MELISSA WINS FIRST EVENT BACK AFTER DEATH OF HER MOTHER

NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager

England’s Melissa Reid held her overnight lead to record an emotional victory at the Raiffeisenbank Prague Golf Masters today.

Reid, playing in her first tournament back since the tragic death of her mother, Joy, in a car accident in Germany four weeks previously, maintained her composure right until she holed her winning putt on 18.

Needing to hole a six-footer for par to seal a one stroke victory over Italian Diana Luna, she calmly rolled it in before letting the tears flow and being embraced by friends and fellow competitors on the 18^th green. 
IN PERSPECTIVE

“To be honest I wasn’t that nervous. I think with something like what’s happened to my family and me the last four weeks nothing really seems that difficult anymore,” said Reid, who finished on a nine under par total of 207, after rounds of 68, 67 and 72. 

“I spoke to my coach when I went back a couple of weeks after and he said to me, ‘I don’t know when it’s going to be, but this will make you a stronger person,’ and my best friends have said that as well and I honestly think it will.

“It will make me fight and nothing will seem as bad as what I’ve been through, so yeah, I actually felt very calm and I knew I was going to hole the putt on 18.”

Reid started the final round with a one shot lead over Italian Stefania Croce and had a shaky front nine with a bogey at the third for an outward total of one over 37. 
SEVERAL CHALLENGES

However, she fought off the challenge of several other contenders with two birdies at holes 12 and 17 against one bogey at the 14^th on the back nine.

Tied for the lead with Croce, Australian Rachel Bailey, Frenchwoman Joanna Klatten and Italian Diana Luna at various points during the day, most fell back down the stretch, playing in a tricky, swirling breeze, but under sunny skies.

Bailey (66) ended in a share of third with England’s Rebecca Hudson (71), while Klatten (67) and Australian Stacey Keating (72) tied for fifth. Croce had a 77 and slipped back into a share of 16^th.

Luna moved a stroke ahead at nine under after Reid missed a short putt on 14, but then the Italian three-putted from long range on 16 to draw level again.

Tied for the lead with Luna after 16 holes, Reid birdied 17 just as Luna had posted the clubhouse lead at eight under and the supporting gallery sent out a jubilant roar across the Albatross Golf Resort.

 TOUGHEST HOLE
“I would say it’s the toughest hole on the golf course and I hadn’t really been committing that much all the way round. I probably got a little bit tense and was wanting to win a little bit too much,” Reid said. “Johnny, my caddie, just said, ‘let this one go’ and I absolutely nailed it down the middle, stiffed a 52 (degree wedge) and then the same on 18. I hit a pretty good drive, got a bit unlucky and then hit a great second shot on 18 too actually: it just went on a little bit too much. I’m very happy to win.

“I just putted really bad. I got a little bit unlucky and got a few bad kicks on my drives but all in all, I didn’t hit it that bad really, I hit it about average, but I just didn’t hole anything until pretty much 17 and 18 which were the only two putts I holed really, so it was just nice to do it in that way and I’m just over the moon I’ve won.”

This was Reid’s first competitive event since the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open six weeks previously. She was due to play at the UniCredit Ladies German Open presented by Audi before her parents, who were visiting the event to watch her compete, were injured in a car accident on the Tuesday evening and her mother passed away the following day.

On collecting her fourth LET victory, Reid added: “Obviously it’s very special with what the family and stuff has been through the last four weeks, so you know, hopefully, obviously it is good news to the family and will bring a smile on our faces at such a horrible time, so it means a lot.” 
US OPEN ENTRY 

This was the first time that Reid had won a tournament having led going into the final round.

She will now return home to the UK before competing at the US Women’s Open in a fortnight’s time.

+iMAGE OF MELISSA REID WITH TROPHY BY COURTESY OF TRISTAN JONES (LET Staff)

FINAL TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72)

207 Melissa Reid (ENG)  68 67 72

208 Diana Luna (ITA)  70 69 69

209 Rachel Bailey (AUS)  70 73 66, Rebecca Hudson (ENG) 70 68 71

210 Joanna Klatten (FRA)  71 72 67, Stacey Keating (AUS) 69 69 72

211 Nikki Garrett (AUS)  69 71 71, Marjet Van Der Graaff (NLD)  70 73 68, Veronica Zorzi (ITA)  66 72 73, Elisabeth Esterl (DEU)  66 71 74

