UNIQA Open: A refreshing new mental approach helped Hazel Kavanagh record the best result of her career at the UNIQA Ladies Golf Open in Austria. Ireland may still be waiting for a first winner on the Ladies European Tour but Kavanagh's third place finish hinted at a promising future.
In 53 previous starts on the pro circuit, Kavanagh had failed to break into the top 10. But, having adopted a new more carefree mindset, the 37-year-old came within a whisker of a maiden title.
Ultimately, three dropped shots in the opening three holes would deny the Dubliner her moment in the sun. A double bogey at the second, where her ball lodged in a tree, was particularly damaging.
Yet, while many players would have fallen apart, Kavanagh kept any further bogeys off the card went on to hole three birdies on her way to an eight under total, one shy of a possible playoff with Laura Davies and Linda Wessberg.
Standing on the tee of the par five 18th, a quick glance at the leaderboard left Kavanagh fully aware one more birdie would guarantee a place in the shootout. Weighing up her options, she believed the best course of action was to lay up, take the water out of the equation and take her chances with a pitch and a putt.
Unfortunately, her approach spun more than anticipated and the ensuing putt rolled by.
“The third shot, I thought I’d played a perfect shot and it was the first shot all day that just checked too quickly,” she said afterwards. “I was very disappointed because I thought it was perfect. I’m a tiny bit disappointed I didn’t make four on 18 but what can you do.”
And the secret of Kavanagh’s new found success? “Not caring where the ball goes,” she explained. “I used to care and try so hard to put it into position but now I just hit it and then find it and hit it.
“I always knew I had it in me but mentally I was very weak and I’m much stronger this year.”
Wessberg claimed the title on the second extra hole, denying Davies a third successive triumph at the Golfclub Föhrenwald.
Wessberg and Davies both took three on the par-three 16th before Wessberg triumphed with a six on the par-five 18th. Davies hopes of a fourth title ended in a watery grave as she took a disastrous seven after she twice found the water.
Collated Scores( Irishin bold)
279Linda Wessberg (Swe) 70 68 70 71 (Wessberg won at second play-off hole), Laura Davies 67 69 74 69
280 Hazel Kavanagh68 73 67 72, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 68 68 73 71, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 70 70 71 69
281Veronica Zorzi (Ita) 69 70 71 71
282Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned) 69 67 72 74
283Frances Bondad (Aus) 74 69 69 71, Melissa Reid 67 74 70 72
285Maria Boden (Swe) 70 71 71 73, Johanna Westerberg (Swe) 70 68 73 74
286Dana Lacey (Aus) 72 73 70 71, Morgana Robbertze (Rsa) 74 70 71 71, Christel Boeljon (Ned) 71 71 76 68
287Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 68 70 71 78, Caroline Afonso (Fra) 72 71 71 73, Felicity Johnson 71 71 73 72, Nicole Gergely (Aut) 71 72 76 68
288Smriti Mehra (Ind) 70 71 71 76, Virginine Lagoutte-Clement (Fra) 72 70 77 69, Anja Monke (Ger) 70 74 72 72, Joanne Mills (Aus) 76 67 73 72, Rebecca Coakley67 72 78 71, Katharina Schallenberg (Ger) 74 74 70 70, Stefanie Michl (Aut) 69 77 73 69
289 Tara Delaney74 73 70 72
290Lynnette Teresa Brooky (Nzl) 73 75 72 70, Federica Piovano (Ita) 69 72 72 77
291Lydia Hall 69 72 75 75, Elisabeth Esterl (Ger) 71 72 77 71, Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha) 73 70 75 73
292Malene Jorgensen (Den) 70 76 72 74, Zuzana Masinova (Cze) 73 75 73 71, Ellen Smets (Bel) 74 73 71 74, Lisa Hall 74 72 72 74, Elizabeth Bennett 76 70 75 71, Elena Giraud (Fra) 73 70 74 75
293Riikka Hakkarainen (Fin) 74 73 75 71, Jenni Kuosa (Fin) 75 72 72 74, Martina Hochwimmer (Aut) 74 71 74 74, Laurette Maritz (Rsa) 71 77 71 74, Stacy Lee Bregman (Rsa) 74 74 74 71, Camille Fallay (Fra) 71 76 75 71, Nina Reis (Swe) 71 73 74 75, Becky Brewerton 72 73 73 75, Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 71 73 72 77
294Sophie Walker 74 71 74 75, Johanna Mundy 72 72 76 74, Samantha Head 73 74 71 76
295Lotta Maria Wahlin (Swe) 74 74 70 77, Christine Hallstrom (Swe) 71 73 74 77, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 75 73 75 72
296Kyra Van leeuwen (Nzl) 73 73 75 75, Marina Stutz (Aut) 76 71 75 74, Clare Queen 72 70 79 75
297Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den) 75 70 74 78, Lora Fairclough 75 72 74 76
298Julie Tvede (Den) 74 74 74 76, Ana-Belen Sanchez (Spa) 75 71 74 78, Trish Johnson (USA) 70 77 77 74, Isabella Maconi (Ita) 74 73 79 72
299Marina Kotnik (Aut) 74 74 76 75, Marta Prieto (Spa) 67 81 75 76, Lee-Anne Pace (USA) 73 73 76 77, Stefania Croce (Ita) 74 74 70 81, Anna Knutsson (Swe) 74 74 75 76, Rebecca Hudson 71 76 76 76
300Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (Aus) 73 73 75 79, Anna Tybring (Swe) 71 77 77 75
301Kiran Matharu 72 76 78 75, Mianne Bagger (Den) 76 72 79 74, Julie Greciet (Fra) 72 76 76 77, Breanne Alicia Loucks 72 76 77 76
302Pamela Feggans 73 71 79 79
