Byrne turns thoughts to LPGA Q-School after finishing sixth in Spain
Sara Byrne. Picture: LETAS
Sara Byrne had to settle for a tie for sixth after a closing 75 left her four shots outside a playoff in her bid for her maiden professional victory in the Iberdrola Calatayud Ladies Open in the LET Access Series in Spain.
The Douglas star (23) took a one-shot lead into the final round of just her fourth professional event at Gambito Golf Calatayud.
She got off to a slow start, however, making three bogeys and two birdies in a one-over front nine before mixing birdies at the 11th and 16th with bogeys at the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th in a three-over final round that left her tied for sixth on six-under, four shots outside a playoff for the title.
Ellie Gower triumphed at the first tie hole after she shot a 68 to Billie-Jo Smith’s 69 to tie with her English compatriot on 10-under.
“It means so much,” Gower said. “I’ve never won before, and I’ve never been in a play-off so, it means a lot. It’s crazy. It just makes all the hard work worthwhile.
“I was shocked when I found out it was a playoff. At the beginning of the day, the leading score was nine under, so I didn’t really expect ten under to be winning it.
“I had no idea that Billie-Jo was on ten under, too. So, it was a bit of a shock, a good shock.”
If Byrne was disappointed, so too was Smith who fell in a playoff for the third event running.
Spain’s Amaia Latorre, Norway’s Tina Mazarino and Italy’s Alessia Nobilio finished third on eight-under-par.
Byrne tied for sixth (€1,134) with Gemma Clews, Esme Hamilton, Ellen Hume and Denmark’s Puk Lyng Thomsen and now turns her attention to LPGA Qualifying School from October 15-18 - the penultimate stage before Final Qualifying in Alabama from December 5-9.
Meanwhile, Cormac Sharvin made six birdies in a five-under 65 to finish the best of the Irish in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge.
The Ardglass man finished tied for 12th on 17-under at Royal Beroun Golf Club, 11 strokes behind Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith.
The overnight lead by two shots, Follett-Smith (30) carded a seven-under 63 to win his second Challenge Tour title (€43,200) by five shots from Frenchman Maxence Giboudot and Finn Oliver Lindell.
As a result, he jumped 48 places to 26th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings in the race for 20 DP World Tour cards.
Stuart Grehan was 40th on 12-under after a 66 with Conor O’Rourke 52nd on 10-under after a 69.
Michael Young shot 67 to finish 60th on nine-under with Paul Dunne back in a tie for 62nd on eight-under after a 70.
The former British Masters winner, who opened with an encouraging 63 in just his fifth event this year as he prepares for the Second Stage of Q-School, was tied with Paul McBride and Ronan Mullarney, who shot rounds of 72 and 67, respectively.
Daniel Mulligan shot 71 to finish 77th on four-under.
