Belgium’s Manon de Roey put the finishing touch to another remarkable Sunshine Ladies Tour season, when she claimed a four-stroke victory in the Investec South African Women’s Open at the Erinvale Country and Golf Estate in Somerset West on Sunday 28 April.
De Roey went into the final round with a three-stroke lead and built on this as she eventually signed for a closing 72 to win on 14 under par overall.
“I’m super happy with my performance this week. I had a couple of goals at the beginning of this year and one of them was to win again,” she related.
De Roey claimed her first victory on the Sunshine Ladies Tour and her second on the Ladies European Tour.
England’s Gabriella Cowley, who shared second place on 10 under par alongside New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori, was crowned the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s overall Investec Order of Merit champion and received R200 000 courtesy of Investec.
Nicole Garcia finished as the leading South African in fourth place on eight under par. This also secured her second place on the Investec Order of Merit and, as the leading South African, she won herself a Renault for the year.
On Sunday, De Roey relished the challenge of another windy day in the winelands and was never under any pressure from the rest of the field as she cruised to victory.
“I like playing in windy conditions because I feel like I can shape the ball well. I can just let the wind do the work and I feel a bit more relaxed,” she pointed out.
Garcia was equally delighted with her finish after putting in a strong performance on the weekend, which included her third round of 64 and then Sunday’s 71 to secure her a top-five finish in the event, as well as the title of leading South African on the Investec Order of Merit.
“It was a bit of a surprise to find that out when I walked off the 18th green,” she said. “I hadn’t really realised that it was a possibility. I’m going to enjoy my Renault for the year. But I’m happy with my performance overall, and this is a great added bonus.”
It was also a lucrative final round for France’s Emma Grechi. She scored an albatross on the par-five 16th hole and won R500 000 courtesy of Renault.
The Investec South African Women’s Open was the grand finale on this season’s eight-tournament Sunshine Ladies Tour.
