Lacey wins pretty in Italy
BY Liz White | Ladies European Tour | 2007 Ladies European Tour Q-School - Final Stage | Round Four | 27 Oct 2007
Australia’s Dana Lacey has taken out the Ladies European Qualifying Tournament in style, shooting a stunning final round of 5 under to win the title by one stroke.
Lacey finished on 13 under, one shot ahead of Welsh amateur Lydia Hall and two ahead of fellow Australian Frances Bondad.
The win has secured the 25-year-old West Australian her playing card for next year’s European Tour.
“I’m extremely happy. This is my first professional win ever. I am over the moon,” she said.
“I played fantastic today. I hit 18 greens and holed some putts that I needed to. It was just a really cruisey, easy day.”
Lacey held a conditional European card for 2007 but played most of her golf in the US on the Duramed Futures. Now she can’t wait to play in the big time full time.
“I would love to make money. I haven’t thought about it too much but I would love to live comfortably for a change.
“On the Futures Tour it’s just a grind all the time, you don’t make any money and it’s just about trying to get a top five card.”
Lacey went in to today’s final round at Le Fonti Golf Club in Bologna, Italy tied in fourth position on 8 under. She said her biggest battle was trying to get into a rhythm and stay calm.
“I started out a bit rough. I bogeyed the first and birdied the next and bogeyed the next so I was getting my nerves on track,” she said.
“I had Mel (Homes Smith) out there with me today which was just fantastic. She came out and caddied because I was doing it myself for the first three rounds and I was getting a little tired. I thought I should probably have someone out there with me today. She saved my buttocks!”
While Q school is nothing new to Lacey, it was only Frances Bondad’s first in Europe. Just two months ago she was collecting her last trophy as an amateur, the Club Championship at Sydney’s Cumberland Golf Club.
After farewelling her friends she headed overseas with enormous pressure on her shoulders. Her mother had mortgaged the family home for $100,000 to allow Frances to follow her dream.
That pressure must have been mounting after Frances missed out in the US LPGA sectional qualifying tournament in Florida two weeks ago.
“I didn’t make it but I think that was a good experience. I learned a lot from that week,” she said.
Today’s third placing came as welcome relief.
“I’m really, really, really happy and glad it’s all over,” she said.
Bondad will now return home to play the Australian season and then prepare for her maiden European Tour.
Australian amateur Bronwyn Mullins Lane will also be hitting the range but sadly for her for, for a very different reason. She agonisingly missed her full tour card today after losing in a five-way playoff for the final qualifying position.
Mullins Lane said she was frustrated by the result after a solid preparation.
“I was in London, playing my home course. It’s very tough so I was playing it as tough as I could make it so that when I came here it would seem easy,” she said.
Asked what she will be doing between now and next season she put it simply.
“More training, heaps of physical training and heaps of practise. I need to improve my putting.”
It wasn’t all bleak for Mullins Lane who earnt a conditional touring card on the European tour for 2008. She will be joined by Victorian Kate Combes who finished on one over 289 and in tied 34th position overall.
Several other Australians failed to make the cut at Le Fonti including Kristie Newton and Katy Jarochowicz, who would be disappointed with their results. Both girls had been playing in Sweden on a conditional European Tour card and were hoping to gain full status for 2008.
Dana Lacey though, has no such problems. Today’s win has given her renewed confidence.
“I’m actually spending Christmas in America with my boyfriend and then I’m going to get prepared again for the Aussie Open and the Masters. I just can’t wait to play now I’m so excited.”
