The Swede prevailed by two strokes from Anne van Dam on nine-under in France.

The pair were level on seven-under at the start of play on Sunday but the Dutch star soon found herself in front after Grant bogeyed the opening hole.

With Italy’s Alessandra Fanali and France’s Celine Herbin also in the mix, the Swede then dropped another shot on the par-4 6th before Van Dam birdied the following hole to stretch their gap to three shots.

“I knew there was a lot of birdie opportunities out here,” Grant said. “So I knew if I kept calm and did what I usually do, I’d be able to bounce back sooner or later.”

Approaching the turn, Grant regained her composure to post back-to-back birdies on the ninth and 10th with fellow LET winner Van Dam unable to respond.

A tense back nine then saw a string of pars from the duo with fellow Swede Johanna Gustavsson closing in after four birdies in 12 holes moved her to six-under-par.

The 15th then proved to be the turning point. Leading the charge, Gustavsson found trouble down the right to eventually post a double-bogey and see her title charge drift away.

A group later, Herbin made a clutch birdie to move to seven-under before Grant also birdied the par-5 after reaching the green in two. Van Dam was then unable to match the pair after hitting the bunker, leaving a grandstand finish with the Dutch star and Grant tied on eight-under-par.

“[Anne] made me focus a bit more,” Grant continued. “I knew she could make birdies at any moment so I had to be aggressive. The birdie on 15 gave me some hope. Then I just kept being patient knowing that 18 was coming up.”

One hole later, Van Dam failed to get up and down again as Grant saved par to take the lead.

Chasing Grant for the first time since Thursday, Van Dam dropped another shot on the 17th to give the 23-year-old a two-shot advantage over her with Herbin the clubhouse leader on seven-under.

After reaching the green in two on the par-5 18th for a third consecutive day, Grant would two-putt for birdie for a 69 to win by two shots and claim her fifth LET title, and first with coach Steven Jeppesen on the bag.

“I’m feeling really happy,” the Swede said. “This course is tricky and I feel like today with some patience and good golf I really managed to hold on. I’m really happy. I said to my coach that if I win I want to get pancakes, so we’ll see!”

A birdie finish for Van Dam saw her end the week T2 alongside Herbin on seven-under.

“I’m very happy with how I played today,” the Frenchwoman said. “It was very good and I enjoyed myself. I could feel that it might come down to the last hole. But it was a lot of fun and I’m really lucky to have played on this course. It’s always nice to play in France, it was awesome!

“It’s my first event of the year on the LET, so it’s nice to start with a second place.”

In a tie for fourth on six-under finished Gustavasson, Fanali, and her Italian teammate Virginia Elena Carta — who soared up the leaderboard on the final day with a 67.

The post Linn Grant rises to the top at Jabra Ladies Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubai’s Chiara Noja withdrew from the Jabra Ladies Open ahead of her first-round tee-off at Evian Resort Golf Club on Thursday through illness.

As the LET  returned from a seven-week hiatus, German teenager Noja — who won the Aramco Team Series in Jeddah last November — took the choice to withdraw from the event in France.

“Unfortunately my week at Evian has come to an end,” she wrote on Twitter. “I am really sorry to have withdrawn but I am genuinely not going to be able to tee it up today. Playing with my body in this state would put me at risk of injury, so after talking to my team, we’ve decided that this is the right call. I am beyond bummed. I hope to be back next week in Florida healthier and stronger.”

Following Jabra, where Finland’s Tiia Koivisto is looking to defend her title, the LET moves to Miami for the latest stage of the Aramco Team Series from May 19-21.

The post Dubai’s Chiara Noja withdraws at LET event in Evian ahead of tee-off appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Annabel Dimmock is hoping a return to Evian Resort Golf Club will kick-start her season as the 2019 champions is back at the site of her only Ladies European Tour title — the Jabra Ladies Open

Four years ago, the 26-year-old from England held off French amateur Pauline Roussin to triumph and ecure a spot in the qualify for the Amundi Evian Championship.

“It was unbelievable to win. I still can’t explain how it feels,” Dimmock said. “I had no expectations going in. I missed the cut the week before but for some reason there was a calmness over me which every now and again I get.

“I was obviously swinging well and it was just one of those weeks where it all clicked. I didn’t hit many bad shots. I putted decent which you have to do around Evian.”

On the final day, Dimmock overhauled Roussin’s one-shot lead with four birdies in her first seven holes and prevailed by one.

“Every time Pauline did something good it was loud, and every time I did something good you could hear a pin drop,” she added. “The whole thing was a blur, which is how I know I was in that calmness. I can’t really remember many shots I hit apart from that hybrid I hit on the last where I thought it went in the water until I got up there and realised it was in the bunker.”

