Coakley completes great double with strokeplay victory

REBECCA COAKLEY, an Australian of Carlow parents, completed a great golf double as she added the Waterford Crystal sponsored Irish Ladies Open Strokeplay title to her Irish Close Matchplay crown at Dundalk yesterday.

The 21-year-old, impressive winner of the matchplay event at Cork GC a month ago, led well early but in the end only shaded it on countback over the final 36 holes from Curtis Cup reserve Martina Gillen from Beaverstown.

Coakley had put everybody in the shade yesterday morning with a magnificent eight under par 65 to shoot to the top of the leaderboard but Gillen, a former winner of the Irish Examiner national junior sport star award, hit back with a 72 to tie the Carlow player on 214 for the three rounds.

It then went to countback and Coakley’s 140 (65/75) earned her the title by a stroke.

Yesterday morning’s round was the main topic of conversation, however, as Coakley compiled that wonder 65 round. She was out in 31 and back in 34 with her card showing six birdies and an eagle.

Dane Ann Larson closed with two 70s to finish third on 216 two strokes adrift with the holder Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) next on 222.

Cork’s Gillian O’Leary improved to finish joint fifth on 224 along with Lynn Kenny (University of Stirling) followed by Tricia Mangan of Ennis and Marion Riordan, Tipperary.