Jenny Haglund snatches first LET win after tense play-off
Monday 23 April 2018 00:48, UK
Jenny Haglund birdied the second play-off hole to claim her first Ladies European Tour title at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.
Haglund's final-round 70 on the Blue Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam left her tied at the top of the leaderboard with defending champion Klara Spilkova and Sarah Kemp on three under par.
The trio all made par at the first extra hole and returned to the 18th tee, but Haglund sealed victory in impressive style as she followed a perfect drive with a superb approach to four feet which she converted for the winning birdie.
"It feels amazing," said the 24-year-old Swede. "It's been a great tournament and a great week and I'm very happy that it finished this way. The last drive was a bomb and I was just in the moment, I wasn't shaking, but I was shaking after the ball was in.
"It will definitely build a lot of confidence. I've been working on that part a lot so I'm very happy to be standing here and I'm very proud of myself."
Kemp missed a great chance to extend the play-off as she settled for her third runner-up finish on the LET, and the Australian said: "I'm obviously a little disappointed. I didn't play as well as I had the past few days, but my goal this week was to put myself in contention and I did that.
"I actually really enjoyed the play-off. I was nervous, but I had a really good time. I hope that I get that opportunity again and hopefully I can do something different. All in all, I achieved my goal for this week and the more I'm in this situation the better I'll get at it."
Spilkova had earlier looked poised to retain her title as she lined up a five-foot birdie putt for victory on the 72nd hole, but her putting stroke let her down at the vital moment.
"I have so many emotions right now, because I've been so nervous since last week," she said. "I wasn't nervous at all and then I came to the green and I felt crazy nervous and I didn't make it, so I hope I can save it for the next tournament. It was a great performance and I'm really thankful."
Haglund's win lifted her top of the LET Order of Merit thanks to her €67,500 prize, with Kemp currently second and Spilkova third.
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