England’s Melissa Reid has ratified the golfing quality that she treasures inside her -which will take her next week to play the Solheim Cup- by winning the most uncertain and exciting Women’s Spanish Open in recent years, just one stroke ahead of Spain’s Tania Elósegui and South Africa’s Lee Anne Pace, the runners-up.
Melissa Reid overcame the obvious difficulties of the La Quinta Golf course, the hot weather and the very large group of aspirants who, like her, could end up lifting the winner’s cup in a tournament resolved by minimal and subtle nuances, in the end an exercise of resistance to failure and pressure where the Englishwoman showed the best of her mastery.
With victories in the 2010 Turkish Open and the 2011 Dutch Open – in addition to two second places and two third places this season – Melissa Reid offered an endurance course in a day where the tachycardic sensations were non-stop, to the point that, with four holes to go, up to ten players had a real chance of inscribing their name on the list of winners of this competition.
In the face of such equality, the outcome, of course, came on the last hole, a grandiloquent stage, surrounded by fans, where all her rivals missed with greater or lesser noise, many of whom had to use the putter on three occasions as a result of the pressure that was chewing in the air.
It happened to Diana Luna, Veronica Zorzi, Carin Koch, Carlota Ciganda and, above all, to South African Lee-Anne Pace, who with 8 under par at the start of the last hole buried at least the possibility of playing a playoff that Melissa Reid, orthodox and practical at that sublime moment, took care to avoid by the way of simplicity.
Before that decisive moment, the day went like a real merry-go-round, with a succession of changes at the top of the ranking, a position fiercely claimed by the Spanish Tania Elósegui, excellent golf throughout the week except for the third day, and more specifically the 13th hole -quadruple bogey then- which again, in this last round, again acted as a fierce enemy, the point where she made her only mistake of the day, a bogey that, if it had not been made, would have made her at least equal on the scoreboard with the new champion.
Also special mention, among the Spanish, for the Navarre Carlota Ciganda, who a triple bogey on the 18th sent her down to tenth place after flirting throughout the day with the leading positions. Very solid and convincing, her undeniable progression continues its course, with the American Tour Qualifying School on the near horizon in just ten days.
Laura Cabanillas, eleventh, was an example of consistency, while Emma Cabrera – 21st place – and Raquel Carriedo – 27th place – showed their great ability to overcome, as well as the amateurs Teresa Caballer and Mireia Prat, very solid throughout the tournament, a magnificent prelude to the outstanding career of Melissa Reid. Congratulations on her 24th birthday this Monday!
FINAL RANKING
1.- Melissa Reid (England) 280 (71+69+70+70+70)
2.- Tania Elósegui (Spain) 281 (68+65+79+69)
+Lee Anne Pace (South Africa) 281 (68+69+73+71)
+Beth Allen (United States) 281 (69+68+72+72)
5.- Diana Luna (Italy) 283 (71+70+71+71)
+Veronica Zorzi (Italy) 283 (71+71+69+72)
+.- Ursula Wiksrom (Finland) 283 (72+68+70+73)
8.- Carin Koch (Sweden) 284 (70+73+69+72)
+.- Stefania Croce (Italy) 284 (72+68+71+73)
10.- Carlota Ciganda (Spain) 285 (76+67+70+72)
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