GEORGE, 21 February 2016 – Lee-Anne Pace kept one eye on the course clock as she boxed a par putt at the 18th of the Outeniqua course to snatch her ninth consecutive home victory in the Sunshine Ladies Tour Dimension Data Ladies Challenge at Fancourt on Sunday.
Lali Stander – She signed off with a two under 70 to close out a two-stroke victory on 11-under-par 205 over 2014 champion Monique Smit, who fired a flawless 67.
“Every single victory is special to me, whether it’s on the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour or right here on home soil, but winning the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge has been a huge goal, because I grew up here in the Southern Cape,” gushed Pace.
“This one is especially sweet because my dad, my family and my friends were here to support me.”
Before she hit her first tee shot, Pace knew she had to catch a flight out of George at 14h10 to make her connecting flight in Johannesburg to Thailand, but the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies leader was prepared to take the risk to tee it up in the R350 000 Dimension Data Ladies Challenge.
“I am playing the Honda LPGA Thailand next week and then HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore before I come back for the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies final,” Pace said.
“I knew that time would be a factor because you never know what the weather might do and there could be a playoff, but it was worth the gamble.
“It is really important to me to try and support as many events as I can on our Tour because our participation is critical to growing the Tour for the younger players coming through the ranks. And everyone knows I really want to win every event on the Sunshine Ladies Tour at least once, so this is another huge box ticked.”
Pace started the final round with a three-stroke edge on Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies – Houghton winner Rebecca Hudson from England, but it was an unexpected charge from Smit that nearly caught her off-guard.
While Pace cruised through the front nine in straight pars, the Southern Cape player racked in a hat-trick of birdies at 10, 11 and 12 to race to seven under.
“I birdied 10 and 12 to get to 11 under, but I wasn’t paying much attention to the leaderboard because I was watching the clock,” Pace said.
“Suddenly I saw Monique was seven under and I nearly hit it in water at 15. When she birdied 17 and I dropped 16, the difference was just two shots and all I told myself was that I’d better not drop the last two holes, because I didn’t have time for a playoff.”
The 35-year-old widened the gap with her third birdie at the par five 17th and – after Smit made four at 18 – Pace just needed to make her textbook par at 18 to wrap up the victory.
“I really enjoyed the competitive spirit on the Sunshine Ladies Tour this season,” Pace said.
“The standard is much higher than in previous years, the victories are much tighter and the players are going so much deeper this season. I really enjoyed playing three courses this year, because it added to the pressure and the huge prize money increase was a huge motivation for everyone to bring their A-games to George.”
FINAL RESULT
205 – Lee-Anne Pace 67 68 70
208 – Monique Smit 68 73 67
212 – Maria Beautell ESP 69 72 71
213 – Stacy Bregman 70 70 73, Rebecca Hudson ENG 69 69 75
214 – Melissa Eaton 66 76 72
216 – Carrie Park KOR 70 74 72
217 – Nobuhle Dlamini SWZ 74 72 71
218 – Laurette Maritz 77 67 74
219 – Elisabetta Bertini ITA 72 72 75
220 – Nicole Garcia 78 71 71, Hanna Roos SWE 74 71 75, Cecilie Lundgreen NOR 73 71 76
222 – Eva Steinberger AUT 79 74 69
224 – Kim Williams 75 76 73
225 – Michelle Leigh 77 75 73, Tandi von Ruben 76 75 74, Caroline Rominger SUI 79 75 71, Bonita Bredenhann NAM 76 76 73
226 – Gemma Webster SCO 74 76 76, Alana van Greuning 77 76 73
227 – Lejan Lewthwaite 75 73 79
230 – Liezl Klotz 75 84 71
231 – Alexandra Lennartsson SWE 77 78 76
232 – Chiara Contomathios (AMA) 78 80 74
233 – Monja Richards 81 79 73, Elina Bergvall SWE 77 82 74, Sarah Blythe-Wood ZIM 80 74 79
234 – Maria Roos SWE 81 79 74, Marguerite Pienaar 76 77 81
235 – Michelle de Vries 79 82 74, Leanda Schulze 81 78 76
236 – Hermione Fitzgerald IRL 76 79 81, Kirsty Fisher ENG 79 84 73
237 – Amy Henning 78 80 79
239 – Mae Cornforth 83 78 78, Crystal Beukes (AMA) 77 83 79
240 – Francesca Cuturi 83 79 78
242 – Sonja Bland (AMA) 80 82 80
243 – Katia Shaff (AMA) AUT 86 78 79
247 – Ethel Ruthenberg (AMA) 82 82 83
256 – Lynette Pretorius (AMA) 86 82 88
265 – Nina Greyenstein (AMA) 87 93 85
