Pedersen holds off Hall to claim inaugural Saudi Ladies International
Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen poses with the trophy after winning the torunament.
Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen put up a gritty performance, beating Georgia Hall in the play-off, to claim the inaugural Saudi Ladies International title on Sunday.
The battle for the title in the final went down to the wire as an extra hole’s play was needed to decide the winner after Pedersen put a three-wood to 12-foot on 18 to bag the birdie to tie the score of England’s Hall at ten-under par.
The play-off took a dramatic turn when Hall’s daring shot fell in water, with Pedersen’s miraculous chip close enough to secure Saudi Arabia’s first historic title and $150,000 winner’s cheque.
Hall had the advantage of a three-shot cushion with five holes to play but gutsy Pedersen clawed her way back following a rollercoaster round that included six birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey.
“I dropped a couple of shots on the front nine but then I got it back and started making a few birdies, which got me confident, added Pedersen.
“I was just plugging away and I knew Georgia was playing super steady.
I’m so happy to be the first winner of this event. It’s been such a fantastic experience to be here in Saudi Arabia with all the players here.” Georgia Hall said: “I played well today even though it was certainly windier than yesterday. It was just a shame my putt on 18 didn’t go in. Emily hit an amazing shot on the last hole in regulation and it was very brave. I am really pleased for her as she’s a really nice girl.” Solheim Cup teammates Ann Van Dam (-8) and Caroline Hedwall (-7) showed their class on Sunday to finish in third and fourth respectively after impressive final rounds in the 60s.
Wales’ Lydia Hall, who had been rock solid all week, struggled over the tricky closing holes with a triple bogey on 14 derailing her hopes of a fairytale Ladies European Tour comeback. Low round of the day came from Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux, whose stunning run of nine birdies in 16 holes – following a triple-bogey on the second – led her to a 67, finishing on -5.
Maha Haddioui, the first Arabic player on Tour, closed her tournament off strongly posting a two-under round of 70 to finish on +3. India’s Aditi Ashok closed on three under for a share of joint 11th after struggling on the closing holes.
Attention for the players now turns to the $500,000 Saudi Ladies Team International (17th-19th November) – a first-of-its-kind tournament where 36 team captains recruit their players using a live NFL-style draft system, before competing for a share of $500,000 prize money.
