England’s Meghan MacLaren and rookie Caley McGinty tied for second at nine under par at the Australian Women’s Classic on the Ladies European Tour.
Australia’s Kelsey Bennett won, finishing 13 under, after entering the final round with a one-shot lead. The field faced difficult conditions on the Central Coast in the final round, with wind and rain leaving just three players under par on Sunday.
Bennett said it was her biggest win to date and praised McGinty for keeping the pressure on, adding that back-to-back birdies late in her round helped seal the victory. She admitted to feeling a little shaky over the final putt.
The top three played together in the last group. McGinty started strongly with birdies on the first and third holes, and Bennett birdied the third and fifth. Bennett then dropped three straight bogeys at six, seven and eight, while McGinty conceded her first bogey in 96 holes at the sixth and added another at the eighth.
MacLaren was level par until the sixth, then had a bogey and a double bogey at eight before replying with a birdie at nine. Despite the testing conditions, Bennett produced three more birdies down the stretch to win on home soil.
McGinty’s runner-up finish moves her to the top of the Rookie of the Year standings. 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.