Australia’s Nikki Garrett

(Golf del Sur, Tenerife – Sunday 6th May 2007) – Australia’s Nikki Garrett captured her first Ladies European Tour title in the Tenerife Ladies Open at Golf del Sur on Sunday.

The talented 23-year-old from Shelly Beach on Australia’s Central Coast took advantage of her links education as she posted four birdies and four bogeys in testing conditions for the 72 which took her to one-under-par 287, two clear of England’s Trish Johnson and Spain’s Tania Elosegui.

“I’m really happy as it was so tough out there,” said Garrett, who represents Magenta Links Country Club at North Entrance, where it can be extremely windy.

“You really had to focus on one shot at a time. I grew up playing at Tuggerah Lakes which sits on a cliff top and I’m used to playing in the wind so it doesn’t bother me.”

Garrett, who was last year’s Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year, was the only player in the tournament to finish under par and as a result, she took home a first prize of €41,250. She now leads the New Star Money List with earnings of €43,222.32 from three tournaments, which means she is the official number one in Europe.

“I’ll be honest with you; I came here hitting it really badly,” Garrett admitted. “On the way over here from Australia we stopped at Los Angeles and I met a numerologist who said it wasn’t going to be a very good year for me, so I was a bit worried.

“I thought this year would be a lot harder than last year because I had more expectations on myself. My main goal this year was to win and now I’ve done it so early I don’t know what I’m going to do! I’ll have to sit down and re-assess the situation.”

Garrett and caddy Walsh celebrate on the 18th green

Garrett made a huge impression in her rookie year in 2006, finishing 12th on the New Star Money List as the highest ranked LET player not to have won a tournament.

“I’d like to thank my caddy Tim Walsh who has been like my little brother on the bag,” she said. Garrett and Walsh grew up playing golf together.

This was the first week that Garrett had used a new Ping Redwood putter - to remarkable effect - as she holed some clinch putts throughout the day.

She didn’t get off to the best possible start when she was forced to hit a provisional ball off the first tee. However she immediately gained the outright lead after she found her ball and made a par, whilst her overnight co-leaders, Sophie Sandolo and Becky Brewerton, both bogeyed the hole.

She holed a 12 foot birdie putt at the fourth to move to two under, before dropping a shot at the sixth where she three-putted.

She hit a monster 310-yard drive on the par-four seventh which left her with only 94 yards to the pin. She struck a low 54 degree wedge to nine feet and rolled in the birdie putt to move back to two-under.

She dropped a shot at the ninth but maintained a two stroke advantage at the turn. However she dropped another stroke at the tenth before clawing one back with two putts at the par-five 12th hole.

She missed a short par putt at the 15th, to draw level with Elosegui, but immediately snatched one back at the 16th by holing an important nine foot birdie putt.

Nerves started to show on the 17th when Garrett hit a three-wood off the tee and her ball landed in a waste area under the palm trees on the left side of the fairway. Yet she played a little nine-iron onto the green and safely two putted for par, giving herself a two shot buffer standing on the 18th tee. A regulation par there was enough for the two shot victory, with Johnson and Elosegui already in the clubhouse and with it, Garrett earned herself a three year exemption to the Ladies European Tour.

For Johnson, a veteran of 17 Tour titles, a final round 71 for second place was: “very solid” and she admitted that “The Solheim Cup points will come in very handy”.

Elosegui, who carded a 72, finished as the runner up in the Tenerife Ladies Open for the second year in succession. She said: “Runner up again! I hope to get the win the third time. I’m very pleased. I have played very well and missed very few shots. I was irritated to have bogeyed the last but overall I’m going away with a very good feeling.”

Ana Laranetta and Brewerton tied for fourth position on two-over-par. Meanwhile overnight co-leader Sandolo struggled to a 77 which left her tied for eighth position on four-over-par.