212 Lee-Anne Pace (SAF)  68 71 73, Connie Chen (ZAF) 68 76 68, Rebecca Codd (IRL)  75 68 69, Ashleigh Simon (SAF) 71 70 71, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 73 70 69

213 Karen Lunn (AUS) 72 69 72, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 73 73 67, Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  72 70 71, Stefania Croce (ITA) 70 66 77

214 Mikaela Parmlid (SWE) 72 72 70, Kiran Matharu (ENG) 71 71 72, Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA)  72 67 75, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR)  71 71 72, Laura Davies (ENG)  69 73 72, Laura Cabanillas (ESP)  73 71 70, Anja Monke (DEU)  74 72 68, Tandi Cuningham (ZAF)  76 69 69, Caroline Afonso (FRA)  72 69 73, Miriam Nagl (DEU)  73 71 70

215 - Beth Allen (USA)  73 69 73, Kyra Van Leeuwen (NLD)  77 69 69, Bree Arthur (AUS)  73 69 73, Steffi Kirchmayr (DEU)  75 71 69, Felicity Johnson (ENG)  71 72 72, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)  70 72 73, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN)  72 71 72, Trish Johnson (ENG)  70 76 69, Caroline Westrup (SWE)  73 73 69, Liebelei Lawrence (LUX)  75 69 71, Elin Emanuelsson (SWE)  70 71 74

216 Sahra Hassan (WAL)  71 72 73, Lynnette Brooky (NZL) 71 73 72, Caroline Masson (DEU)  72 72 72, Nontaya Srisawang (THA)  73 70 73, Rachel Jennings (ENG) 72 74 70, Jenni Kuosa (FIN)  69 74 73, Esther Choe (USA) 76 68 72, Lisa Holm Sorensen (DNK)  71 73 72, Stacy Lee Bregman (SAF)  75 71 70

217  Carly Booth (SCO) 72 74 71, Eleanor Givens (ENG)  69 73 75, Anais Maggetti (CHE)  71 71 75

218 Florentyna Parker (ENG) 74 70 74, Rebecca Artis (AUS) 71 74 73, Danielle Montgomery (ENG)  71 75 72, Georgina Simpson (ENG) 73 70 75, Line Vedel (DNK) 76 68 74

219 Clare Queen (SCO) 72 74 73, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 73 72 74, Hannah Burke (ENG)  74 71 74, Lotta Wahlin (SWE)  74 71 74, Elena Giraud (FRA)  72 74 73

220 Mireia Prat (ESP)  74 72 74, Zuzana Kamasova (SVK)  72 74 74, Stephanie Na (AUS)  71 73 76

221 Marieke Nivard (NLD)  74 72 75

222 Vikki Laing (SCO)  75 69 78, Yu Yang Zhang (CHN)  70 76 76, Celine Palomar (FRA)  72 73 77

223 Tania Elosegui (ESP)  73 73 77

FOUR NEW CAPS IN ENGLAND TEAM FOR GIRLS' INTERNATIONALS

ENGLAND GOLF NEWS RELEASE
Four new caps are named in the England Golf team which will defend the title at the Girls’ Home Internationals at Radyr Golf Club, Wales, from August 7 to 9.
They are Gabriella Cowley of Essex, Amber Ratcliffe of Norfolk, Shelby Smart of Gloucestershire and Olivia Winning of Yorkshire.
They will join four established internationals: Georgia Hall of Dorset, Meghan MacLaren of Northamptonshire, Elizabeth Mallet of Warwickshire and Brogan Townend of Lancashire  These players were all members of last year’s successful team which won the tournament for the fourth year in a row at Gullane.
The team reserves are Sophie Keech of Dorset and Bethan Popel of Gloucestershire.
ENGLAND TEAM
Gabriella Cowley, 16 (West Essex) is the English girls’ U15 champion and the winner of the Scottish U16 open strokeplay title. She was also in the mixed winning Nations Cup team at the Fairhaven Trophy.

Georgia Hall, 16, (Remedy Oak) was the runner-up in the 2012 English amateur championship, a reserve for the Curtis Cup team and is a full England international. She has won three top scratch events this season.

Meghan MacLaren, 18, (Wellingborough) won the U18 Cartier Trophy at the French lady junior championship and was the leading English player in last season’s British stroke-play championship, finishing in third place. She is a past winner of the English schools’ championship.

