The English flag flew proudly in the fierce winds of La Manga as Jodi Ewart blew away the rest of the field to claim a two-shot victory at the Ladies European Tour’s Final Q-School for 2012.
Ewart, who also secured her playing privileges on the lucrative LPGA Tour last month, closed with a level-par 73 on the South Course to finish the five-round event on 11-under.
And the 24-year-old is understandably feeling on top of the world right now.
“It feels so good, ” revealed the 2008 and 2009 English strokeplay champion. “I mean, fourth on the LPGA and now winning the LET it’s a pretty good off-season if you ask me. I’m really looking forward to this year.”
The former member of Catterick Golf Club in North Yorkshire, who now resides in Florida, also revealed she didn't look at a single leaderboard the entire day.
“I was a little bit nervous because I knew I was leading but I didn’t know how many shots ahead I was. If I’d known it would have set me back a bit. ”
Swiss amateur Anais Maggetti finished two adrift on 9-under, with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda five back in third.
But while those at the top were putting their feet up in the clubhouse, those further down the board were in a frantic battle for the final two spots.
Six players, comprising the Spanish duo of Laura Cabanillas and Mireia Prat, India’s Sharmila Nicollet, England’s Hannah Burke, Germany’s Miriam Nagl and Scotland’s Carly Booth, were forced into extra holes after finishing in a tie for 29th on 7-over.
Cabanillas, an 11-year veteran of the tour, holed a 12-footer for birdie to take the 29th card available at the par-4 seventh, while the remaining five players moved to the eighth.
Booth fell short after driving into a fairway bunker and having to lay up on the par four, eventually taking a bogey five along with Nagl and both players were eliminated. Burke, Nicollet and Prat all had four and went to the par-5 ninth.
The drama was completed when Nicollet, who co-led after the first round, two-putted for a birdie from the right edge of the green to earn the 30th card.
Ladies European Tour 2012 Q-School Final Leaderboard
-11 Jodi Ewart (Eng)
-9 Anais Maggetti (Swi)
-4 Carlota Ciganda (Spa)
-3 Marjet Van der Graff (Hol), Stephanie Kirchmayr (Ger)
Par Elin Emanuelsson (Swe)
+1 Celine Palomar (Fra), Jessica Yadloczky (US)
+2 Maria Beautell (Spa), Elena Giraud (Fra), Liebelei Lawrence (Lux), Sahra Hassan (Wal), Kendall Dye, Jennie Lee (US), Charlotte Ellis (Eng)
+3 Heather Bowie Young, Amelia Lewis (US), Alexandra Vilatte (Fra)
+4 Tandi Cuningham (RSA), Meaghan Francella (US), Sophie Walker (Eng)
+5 Yu Yang Zhang (Chi), Chrisie De Vries (Hol), Stephanie Na (Aus), Clare Queen (Sco)
+6 Valentine Derrey (Fra), Dawn Shockley, Esther Choe (US)
+7 Laura Cabanillas, Mireia Prat (Spa), Sharmila Nicollet (Ind), Hannah Burke (Eng), Miriam Nagl (Ger), Carly Booth (Sco)*
*Cabanillas and Nicollet qualified for the final two cards in sudden death
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