Korda misses out on No 1 in Canada Grant wins fourth LET title

Paula Reto held off a late challenge from Nelly Korda to claim a maiden LPGA Tour title with a one-shot victory a the CP Women’s Open in Canada.

The South African carded back-to-back 67s over the weekend at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to end the week on 19 under and a shot clear of Korda and South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi.

Reto birdied two of her opening three holes and added three more in a four-hole stretch from the sixth to reach the turn in 30, with a bogey at the 14th and four pars along the closing stretch enough for her to become just the fourth South African winner on the LPGA Tour.

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“I’m really, really excited and just proud of myself for being able to stick through the shots and the routines,” Reto said. “Sometimes, I find that’s really hard to do, especially if you know you have only a few holes left.

“I was trying not to watch the leaderboard. I sort of knew where the girls in my group were, so I was just trying to make sure I stayed with them or maybe one or two ahead. That was the only thing I could control. You can’t do too much.”

Korda went birdie-eagle early in her back nine and cancelled out a bogey at the 14th with back-to-back birdies over next two holes, although was unable to find a birdie on the par-five last to take the contest to a play-off.

“I think I had a decent shot at it,” said Korda, who could have returned to world No 1 with a win. “I played good golf. Honestly, I’m just grateful that I am playing golf and I’m out here – I’m enjoying every second of it.”

Three-time champion Lydia Ko had a 63 to finish fourth at 17 under, while Carlota Ciganda was the highest-placed European involved as she claimed a share of 13th place.

Grant enjoys more LET success in Sweden

Linn Grant secured a fourth Ladies European Tour title of the season with a dramatic victory on home soil at the Didriksons Skafto Open in Sweden.

Grant birdied her final two holes to post a two-under 68 at Skafto Golf Club, seeing her end the week on 10 under and a shot clear of compatriot Lisa Pettersson.

The 23-year-old, the overnight co-leader, reached the turn two ahead but followed a three-putt double-bogey at the 11th by three-putting at the par-four 15th for another dropped shot.

Pettersson had set the clubhouse target after a final-round 66, only for Grant to make a close-range birdie at the 17th and get up and down from the sand at the last to pick up another shot and secure a one-shot win.

“It was exhausting, it was a rollercoaster today,” Grant said. “My short game was both really good and really bad today, I managed to hit some really bad ones first then saved them up for the end when I nearly holed two or three.”

Petterson mixed five birdies with two bogeys on the day to finish in solo second ahead of a five-way tie on eight under containing Race to Costa del Sol leader Maja Stark, Wales’ Becky Morgan and England’s Alice Hewson.