Elizabeth Mallett, 17, (Sutton Coldfield Ladies) set a new course record when she won this season’s Whittington Trophy, one of the leading scratch events. Elizabeth is a past winner of the English girls’ championship, the English U15 title and has been runner-up in the British girls’ championship.

Amber Ratcliffe,16, (Royal Cromer) has twice been English U16 schools’ champion and last year won the girls’ title at the Fairhaven Trophies. She represented GB and I in the inaugural junior Vagliano Trophy match, which also included Georgia Hall.

Shelby Smart, 17, (Knowle) was an early pace setter at the English amateur championship where she finished 14th. She is the Gloucestershire champion, having won the title three times in four years, and has helped her team to reach County Finals. She’s a past winner of the South West schools’ championship.

Brogan Townend, 18, (Pleasington) is the Faldo Series girls champion and has previously won the U16 title. She has helped Lancashire to reach the 2012 County Finals and has been runner-up in the Northern ladies’ championship.

Olivia Winning, 17, (Rotherham) represented England in last year’s European Young Masters and was fifth in the 2011 English girls’ championship. She was runner-up at this season’s Fairhaven Trophies where she set a course record

Sophie Keech, 16, (Lyme Regis) won the 2011 English schools’ championship and has twice been the Dorset champion. She was in England’s squad for the Scottish U16 championship.

Bethan Popel, 16, (Long Ashton) won the 2011 North of England U16 title and the South-West women’s championship. She is in the Gloucestershire team which has reached County Finals.   
               

. KYUNG KIM WINS US WOMEN'S PUBLIC LINKS TITLE

NESHANIC STATION, New Jersey -- Kyung Kim won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links on Saturday, beating Ashlan Ramsey 4 and 2 in the 36-hole final at Neshanic Valley.
The 18-year-old Kim, from Chandler, Arizona, took a two-hole lead with a birdie on the 32nd hole, won the 33rd with another birdie and took the 34th with a par to close out the match.
"I just can't believe it," said Kim, who will be a freshman at Southern California University in theautumn.
"It was a long week, but to be finally done and to win, it's pretty amazing."
Fighting 20 mph winds, Kim had 10 birdies in 34 holes.
"I didn't know I had 10 birdies," said Kim. "That's so much."
The 16-year-old Ramsey, from Milledgeville, Georgia, had eight birdies.
"Kyung, obviously, played better than me, but I think the difference was she made more putts than I did," Ramsey said.
The tournament was limited to players who don't hold privileges at any course that doesn't extend playing privileges to the general public.

INBEE PARK LEADS BY TWO IN LPGA CLASSIC

Inbee Park of South Korea holds a two-stroke lead after the third round of the inaugural Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Ontario.
Park’s round of five under 66 on Saturday put her in the box seat heading into the final day, with the South Korean leading Hee Kyung (67) and American Brittany Lang (67) by two, while Sweden's Anna Nordqvist is a further shot adrift.
Park, whose best finish in 2012 has been a tie for ninth at the Wegmans LPGA Championship, recovered from a bogey on the 17th hole to sink a birdie on the 18th.
"I hit the ball very well today," Park said.
"I hit a lot of good iron shots, and I think I played the par fives really good today, that helped me a lot.
"There were some more putts out there that I could have made, but I was really happy with the way I hit the ball today. Hopefully, tomorrow it will be a better putting day."
China's Feng Shanshan, LPGA Championship winner at the Hills Country Club on June 11, shares fifth after scoring a 70 and is joined by Americans Nicole Hage (67) and Sandra Changkija, and Sweden's Karin Sjodin (69).
Karrie Webb registered a 72 to be the best-placed Australian at the end of day three in 47th spot, while Sarah Jane Smith's even-par 70 and Katherine Hull's two-over 72 saw them occupy 52nd and 63rd place respectively.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 213 (3x71)
199 Inbee Park (South Korea) 69 64 66
201 Brittany Lang (US) 69 65 67, Hee Kyung Seo (South Korea) 66 68 67
203 Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 64 72 67

BRITISH SCORES

208 Jodi Ewart (England) 68 68 72 (T20)
211 Karen Stupples (England) 70 68 73 (T38)

MISSED THE CUT (143 and better qualified)

144 Janice Moodie (Scotland) 71 73.
145 Becky Morgan (Wales) 73 72.