Carriedo wins in Taiwan

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Spain's Raquel Carriedo holed a knee-trembling
four foot par putt at the par three last to secure her maiden professional
victory by a solitary shot today in the £100,000 Taiwan Open.

Carriedo, who has had four runner-up placings in the past two seasons,
needed every one of her four stroke overnight lead to finish one clear of
Sweden's Anna Berg and Elisabeth Esterl of Germany in joint second spot.

The 29-year-old from Zaragoza, who last season became the first Spaniard to
qualify for the Solheim Cup, struggled to a three over 75 for a five under
winning total, while Berg and Esterl posted rounds of 72 and 70 over the
Westin Ta Shee layout.

It was a hard earned and extremely emotional victory for Carriedo, who has
often been referred to as the best player on the Evian Tour not to have won
an event.

As the Spaniard was later to admit, she made life very difficult for
herself, and after a bogey at the 16th her chances of winning her first
event since turning professional seven years ago appeared to have gone.

But she responded with a superb eight foot birdie on the 17th to draw level
with Berg at five under par with just the 18th left to play.
Berg missed the green with her tee-shot while Carriedo's ball rested on the
back of the green. With her ball lying next to a drain cover, Berg could
only chip to 30 feet and Carriedo was left with a two putt par for victory.

"Finally I've won, I was so nervous all day and fighting with myself," said
an emotionally drained Carriedo after collecting the £15,000 winner's
cheque.

"I was swinging it too fast for most of the front nine, and leaving my ball
too far away from the hole. So I just told myself to slow my swing down and
things improved after that. I made a good par at seven and then birdied
eight and ten.

"My putting wasn't very good today but I learned a very good lesson, that
you don't have to play your best golf to win. When there are holes left to
play then you still have a chance.

"That putt at the last was very nerve-wracking, but I knew I was going to
make it even though I'd been putting badly all day."

Carriedo's three over front nine included three putt bogeys at the fourth
and fifth and a double at the sixth when she hit it out of bounds.
But after slowing down her swing, she responded with a birdie at the eighth,
and another at the 10th as she came home with a level par 36.

It was Carriedo's first appearance in Asia and her maiden victory moves her
into first place on the Evian Order of Merit and first on the Solheim
ranking after three events. She finished joint 11th last week in the AAMI
Women's Australian Open and tied for 28th a week earlier in the ANZ Ladies
Masters.

"The key today was definitely my birdie at the 17th," added Carriedo, who
will be playing in the Evian Tour's MasterCard SA Masters in South Africa
next week.

"I thought I'd blown it on the 16th. But my Spanish friends and caddie Andy
(Deardon) gave me great support and helped me through."
Berg's even par 72 included three birdies, while Esterl had four birdies in
a four under par front nine 32.

Playing the group in front of Carriedo and Berg, Esterl was also five under
par as she addressed her ball on the 18th tee. But the 26-year-old German
missed the green with her four iron and failed to get up and down.

"I missed a few short ones on the front nine, and also hit the pin on the
16th," said Esterl, who like Berg remains in the hunt for her first Evian
Tour title.

"There was no pressure on the 18th. I knew I was near the lead but I wasn't
aware what the others were on. I wasn't nervous, I just didn't play a very
good shot."

Taiwan's Yu Chen Huang led the local challenge and finished alone in fourth
place on two under after firing a level par 72, while England's Nicolas
Moult equalled the day's lowest score - a three under 69 - to take fifth
spot at one under.

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