16th February 2015 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Top six for Pace in Australia
South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace wrapped up her first event of the 2015 season with a superb tie for sixth in the RACV Australian Ladies Masters on Sunday.
The reigning Investec Cup for Ladies champion got the rust off with successive rounds of 73 at the RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast to break into the top 20 before the weekend.
An eagle finish for a 72 in the third round lifted the 33-year-old Pearl Valley golfer to joint 10th and within striking distance of Eun Woo Choi from Korea and England’s Charley Hull and Holly Clyburn, who shared the lead on four-under-par 215.
The world number 32 enjoyed a birdie start in the final round and notched two more gains to offset the damage of bogeys at the seventh, 10th and 11th.
She put the seal on another 72 with a birdie finish at the par-five 18th and claimed a seat on the bus at two under 290 alongside Australian amateur Rebecca Kay, Scotland’s Sally Watson, Camilla Lennarth from Sweden, Taipei’s Ssu-Chia Cheng and Australian Emma de Groot.
Meanwhile Australia’s Su Oh captured her maiden title in only her second start in the paid ranks when she held off compatriot and 2009 champion Katherine Kirk and England’s Florentyne Parker and Charley Hull.
Oh carded rounds of 69, 75, 72 and 69 to finish on seven-under-par 285, three strokes clear of the trio in joint second.
Pace’s compatriot Connie Chen was tied for 30th on four over 223 after rounds of 75, 73 and 75. The reigning Tenerife Open de España Femenino produced a superb final round 70 to claim a share of 20th on one over 293.
PHOTO – Lee-Anne Pace; credit Justin Klusener.
