Patience Rhodes admitted her stunning victory at the St Rule Trophy was “bittersweet” as she overhauled her sister on The Old Course yesterday.
FORMAT: 54-hole stroke play
The Burnham & Berrow player started her final round at The Home of Golf four back of Euphemie Rhodes while a host of Europe’s best players were close enough if good enough.
It took Rhodes’s best round in competition (-6) to get the job done, finishing one ahead of Sweden’s Ebba Norstedt and France’s Lois Lau while her big sister ended a shot further back, alongside home favourite Jennifer Saxton (Dunfermline).
It was also a poignant victory for the 19-year-old, who spent most of her first year at Arizona State injured. Problems with her wrist and back meant she did not play a collegiate tournament and she only returned to action at an LET Access event in Switzerland last month.
“To be honest when I finished I thought I was going to be in a play-off,” said Rhodes, who won the England Girls two years ago.
“It was a very bitter sweet moment. I felt really bad for my sister but she gave me a big hug afterwards and congratulated me so I felt a lot better.”
Having opened with a 10-under 65 on the New course, Euphemie Rhodes began the third and final round at St Andrews two ahead of Bishop Auckland’s Jessica Hall, who never got going yesterday.
Norstedt started seven back but was one of a number of players to make hay on the front nine, birdieing five of the first seven holes to charge back into contention while Lau bogeyed the first and birdied the next five.
Saxton was another to make up ground on the leader early on and her birdie on nine left her five under for her round and back on level terms of Euphemie Rhodes.
Meanwhile the younger Rhodes recovered well after a bogey on the second, particularly at the par five fifth where she stuck a seven iron to 25 feet and sunk the eagle putt.
She also birdied seven, laying up short of the hazards with a three wood and then wedging it to eight feet.
However she was still slightly off the pace. Thankfully for the England international, her title rivals did her the odd favour.
Norstedt, playing in the sixth last group, kept the birdies flowing on the back nine but a bogey at the last – her only one on the day – meant 13 under was the score to beat.
Lau and Patience Rhodes got to 14 under thanks to birdies on 16, the English player having hit a beautful eight iron to three feet.
However the French ace was undone by the Road Hole and a six meant she would also finish one back in the final reckoning.
In the final group Euphemie Rhodes’s title challenge had been derailed by a bogey on 14 and a double on 16 while Saxton needed a birdie at the last to force a play-off but ended up with a bogey.