Bennett prevails; MacLaren and McGinty share second

England’s Meghan MacLaren and rookie Caley McGinty finished tied for second at nine under at the Australian Women’s Classic on the Ladies European Tour, but it was Australia’s Kelsey Bennett who lifted the trophy, finishing on 13 under. Bennett began the final round with a one-shot lead and, despite testing Central Coast conditions of wind and rain that left only three players under par on Sunday, closed out the tournament on home soil.

The trio played together in the last group. McGinty started brightly with birdies at the first and third holes, while Bennett birdied the third and fifth. Trouble then arrived for both: Bennett dropped three straight bogeys at six, seven and eight, whereas McGinty suffered her first bogey in 96 holes at the sixth and added another at the eighth. MacLaren was even through the early holes but slipped with a bogey at six and a double at eight before replying with a birdie at nine.

Bennett steadied herself down the stretch, producing three more birdies late in the round that ultimately sealed the win. She described the victory as the biggest of her career so far, singled out McGinty for keeping pressure on, and admitted she felt a little shaky over the final putt.

McGinty’s runner-up finish moves her to the top of the Rookie of the Year standings, while MacLaren — a three-time LET winner — continued her comeback after regaining full status at Q-School in December. Coverage of the Ladies European Tour continues on Thursday, March 12, live on Sky Sports as the third of four sanctioned events with the WPGA Tour of Australasia takes place in Adelaide.