The Joburg Ladies Open is definitely heating up, and the leaderboard is getting more exciting with each passing day! Today, we’ve got some fantastic news to share: Nicole Broch Estrup has taken the lead with Lily May Humphreys following closely in joint second place. As two of the most talented golfers on the tour right now, this promises to be an epic battle for first place. So sit back, relax, and read on as we give you all the highlights from one of South Africa’s biggest sporting events of the year – The Joburg Ladies Open!
Nicole Broch Estrup leads with Lily May Humphreys joint second
Joburg Ladies Open: Nicole Broch Estrup leads with Lily May Humphreys joint second
The Joburg Ladies Open saw a big field of competitors, but it was Nic Broch Estrup who took home the spoils. The Dane topped the leaderboard on the opening day of competition with a total score of 290, one shot ahead of compatriot Lily May Humphreys. The South African duo of Stephanie Vogels and Kirsten Venter came in third and fourth respectively.
The second day of play yielded better results for Broch Estrup, as she extended her lead to two shots on 286, with Humphreys a further two shots behind on 285. Meanwhile, Venter and Vogels were in hot pursuit on 287 and 288 respectively. However, it was not to be for the South African duo as they both lost their final rounds to place fifth and sixth overall. Sweden’s Emma Wallberg was the eventual winner after finishing on 301 points – 54 ahead of runner-up Johanna Konta from Britain.
Day 1 results
On the first day of Joburg Ladies Open, Nicole Broch Estrup led with Lily May Humphreys joint second. The tournament was played at The Regent Golf & Country Club.
Day 1 Results:
Nicole Broch Estrup (NOR) – 69-67-68=223
Lily May Humphreys (GBR) – 70-64-69=237
Rachel Hetherington (AUS) – 67-66-72=243
Day 2 results
On day two of the Joburg Ladies Open, Nicole Broch Estrup led with Lily May Humphreys joint second. The rest of the top five consisted of; Brigitte Augereau (3rd), Carin Teichert (4th), Annemarie van Vuuren (5th) and Ingrid Noble (6th). These results mean that Broch Estrup leads with a total score of nine points, followed by Humphreys on eight points. It was an exciting final round which saw some excellent individual performances.
The women’s race started at 10:00am and it was clear from the beginning that this would be a close event. Van Vuuren quickly made her presence felt by taking the first two places, followed by Augereau and Humphreys in that order. It was interesting to see how each player responded after these early successes – both Van Vuuren and Augereau began to fade somewhat while Humphreys continued to make progress.
Broch Estrup played solidly throughout the tournament but never seemed able to take control as Humphreys got closer and closer. In fact, it was only in the last few holes of the final round that Broch Estrup managed to pull away from her rival, winning by three shots. This excellent performance has seen her move up one position in the rankings, now sitting at number two behind Humphreys.
Final result
The Joburg Ladies Open was held from 18-22 October at the Kensington Golf Club. Nicole Broch Estrup led with Lily May Humphreys joint second, followed by Marlene Blaauw and Carina Witbooi. In the final round, Broch Estrup carded a one-under-par 71 to take the lead, but Humphreys fired a two-under 70 to claim second place. Witbooi finished fourth on seven under par, while Blaauw placed fifth on six under par..
This event is an annual fixture on the ladies golf calendar and this year’s field featured some of South Africa’s top talent. The weather played a significant role in how each lady fared as windy conditions made for difficult tee shots and rolling fairways. There were several close finishes during the event with no clear winner until the last round.
Nicole Broch Estrup emerged as the tournament champion after firing a one-under-par 71 in her final round to claim victory by two strokes over fellow countrywoman Lily May Humphreys with Marlene Blaauw third on seven under par and Carina Witbooi fourth on six under par.. This was Broch Estrup’s first major title and she was delighted to be able to win after having endured some tough times earlier in her career: “It feels great to finally win a big title – it has taken me a long time to get here
Gallery
Nicole Broch Estrup and Lily May Humphreys emerged as the joint leaders of the Joburg Ladies Open after firing a final round of 69 to claim their third individual title of the year.
Broch Estrup started well, but Humphreys proved to be a tough competitor by closing out the front nine with birdies at Nos. 4 and 5. The Dane then went on to post pars at Nos. 6, 7 and 8 before adding another birdie at No. 9 for a two-shot advantage with four holes to play.
The Swede fought back with consecutive pars at Nos 10 and 11 before ending up bogeying 12, but Humphreys could only muster another par to seal her fourth title in five years.
“I was really close at the end,” said Broch Estrup, who finished three shots behind Humphreys despite carding one better score over the last six holes… “We both had chances but luck was not on my side today.”