Golf: Putter carries Brooky to win

New Zealand's Lynnette Brooky has become the first player in four years to retain a women's European Tour title with her successful defence of the French Open at Arras yesterday.

Brooky held off England's Trish Johnson and Norway's Vibeke Stensrud on a dramatic final day at the €275,000 ($561,000) tournament.

Not since American Sherri Steinhauer defended the British Open title in 1999 has a golfer on the women's European Tour managed the feat.

The 35-year-old from Wellington closed with a final round five-under-par 67 to finish on 14 under par, one shot clear of her playing partners to claim the $84,250 first prize.

Johnson rattled in six birdies during her 67, but a penalty drop at the 13th hole ultimately cost her the title. Stensrud birdied the final hole for a 68 to jump into a tie with the Englishwoman.

Starting the day one clear, Brooky birdied the first, and added others at the fourth, sixth and seventh to turn in 32.

Johnson tied for the lead with a birdie at the 10th, but Brooky snatched it back at the next. Stensrud looked out of contention after a bogey at the 11th and when Johnson was forced to take a penalty drop at the 13th, Brooky birdied to open a three-shot lead.

But at the short 14th hole, Johnson and Stensrud both birdied while Brooky bogeyed. And at the next, Brooky scraped a par from the greenside bunker by holing a curling 2.5m putt.

With the lead down to one, Brooky continued to show resilience and the Englishwoman left short her birdie putt at the final hole.

"We had a great battle all day between the three of us and it's great to win the title again," said Brooky.

"I couldn't sink any putts [in the third round], but I had 10 minutes on the putting green last night and it was rolling beautifully, so I left it.

"Today, I made some crucial putts down the last few holes to hold on."

Waikato's Gina Scott shot a final- round 76 to finish with a total of 289, 15 shots behind Brooky.

* Australia's Rachel Teske won her second LPGA title in as many weeks yesterday, capturing the Rochester tournament by four strokes over Mexican rookie Lorena Ochoa at Pittsford, New York.

Teske, who also won back-to-back events in 1999, became just the third player since August 1996 to win consecutive events on the LPGA Tour twice, joining Sweden's Annika Sorenstam and South Korea's Se Ri Pak.

Teske fired a four-under par 68 to finish at 11-under 277.

The 31-year-old Australian won $US180,000 ($312,000) and jumped from 10th to fourth on the LPGA money list with more than $US471,000.

- NZPA