Lee-Anne Pace signed off with a flourish on Sunday as she closed out her tournament in the Ladies European Tour’s Dutch Ladies Open with a five-under-par 67 to climb into a share of seventh.
Pace made seven birdies and two bogeys as she reached a tournament total of six-under-par for the 54 holes. That put her five strokes behind the winner, Jana Melichova, who also fired an excellent round of 67 to come from behind and secure an emotional victory at the Hilversumsche Golf Club in Hilversum, Netherlands.
The Czech star began the day six shots behind leader Kim Metraux of Switzerland, but the deficit had reduced to two strokes at the halfway mark. Melichova continued to switch the momentum, rolling in more birdies as Metraux went out of bounds on the 12, but despite a fightback from the Swiss star, it wasn’t enough.
The 26-year-old Czech made a birdie at the 16th to give her a one-shot lead which she held onto to secure her second LET title with a score of 11-under-par.
“I feel absolutely amazing, I don’t even know what to say! It was just perfect,” said Melichova, who won the 2022 Tipsport Czech Ladies Open as an amateur. “It means so much. Especially, I have been struggling so much this year.
“I have just not been making cuts, I have not had good results and been struggling overall mentally. This is a major thing and it’s going to give me some major confidence.
“I was a bit aggressive with my first putt on 18, it was all the adrenaline and everything. I hit it a little bit too hard and then left myself a metre downhill putt which is never nice.
“I felt the same thing I felt when I had a metre putt in 2022 when I won in Beroun. I had the same feeling where I knew I was going to make it. It’s such a weird feeling, but I just knew it.”
Switzerland’s Metraux, who led from the first day, had a final round of 74 which included four birdies, three bogeys and a triple bogey to finish in outright second place on 10-under-par. Thailand’s April Angurasaranee and England’s Liz Young ended the week in a tie for third place both on eight-under-par.
Eswatini’s Nobuhle Dlamini closed with a level-par 72 to finish in a share of 13th on five-under-par. Gabrielle Venter had a closing 71 and was on level-par in a share of 40th. Stacy Bregman was on two-over in a share of 52nd after she signed off with a two-over 74.
