South Australia’s Kristalle Blum has recorded her first victory on the LET Access Series, claiming the Golf Vlaanderen LETAS Trophy by one stroke in Belgium.
The 24-year-old carried a one-shot advantage into the final round and extended it to two with an early birdie on the par-5 third hole.
There were five bogeys on the way to victory, but Blum’s three-over 75 was just enough to take a significant step towards securing a full card on the Ladies European Tour in 2023.
“I was very nervous the last few holes and just tried to focus on my breathing,” Blum conceded.
“I had no idea where I sat on the leaderboard, so I just had to keep doing my thing and I’m glad it was enough.”
It was particularly special for Blum as she has had her brother Nick on the bag for the past three LETAS events, where she has had two top-10 finishes and now a victory.
“Having my brother on the bag has been amazing,” she added.
“I had a tough year last year being on my own due to COVID, so having him here not only to keep me company but then get the win is incredible. He played a big part this week.”
Blum started the season with two LET starts in Australia after which she travelled to compete on European soil.
“It’s been a massive couple of months for me and I didn’t have a big turnaround after those LET events in Australia,” she explained.
“I feel like the past 18 months have been a rollercoaster and my game has come so far.
“The transition was good and although I did get re-ranked on the LET, I chose to focus on LETAS and now it just really shows I’ve made the right choice.”
Before continuing her 2022 season on LETAS, the Adelaide pro had already planned a week off which turned out to be the perfect timing.
“I’m beyond excited. I actually head to Croatia for a few days which will be a great spot to celebrate, and then going to see Ed Sheeran at Wembley so I’ve really timed the win well!”
Only one stroke back and tied for the runner-up spot was a quartet of players including TPS Hunter Valley runner-up, New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori, who fired the round of the day with a four-under 68 to climb up the leaderboard.
After her first win and three additional top-10 finishes this season, Blum moves to fourth place on the LET Access Series Order of Merit with 740.75 points, the top five at season’s end to earn promotion to the main tour the next year.
