Despite being docked a stroke for slow play, teary-eyed Italian golfer Giulia Sergas has taken a stranglehold on the €200,000 ($360,000) New Zealand Women's Open.
The 31-year-old has her championship rivals by the jugular after opening up a four-shot buffer on her closest pursuer, defending champion Laura Davies, entering today'sclosing round here at Pegasus in Christchurch.
Sergas posted a two-under-par 70 in the third round after getting the better of the conditions as a southwesterly wind eased after buffeting the morning starters.
That left her at 13-under 203 after 54 holes, with English great Davies at 207 after signing for a 69 which included a birdie four at the last.
The leading New Zealander, tied for eighth at six-under 210, is Auckland wonderkid Lydia Ko, a 13-year-old amateur who shot an even-par 72 after three-putting the last from 15 feet to shell a stroke.
Between Davies and Ko are Sweden's Linda Wessberg, who is third equal on 208 managing a 71. Joining her on that number are West Australian Kristie Smith, who shot 73, and Norwegian Cecilie Lundgreen and Italian Diana Luna, both of whom compiled the day's equal-best effort of 67,
American Tiffany Joh bounded up the leaderboard with another 67 to be in seventh alongside You-Na Park, a Korean who joined Ko on 210 by shooting 70.
Caroline Bon, a former New Zealand amateur team-mate of Ko's, is the second local on the board after her round of 70 left her sharing 10th place at five under.
The real drama occurred between the 18th green and the scorer's hut when Sergas, an 11-year tour veteran and still without a European title to her name, was called aside by officials and told she was being penalised one stroke for slow play down the 18th hole.
Within 20 minutes a teary-eyed Sergas fronted a media conference and spoke of her dismay at the treatment handed out to her.
She was already trying to get her head around the fact that circumstances and a variety of play among a number of players had seen her lead slashed to four after she led the chasing pack by eight shots leaving the 16th green.
"They said I was a little too slow. It could've been," Sergas said. "I play really, really fast. It was upsetting because I got penalised for just one hole that went bad for me. I am really upset about it and the decision." NZPA
