Turkish delight for Lotta Wahlin

Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin cruised to her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) victory at the inaugural Garanti American Express Turkish Ladies’ Open on Sunday.

The 24-year-old from Linkoping carded rounds of 71, 71, 73 and 70 at the punishing National Golf Club in Antalya, Turkey, to win by 12 shots on a total of seven-under-par.

Her winning margin was the second largest in the LET’s 30-year history since England’s Laura Davies won the 1995 Guardian Irish Holidays Open at St Margaret’s by 16 shots.

Another Swede, Johanna Westerberg (71), shared second with South African Stacy Lee Bregman (72) and Spaniard Paula Marti (74), who was eight shots back in outright second entering the final round.

Wahlin, who was the only player to finish below par for the tournament, led from start to finish and never faltered on a course featuring narrow fairways, numerous red pine trees and extremely hard greens. She extended her lead each day and became the second Swedish first time winner in only three events on the fledgling 2008 Ladies European Tour schedule, after Emma Zackrisson won the Open de Espana at Panoramica Golf and Country Club three weeks ago.

“It’s fantastic. I’m so happy. I only understood I’d won on the 18th green because I didn’t think about it before,” said Wahlin, who won a non-official invitational event featuring 20 of the LET’s best players in Spain just a month ago.

“I was just enjoying it. I wanted to finish well. My goal for today was to shoot in the 60s so I had to make a birdie on the last but I didn’t. That was my only goal. ”

Wahlin began the final round with an eight stroke lead and was ten strokes clear after two birdies and one bogey on her front nine.
She birdied the par-five12th to reach six-under-par with an 11 stroke lead, before dropping a shot at the par-four 13th hole.

A further birdie at the par-five 14th moved her back to six-under before she pulled 12 strokes clear with a birdie at the par-three 16th.

Despite having never previously led a Ladies European Tour event, Wahlin said: “I only felt nervous on the first tee. I just wanted to hit a good shot because my shot there yesterday was so bad.

“The four days have just been so good. I’ve been playing good golf and I had a good focus. Me and my caddie Andy Danewid have just been having so much fun and it’s fantastic. It’s the best moment in my career.”

Testament to her solid play was the fact that she entered just two bunkers over 72 holes, with one of those on the par-five fourth hole in the final round.

Wahlin added that winning the invitational event in Spain had been a confidence boost: “It was important because I knew that I can win. I finished with a 65 in the last round so I knew I could shoot a low round,” she said.

In taking the title and the €37,500 winner’s cheque Wahlin fulfilled one of her biggest dreams since she took up the game seriously four years ago.

After she finished her schooling she worked as a secretary for a large computer firm for two years which only increased her appetite for golf.

She hated the job, and decided to choose full time golf over studying, which appears to have paid off in her fourth season on the LET.

“I have been on tour for three years so I think it was time to win,” Wahlin reflected, before adding that she aims to keep on winning. “I have three wins to do this year so I’m going to keep on going,” she said.

The Ladies European Tour now takes a week’s break before the Deutsche Bank Ladies’ Swiss Open at Golf Gerre Losone from May 22-25. Wahlin will spend the lead up relaxing at home with friends.