Martina Gillen
The French Golf Federation (FFGolf) launched the new ladies tour which is open to the best professional golfers and European amateurs, to give them playing opportunities at the beginning of the season.
With the support of GENERALI, the tour will have 3 events for its first year (La Nivelle near Biarritz, Terre Blanche near Nice and Dinard near Rennes) with prize money of €25,000 to €30,000. After those 3 events, 3 professional golfers and 3 amateur players will be invited to compete at the French Open that will take place in September at the Paris International Golf Club.
The GENERALI Ladies Tour will directly give access to the LET, as a member of the LET Access Series and for Tara Delaney it offered a welcome return to action having lost her Tour card at the end of last season. For Martin Gillen it was a warm up event before travelling to Morocco for the Layla Meryem Cup next weekend.
Tara Delaney signed for a 3 over par total on St. Patrick's Day, following two rounds at Terre Blanche, to finish in a share of 22nd place.
Martina Gillen carded a 78 in the second round signing for a 7 over par total for a share of 43rd place after an opeing round of 75.
England’s Henrietta Zuel scored her maiden professional win with a two shot victory at the Terre Blanche Ladies Open, at Golf de Terre Blanche in Domaine de Terre Blanche, southern France.
Playing in her first event of the 2011 season, the 21-year-old from Bath enjoyed a fine start and opening with a five-under-par 68 and extended her overnight advantage by posting a second round of one-under-par 72.
With four birdies and three bogeys on the card, she finished at six-under for the tournament, two ahead of the 2010 champion Caroline Afonso from France.
The pair was tied at eight-under after nine holes and then, after Afonso’s bogey on 12 was compensated with a birdie on hole-13, both players bogeyed the 16th to remain locked in a tie with three holes to play.
Afonso then double bogeyed the par-four 17th hole, giving Zuel a two stroke lead coming down the last. Both players bogeyed the par-five 18th but it was enough to hand Zuel the victory she has been awaiting since turning professional in March 2008.
Sophie Giquel, the 2007 Portugal Ladies Open champion from France tied for third with compatriot Joanna Klatten and Italy’s Margherita Rigon on three-under-par.
The next LETAS event is the La Nivelle Ladies Open, taking place at Golf de la Nivelle in Ciboure, France, from April 13-15 with a prize fund of €25,000.