round in spectacular fashion, with five birdies in the last seven holes, a devilish pace that left her accredited rivals with no options after a very specific turning point in her round.
“On the front nine I was hitting the ball well, but I wasn’t making a putt and I started to get frustrated. On the 12th tee I told my dad that we had to make a few birdies, and then I got lucky with the shot between the trees and the streak started,” Pedersen explained. “Fate acted on the 12th hole and made me believe it a little bit, because I recovered from a bad shot and started to trust that I could win again.”
Behind her, the hard-charging Nuria Iturrioz did not find the way to the hole in the first half of the round, but maintained an exciting duel with the champion in the final seven rounds, matching all the Danish player’s hits with birdies of her own. In the end, four strokes separated her from Pedersen, with whom she shared the four rounds and fought a high level head to head battle.
“We have to congratulate Emily because what she has done this year is spectacular, I was already telling her on the 17th. Today was a complicated day at the beginning, but I’m very happy because I fought and it was a little more fun,” summed up Iturrioz at the end of her round. “The truth I understand, I also had a sweet moment and she has caught him now. During the quarantine she sure worked very well and mentally I see her very well. May she keep it up, because it will be an enjoyment to play with her every year.”
Amateur Ana Peláez climbed up to third place, demonstrating that she has plenty of quality and self-confidence, and that the professional scene is not at all too big for her. The player from Rincón de la Victoria once again gave an exhibition of talent and grit, and did not let her nerves get the better of her on such a special occasion, as she was sharing one of the star matches of the day with one of her golfing references, Azahara Muñoz from Sampedra. Her final 67 allowed her to climb to third place and beat another historic record, as she surpassed Carlota Ciganda, another of her iconic players, as the best amateur in the history of the Spanish Open.
“The day has been super complete. I have played very good golf, I have tested myself playing with Azahara because they are nerves that I did not know and that I have loved to know, since I have been able to control them. I think I can’t ask for much more,” Pelaez summarized. “Regarding Carlota’s record, I have fulfilled a goal I didn’t have and I feel very happy.”
We must also highlight the great role played by Azahara Muñoz, winner of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España twice (the last one in 2017, also in Guadalmina), sixth (and best Spaniard in the final ranking of the Race to Costa del Sol) and by Luna Sobrón, ninth (her third consecutive top ten in the circuit).
Magnificent balance both in the sporting and organizational aspects of this Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, with the victory of a great star of the international scene, Emily Kristine Pedersen, four Spaniards among the top ten of the tournament, and the satisfaction of all the entities involved in its implementation. The tournament has been exemplary in terms of health and safety measures (thanks to the work of ARQUIMEA Medical) and has shown, once again, that Andalusia and the Costa del Sol are ideal hosts for sporting events of the highest level, such as the Solheim Cup to be held for the first time in our country in 2023.
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Teletipo from the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina
Despite the background and the rain that fell on Thursday invited caution, the following three days of competition could be played with absolute normality and the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina offered its best face at the closing of the Race to Costa del Sol. The moderate temperatures (at the end of November) and the beauty of its course, the best claim for the spectators who were able to enjoy the tournament on television.
After playing 18 competitive holes with a golfer she idolizes, Ana Peláez is clear about what she would “steal” from Azahara Muñoz. “Her calmness. I’ve realized that experience goes a long way. When I went out to the first tee nervous I thought: ‘Jo, she has been competing on the tour for many years’. That calmness has surprised me a lot, both when I was going well and when I was going badly, and I loved it”.
Although the public could not access the tournament, the support of volunteers has been, once again, essential in the implementation of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España. Among many other tasks, the volunteers have been fundamental to implement the anticovid protocols that have been so successfully applied during the tournament, and what less than to correspond to their efforts with the magnificent uniforms of PING technical garments that they have worn during the competition.
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