Simon dominates women's golf
6 April 2006
Sixteen-year-old Ashleigh Simon won the Sanlam South African Women's Strokeplay Championship for the third consecutive year at Pretoria Country Club and is looking for the double after the start of the match play event.
Simon, from Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, closed with a level-par 72 for a 54-hole aggregate of 218 to edge out Tiffany Avern-Taplin from Umhlali, who closed with a day's best 70, by one shot. Stacy Bregman (Country Club Johannesburg) was third on 221 after a 72.
The par-five final on Wednesday could not have been more dramatic. Simon, enjoying a four-shot lead on the tee, collected a bogey, but playing partner Avern-Taplin hit two magnificent shots to within four-feet of the pin and rolled in the putt for an eagle and a three-shot swing.
'Pretty close in the end'
"So, it was pretty close in the end," said Simon, who started the day with a three-stroke lead over Durban's Avern-Taplin,
Gauteng's Bregman and Cape Town's Kelli Shean.
Simon bogeyed three of the first four holes to surrender her lead before regrouping superbly with birdies at number-six, where she rolled in a long putt, number-eight and number-nine.
"I don't know why, but I was nervous. At the fourth, I hit my drive in the water and ended up having to make a tricky five-footer for bogey. Not missing that little putt, I think, was the key to getting my round going."
Simon later made an eagle-two at the thirteenth where she holed a seven-iron from 140 metres.
Bogeyed five holes in a row
Shean was doing well until she bogeyed five holes in a row on her way to an 80 to tie for fourth with the home club's Gina Switala on 229. Gilly Tebbutt was sixth on 232, and Lumien Lausberg shared seventh on 233 with Rustenburg's Bertine Strauss.
Monique Smit reached the matchplay semifinals, where she will meet Caitlin Beckwith while, in a big upset,
Kelli Shean was beaten by Yashira Budhram. Budhram will now face Suzette Venter.
In another upset, 13-year-old Larissa Ras beat Tiffany Avern-Taplin three-and-one. Ras will meet Lumien Lausberg who defeated Sandra Winter three-and-one.
Stacy Bregman beat Tandi von Ruben five-and-four and has secured her place in the semifinals. She will face Gilly Tebbutt.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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