Schreefel wins by seven

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Dewi Claire Schreefel secured her first win on the Ladies European Tour as she raced to a seven stroke win on Sunday.

She comfortably kept the lead that she had held from the first round, saving the best until last. With rounds of 68, 70, 68 and 66, she ended on a total of 271, 17 under par at Vasatorps Golfklubb.

The 28-year-old from Alkmaar in Netherlands started the day two strokes ahead of the 2013 tournament champion Artis and set her goal at 15 under. In the final round, Schreefel bogeyed the fourth but found her groove with three straight birdies from the fifth hole, gaining a five stroke advantage until Artis birdied the eighth and both players then bogeyed the ninth hole.

Artis continued to chase with three straight birdies from the 10th and another on 14, but Schreefel matched them with birdies on 10, 12, 14 and 15. After Artis bogeyed 16, Schreefel was five strokes ahead before a two shot swing on the last hole which Artis bogeyed and Schreefel birdied.

“It’s a good way to win. Rebecca had a good chase on and I was glad to be playing well to keep up with her and I can’t find a better way to win that this,” said Schreefel, who turned professional in 2008 and won her first pro title at the 2009 New England Golf Classic in her rookie season on the US Futures Tour.

“I’ve been a pro for five years and every year has got better but I felt like this year it was going to come. All the elements came together,” said the Dutch professional, whose previous best finish on the Ladies European Tour was second at the 2012 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and who holds full playing status on the LPGA.

Schreefel may have had a stranglehold on the tournament from day one, but Artis produced a performance to remember. With rounds of 69, 70, 68 and 71, she ended in solo second on 10-under-par. “I chased late in the back nine, birdied 10, 11, 12 and 14 but she was matching me, so there was not much I could do about it,” said the 25-year-old Australian. “I probably didn’t play my best golf on the front nine; I needed to get it going early and make some birdies early and put pressure on her and I didn’t do that. I turned one over through nine and I made a bit of flurry on the back nine and a charge but every time I made a birdie she matched me. I played pretty good golf out there today and was happy with my effort and what can I say? Second when I come back to defend: I’m happy with that.”

Dame Laura Davies finished a stroke further behind in third place after a final round 66, which included two eagles and two bogeys on the front nine and four birdies on the back. “A 67 for a top five was what we were looking at, so a 66 for a top three is obviously a bonus,” said Davies, who flew out of the blocks with eagles on the third and sixth holes.

“I was just short of the third in two and had 40 yards and hit a little pitch, checked up and it ran right up in the middle, so that was nice,” she continued. “Number six, just pulled a five-iron into the greenside bunker but it was an easy bunker shot, flopped it out and it just went in like a putt again.

“The British Open was more important in that it got me into a lot of stuff in America but a top three is better than a top nine. I don’t judge tournaments by money or prestige: if you play well on the week, top three is a great finish so this is a big week for me.”

Frenchwoman Valentine Derrey ended fourth on six under par, with England’s Felicity Johnson and Line Vedel of Denmark a stroke behind in a tie for fifth.

Johnson won a VW Golf Sport Combi car as the first professional to ace the 17th from 145 yards using an 8-iron and she said: “This is my third hole in one. I had one at home when I was 10, one in a practice round in Sweden in 2008 and this is my third today. This is the first important one.

“The pin was in the middle of the back tier so I knew that we didn’t want to go past the flag and I knew 8-iron wasn’t bringing the back into play. There was very little wind and what there was, was just off the left. It was pretty calm so I hit a really solid 8-iron, probably one of the best strikes of the week.”

The Ladies European Tour now heads to France for the Evian Championship, the final major of the year, taking place at Evian Resort Golf Course from September 11-14.

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