Annabel Dimmock. LET

When she returned to defend her title in 2021 (the 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid), Dimmock had to settle for second spot behind Pia Babnik.

“Because I’ve won it before, I told myself I can win it again,” she says. “I know this course well. It has a lot of subtle slopes so you have to be very imaginative around it. It’s like my home course Wentworth where you can see a slope and use it to your advantage.”

Now back at Evian Resort Golf Club once again — she missed the cut last year — following a seven week break in the LET schedule, Dimmick is hoping her happy hunting ground can spur her into action.

“The start of my season hasn’t been as good as I hoped,” Dimmock says — whose best finish in 2023 is a T36 at the Lalla Meryem Cup. “I haven’t missed a cut, but it’s been average so far, so I’ve been working on a few things at home. There’s been some positives and it’s been good for me to see where I’m at.

“Me and swing coach have been trying to make my swing a lot more simple. In the past I’ve hit it hard and swung it hard, which has meant my hands have got too far forward which pushes my body back and I get stuck.

“We’ve been working on making it wider and working in circles, instead of me trying to kill the ball all the time. I’m long enough, so this week I just need to focus on keeping the ball in play. I’ve now had seven weeks to work on my game and I’m ready for take two of the season!”

Babnik is also back in the field alongside defending champion Tiia Koivisto.

The post Annabel Dimmock hunting a repeat at Jabra Ladies Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The historic Evian Resort Golf Club in France is the destination for the sixth event of the season following a well-earned rest for the players at the Aramco Team Series – Singapore.

More than 130 players will vie for the for the €300,000 prize money over three days from from this Thursday at the home of the Evian Championship major.

Among the contenders are super Swede Linn Grant, defending champion Tiia Koivisto from Finland and former champions Pia Babnik and Annabel Dimmock.

Tiia Koivisto is the defending champion. LET

Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivino will be looking continue her hot streak alongside England’s Lily May Humphreys. This fifth year the Jabra Ladies Open has been staged on the LET schedule.

The post The Ladies European Tour returns to action in France with Jabra Ladies Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 28-year-old fired a final round of five-under-par 66 to set the clubhouse target at Evian Resort Golf Club in France.

Hillier carded a 69 to join her on six-under-par after 54 holes, forcing a play-off down par-5 18th hole.

Fellow Finnish LET player Sanna Nuutinen joined Koivisto to act as her caddie for the play-off, returning the favour after Koivisto caddied for her when she won on the LET Access Series.

After claiming the title on the second extra hole, Koivisto said: “It  feels amazing. I actually made one of my first LET starts here in Evian and now I’ve won it, so I just can’t believe it.”

The win was also her first cut made in five appearances in the event.

“I’ve been putting so well the whole week and today I was hitting some good shots so I got the job done.

“I was checking the scores on 16 and before I hit my second shot on 18, so I knew I had to make a birdie there and I went for it.

“Sanna was caddying for me on the play-off hole and she’s one of my best friends so it was great to have her on the bag to make me more relaxed. We talked through all the shots. I knew that if I made a good stroke on the last putt I could do it, and when it went in, it felt so good.”

Koivisto also earned a place in the field for The Amundi Evian Championship, which will be her first appearance in a major. She also moved into fifth place on the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol Rankings.

While Hillier finished in second place, Leonie Harm and Johanna Gustavsson, who is getting married this week, tied for third position on three-under-par.

Pia Babnik, the defending champion, also fired a 66 and tied for fifth place with Carmen Alonso on two-under-par.

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The post Ladies European Tour: Tiia Koivisto pips Whitney Hillier to Jabra Ladies Open title in France appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Australian became the fourth player in two days to ace the hole, and is now in the driving seat to follow up her Aramco Team Series — Bangkok success with another victory, this time in France.

Hillier, who led her side to the team title in Bangkok last week, used her 8-iron to hole out from 140 yards on a warm and windy afternoon in Evian-Les-Bains.

Earlier, Amy Boulden, Felicity Johnson and Aditi Ashok all holed hrom the tee on the eighth in the same tournament.

Hillier held on to post a level-par round of 71 for a 36-hole total of four-under-par and takes a one-stroke lead into the final round of the tournament, where the winner will earn a place in The Amundi Evian Championship.

The recent South African Women’s Open champion Lee-Anne Pace and the first-round leader Carmen Alonso share second position.

A stroke further back in a tie for fourth, Maggie Simmermacher had the round of the day – a five-under-par 66 – to sit alongside Tiia Koivisto and Johanna Gustavsson.

.@WhitneyHillier aced the par-three eighth hole at the Jabra Ladies Open today, which gives us an excellent excuse to wheel out this old gem ?

Mike Dean certainly enjoyed that one! ?#RaiseOurGame | #JabraLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/ja8Dfvo19B

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) May 20, 2022

But Hillier was all smiles on the second day.

