England’s Mimi Rhodes claimed her first professional win on the Ladies European Tour (LET) with a two-shot victory at the Ford Women’s NSW Open at Wollongong Golf Club today.
Starting as the overnight leader, Rhodes built on her experience from three Curtis Cup appearances for Great Britain to secure the Jan Stephenson Trophy, finishing the tournament at 17-under-par after a bogey-free final round of two-under.
Rhodes maintained a three-shot lead heading into the back nine, recording 14 consecutive pars from the fifth hole to close out the win. Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, a four-time LET winner, had an early surge with three birdies in the first five holes but paid for her aggressive style with a bogey on the seventh and a double-bogey on the ninth, all but ending her challenge.
Italian Alessandra Fanali, coming off a career-best round of 64, closed within one shot after a birdie on the 17th hole, but finished tied for second at 15-under with Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley after a bogey on the last hole.
Reflecting on her win, Rhodes said, “I’m still in shock, but I’m so happy. I’ve worked really hard. I didn’t have a great week last week, so I wasn’t really expecting much. But I went through a bit of a swing change, and it obviously worked this week. So yeah, I’m just really happy.”
Asked about her nerves coming down the stretch, the 24-year-old said, “I was fine for the front nine, but when it started to get tight, I got a bit stressed. I was asking my caddie how the group in front was doing and how many shots ahead I was. But I just kept breathing, stayed focused, and tried not to think ahead. It’s difficult in those situations, but yeah, I’m just really glad I got it done.”
Rhodes credited her putting as a key factor in her performance, saying, “From the second round, my putting was really good. I placed the ball really nicely on the green. I didn’t even realise I hadn’t made a bogey in the last two rounds. I was just trying to stay calm and focused out there. I wasn’t putting too much extra attention on myself after the second round.”
Elsewhere in the field, Welsh golfer Darcey Harry recorded the round of the day (five-under) for a total of seven-under, placing her in a tie for 14th. Switzerland’s Kim Metraux authored the shot of the day with a hole-out on the 132-metre 10th hole, while South Korea’s Hyojin Yang finished as the top amateur.
Next up for the women is the World Sand Greens Championship at Binalong Golf Course in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands beginning on Thursday. Sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia, the event will be played over 54 holes, with competitors vying for a purse of $175,000.
