Images courtesy Ladies European Tour

By Kent Gray
Charley Hull will never forget the Christmas of 2018 after fiancé Ozzie Smith slipped a diamond ring on her engagement finger. It’s fair to say the magic hasn’t waned any early into the New Year.

With a brilliant sand save from beyond the 18th green at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, the 22-year-old Englishwoman claimed a wire-to-wire victory in the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open on Saturday.

Hull signed for a closing 69 to go with earlier rounds of 67 and 72 to edge Marianne Skarpnord by a shot after the Norwegian has earlier set the clubhouse target at seven under with a final round 68.

England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff, a shot adrift of Hull entering the final round of the Ladies Euriopean Tour season-opener, finished with a 73 to slip into a share of third on -3 alongside Swede Caroline Hedwall (67) Dutchwoman Anne Van Dam (68), Dane Nicole Broch Larsen (71), Spain’s Luna Sobron (72).

It was a second LET title for Hull and a third worldwide after she captured the  LPGA’s season-ending CME Globe in 2016.

“I’ve practised really, really hard over the winter and it feels great to win back on the LET, especially since I had my first pro win in Morocco five years ago,” Hull told the LET.

“Hopefully I can get a few more wins this year and I’ve been practising really hard so it shows that my hard work is paying off.”

The LET’s 2013 Rookie of the Year in 2013 and 2014 Order of Merit champion extended her 36-hole lead to two strokes with a second hole birdie but dropped a shot on the short 3rd after getting stuck down a steep slope to the right of the green.

Hull made another solid eight-footer, this time for birdie, on the 6th green but then dropped a shot on hole 10. An eagle on the par-5 11th, where she stuck a  6-iron to 15 feet, put her two clear of Skarpnord. She then holed another birdie putt from 10 feet on the 14th to reach eight-under-par and held firm in the breeze.

“I’m very happy with my round. I left a lot of putts out there today, but it’s hard to putt when it’s windy like this,” she said.

“It was windy all three days really and especially on the second day. Today the wind got up in the end and it was a tricky finish, especially the 18th hole, because you can’t hit more than a 5-iron off that tee to be short of the bunkers, or you go with the driver, and go over it all, and that’s a risky shot. With that back right pin it was a good finish and I hit a 5-iron, over the green, had a 35 yard bunker shot and I stiffed it. It was quite tricky and I made the putt, so it feels really good to be back in the winner’s circle again.”

Hull received the iconic gazelle trophy from the golf course designer, Gary Player, whom she said she said she had looked up to her entire career and whom she thanked for designing “such a great course.”

Skarpnord, who last won on the LET in 2013, said that her 68 for solo second was “a big step in the right direction.”

“Every time I was in contention last year, top three, five, ten, I shot over par on the last round. I kind of had a goal today that I was going to shoot under par and if I did that, then I’d be very happy,” she said.

“I holed a couple of putts on the back nine and played pretty good, but Charley plays good golf and I heard she had a very tricky bunker shot on the last and got up and down to win. She hits those shots and you probably need to be one ahead to beat her.” – With reporting from ladieseuropeantour.com