17th March 2014 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Top 30 for Williams in LET debut
South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and Stacy Bregman finished in the top 10, while rookie Kim Williams celebrated her Ladies European Tour (LET) debut with a top 30 finish at the €450,000 Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.
The 27-year-old Sunshine Ladies Tour winner said she would need to give her driver some serious attention, though, before teeing it up at the Investec Cup for Ladies this weekend.
“My driver will definitely be in the naughty corner until I get home,” Williams said. “It cost me a lost ball at the 10th for a double bogey and two unplayables at the 16th for a quadruple bogey.”
Williams launched her LET debut with an opening 74 and followed with a 70 to extend her stay in Agadir.
On moving day, the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies champion at Houghton reeled in five birdies at the Golf de l’Ocean layout for a flawless 66 and vaulted a tie for 16th.
The TuksGolf player countered two bogeys on the front nine with four birdies in the final round to turn in 34, but her run was dramatically derailed by the costly drops at the two par-fours.
She rallied with a birdie at the 17th and par at the 18th to tie for 29th on even-par 284 and was thrilled to come through her first event with a cheque worth €4,657.50
“It’s certainly not a fortune, but I’m really happy to get the monkey off my back,” Williams said. “Nicole described her debut in New Zealand as nerve-wracking and I have to agree. I felt a lot of pressure to perform, especially after winning on the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
“I’m thrilled to have come through it with a decent result and happy that I could show Paul (van der Schyff) from Sunlight Solar that his sponsorship is warranted.”
Meanwhile Charley Hull carded claimed her maiden pro victory in her second LET season with a play-off victory against Gwladys Nocera. The English golfer fired a final round 62 to join the Frenchwomen on 15-under-par 269 and defeated her with a birdie at the first play-off hole.
Eight-time LET champion Pace climbed from joint 16th to tie for fourth on 10-under-par 274 with rounds of 70-68-70-66, while Bregman followed two 71s with a 69 and 67 to finish four strokes back in a tie for 10th.
Nobuhle Dlamini also enjoyed a strong start in her LET debut with two successive 69s, but the flu she was fighting, finally won the battle. The Swazi golfer slumped to three over 287 and a share of 47th with rounds of 75 and 74 on the weekend.
Fellow Sunshine Ladies Tour campaigner Bonita Bredenhann from Namibia carded rounds of 71, 73, 72, 78 to finish 65th on 10 over 294.
South Africa's Connie Chen, with two 74s, and LET rookie Nicole Garcia, who carded rounds of 76 and 75, got their marching orders when the cut was set at 145.
PHOTO – Kim Williams; credit Dale Boyce.
