The monolithic resistance of Australian Kirsten Rudgeley; the repeated knocking at the door of the title of Dutch Anne Van Dam; the valuable presence of Indian Aditi Ashok, French Céline Boutier and Belgian Manon de Roey, all of them of proven prestige, at the top of the table; the stalking of Spanish Ana Peláez who does not give anything for lost.
The third day of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino can be described as a real melting pot of situations, such is the uncertainty accumulated with 18 holes to go, where there are many who can win or lose, the maximum reward or the obligatory need to settle after so much effort.
The range of possible winners remains unclear despite the fact that one of them, Australian Kirsten Rudgeley, accumulates more merits than anyone else, a monolithic resistance that goes back to her 6 under par on the first day and that reminds of the famous Uluru, a huge red sandstone monolith in the heart of the arid Red Centre desert, in the North of Australia.
Far from faltering and showing the weaknesses inherent to the youth that emanates from her 22 years of age and lack of experience, Kirsten Rudgeley has continued to exhibit, for the third consecutive round, a more than remarkable capacity for accuracy and, above all, an aversion to mistakes -only one bogey in 54 holes- which is paid for with a provisional lead, albeit a very beleaguered one.
The return of Van Dam also sounds strongly. The Dutchwoman, with two Spanish Open titles to her credit (2018 and 2019 at La Quinta and Aloha Golf), is knocking on the door of a third victory that would make her the most successful in the history of this competition. Her 7 under par in the third round, well distributed throughout a round orphaned of bogeys, have catapulted her to second place, two strokes behind the unexpected Rudgeley.
That same situation and that same difference affects India’s Aditi Ashok, a player with four victories to her credit, one of them in Kenya this season, who is an endorsement to be taken into account for a final round where nerves will have to be tempered from the very beginning.
Only one step behind, with 9 under par and a difference of 4 strokes to overcome to win the title, is Ana Pelaez, who shares a place with the French Céline Boutier and the Belgian Manon de Roey. The player from Malaga built a round based on regularity, two birdies and sixteen pars that allow her to aspire to the maximum, although she herself is aware that to win it is necessary to take more trophies from the beautiful course of the RCG Las Brisas in the last 18 holes.
“I face it with a lot of illusion, a lot of desire, feeling that now I am ready to live it with a lot of passion”, said Ana Peláez before the possibility of adding her second professional triumph.
The Malaga player is the beacon of Spanish hopes, also spurred on by the more than remarkable performance of amateurs Andrea Revuelta and Julia Lopez. The Madrilenian experienced a real roller coaster of sensations, with four bogeys, an eagle and five birdies -the last, on the 18th hole, the best shot of the day for her- which put her in a more than deserving seventh place, five ahead of her teammate in the national teams Julia Lopez and Carlota Ciganda from Navarre, who this time scratched two strokes to share twelfth place.
There remain 18 holes of illusions, hopes and expectations, all against the monolithic resistance of the Australian Uluru, a Kirsten Rudgeley who for the moment does not give her arm to twist.
CLASSIFICATION
1 Kirsten Rudgeley (AUS) -13 66 69 68 203
2 Anne Van Dam (NED) -11 69 71 65 205
2 Aditi Ashok (IND) -11 69 68 68 205
4 Manon De Roey (BEL) -9 68 72 67 207
4 Celine Boutier (FRA) -9 67 72 68 207
4 Ana Pelaez Trivino (ESP) -9 69 68 70 207
7 Gabriella Cowley (ENG) -8 70 71 67 208
7 Andrea Revuelta (ESP) (A) -8 69 70 69 208
7 Linn Grant (SWE) -8 65 72 71 208
10 Madelene Stavnar (NOR) -7 69 68 72 72 209
10 Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) -7 70 67 72 209
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AT THE MICROPHONE
Ana Peláez, 207 strokes, 70 today, fourth place.
“A good round, but it could have been better. I know there could have been a lot more birdies, but I’ll take the positives. It was a very solid day from tee to green, which is important on this course. In my game it has changed what you can’t see. What each one of us carries inside. I have learned to accept myself, to respect myself. In the end, golf is a sport of faults. That love for me makes that, then, when I dedicate myself to what I do, it is more beautiful, calmer. With the personality I have, that calmness is a plus for me. Tomorrow I face it with a lot of illusion, with a lot of desire, feeling that now I am ready to live it with a lot of passion. Now that I don’t need it, I value the support of the public much more and I feel it is more real. I take refuge in my caddie, but the warmth of the public is always welcome. I see that they are enjoying themselves on the course and that’s what it’s all about. We play and if the public enjoys it, all the better”.
Andrea Revuelta, 208 strokes, 69 today, seventh place.
“My round was a little different than the last two days. I started off steady and was +2, but then I made four birdies in a row, an eagle and finished with a great birdie. This time I played with Celine Boutier and Lee-Anne Pace, who are two great players. I learned a lot, but I also learned about myself because no matter how you do it, the result on the 18th hole is what counts. I felt very good playing with the public. It is a luxury to play with so many people cheering you on, but it is also true that sometimes you are so focused that you don’t hear them.
AROUND THE GREEN
The great punch of Julia Lopez
Julia Lopez, one of the three amateur players present at the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de España, is attracting the attention of the public present at the Real Club de Golf Las Brisas for her strong hit with the driver. “Since I was a little girl it has been my favorite club. I used to compete with my coach to see who could hit the longest drive”, said Julia López after the outstanding card of 68 strokes (-4) signed in the third round.
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Maria Hernandez’s comeback
Maria Hernandez has been another of the Spanish players protagonists in this third day, as the Navarre has signed a great round of 67 strokes (-5) to stand with a total of 212 strokes (-4). Therefore, it is no coincidence that María Hernández leads the Ladies European Tour statistics of “Greens in regulation”, the section that measures the greens reached by each player with birdie options.
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The two trophies in competition, present at hole 1
From the beginning of this Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, there are two magnificent witnesses of the players’ tee-offs on hole 1, a par 4 of 358 meters. They are the two trophies that are in dispute in this championship, the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España itself and the Race to Costa del Sol, the Ladies European Tour ranking that rewards the most regular player of the season. All the players, without exception, look to both trophies for inspiration when they tee off on hole 1.
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LET: 29 tournaments
in 21 countries
The 2023 Ladies European Tour, which concludes with the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, has been made up of a total of 29 tournaments, which have been played in 21 countries and in four different continents. This season the European women’s circuit has had the participation of 421 golfers from 38 different countries, of which 82 from 27 countries have made their debut this year. All of them have competed in 2023 for a total prize money of 35 million euros, a record for the Ladies European Tour.
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