She said: “I’ve just been laughing all day long with George, my caddie.

“This was my fifth hole-in-one, so it was pretty special. I saw that two players had already made hole in ones this morning so it was in my head and then it just happened.

“I’ve had two holes-in-one this year already, one in Melbourne: crazy.

Hillier won the Team element of the Aramco Team Series — Bangkok at the weekend, but is yet to taste an individual victory on the LET.

While former Order of Merit winner Pace has 11 LET titles on her resume, Alonso is also gunning for her first win on Tour.

She said: “The beginning was OK, it wasn’t windy and the sun was out, but the last ten holes were hard with the wind, and on this course it’s really tough.”

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The post Ladies European Tour: Aramco Series team champ Hillier joins hole-in-one party at Jabra Ladies Open in France appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
Spaniard Carmen Alonso took a one-stroke lead in the Jabra Ladies Open at Evian-Les-Bains in France on Thursday thanks to an opening five-under 66.

Alonso, 25th on the Ladies European Tour Race to Costa del Sol, had a poor start on the 15th after a shotgun start, but a birdie-par-eagle run before the turn got her in her stride and she added further birdies on the third and seventh holes before carding a second bogey on the eighth and then made further gains at the 10th and 14th.

“This course is really challenging, so you have to focus all the time. If you miss a shot, you don’t have too many chances to recover, so I’m really happy with the round,” said Alonso, now in her 18th year on the LET.

She was helped by fellow LET professional Maria Beautell on caddie duties, the pair having achieved a tie for 13th in the Comunidad de Madrid Ladies Open a fortnight ago.

“This year, I’m hitting the ball the same as in previous years but Maria is helping me around the greens, especially with the breaks,” Alonso said. “She is always positive, telling me that I am always doing a good job, so I follow her rules and it’s working.”

The winner of this week’s tournament will earn a place in the $6.5 million Evian Championship, the only Major in continental Europe, to be played in July at the same venue, and so there is fierce competition for the first prize.

Australian Whitney Hillier, who won the Team competition in last week’s Aramco Team Series— Bangkok signed for a four-under-par 67 to lie in second place alongside LET rookie Gabrielle Macdonald from Scotland.

Hillier said: “It was a pretty hot start, to be honest. I took advantage of the pure greens and just had fun out there. The course is in great condition and the weather is very nice, so I’m enjoying myself.

Johanna Gustavsson, Karolin Lampert, Carolin Kauffmann, Billie-Jo Smith and Leonie Harm are a stroke further back in a tie for fourth on three-under-par 68.

Gustavsson, who has recorded three second-place finishes already this season, commented: “I played quite solid. I hit some tee shots well and feel like I could have holed some more putts, but overall it was a nice, stress-free day.”

A win on Saturday would be a double cause for celebration for the Swede, as she will be going home to get married next weekend.

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The post Ladies European Tour: Carmen sings at Jabra Ladies Open in France appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
Johanna Gustavsson has had a fantastic start to the 2022 Ladies European Tour — but despite consistently finding herself at the right end of the leaderboard, she is still hunting that first piece of silverware of the campaign.

The Swede already has three second-placed finishes and several top-10 placements is year, with her most recent runners-up spot coming at the Aramco Team Series – Bangkok last week, where she finished three shots behind champion Manon De Roey in Thailand. She also has second-place finishes at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International and Women’s NSW Open earlier this year.

Next up is the Jabra Ladies Open at Evian-Les-Bains and Gustavsson is confident that the win will come sooner rather than later.

“I’m playing quite solid at the moment, and I’m looking forward to being in France and just keep working on the putting,” she told the LET.

“The putting has been decent I would say. I holed a lot of putts in the middle of my final round in Thailand, which was nice. I thought I got through it pretty nicely and I’m proud of that and happy with it.”

Gustavsson is second in the Race to Costa Del Sol rankings heading into this week’s event, as she trails compatriot Maja Stark by 323.50 points.

And with her wedding scheduled for next weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with a victory in France?

“I am excited,” she said. “We do look forward to it, spending some with family and friends as well, and just have a nice day celebrating love.”

Last week in Bangkok also saw Ana Pelaez continue her impressive form, as she backed up her victory at the Comunidad de Madrid Ladies Open with a T5 finish in Thailand.

After a roller-coaster couple of weeks, which saw her make last minute plans to play in Thailand after her victory in her homeland, the Spaniard is eager to continue her good form at a place that she knows well.

“Evian stole my heart when I played the Young Masters so I’m super-excited to come back and play the Jabra Ladies Open,” she said.

“Last week in the final round I looked up at the scoreboard and really wanted to finish in the top ten, so I got my stuff together.

“I was just patient and stuck to the plan that I had at the time, and it worked. I started to read the putts better so they started to go in so that helped a lot.”

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