Georgia Hall carded a one-under 71 on Sunday at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club to secure a five-shot victory
Sunday 20 March 2022 14:59, UK
England's Georgia Hall cruised to an emphatic five-shot victory at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on Sunday.
The 25-year-old, who boasted a five-shot advantage heading into Sunday's final round, carded a one-under 71 at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club to clinch the coveted European Tour title.
Hall made a blistering start to the final round with three birdies in her opening four holes, and with the chasing pack floundering, she extended her lead to eight shots heading into the back nine.
The 2018 AIG Women's Open champion registered back-to-back bogeys in the closing stages, but she recovered with a birdie at the par-four 17th, eventually finishing 11 under - five clear of Kristyna Napoleaova and Johanna Gustavsson.
"To lead all week is very special, and I think the first round was very important for me. I played incredibly in that round and it really set me up for the rest of the week," an emotional Hall told Sky Sports.
"Sometimes it is not always easy with a five-shot lead into the last day. It puts a little bit more pressure on you, but I was really happy with the way I conducted myself today."
Hall suffered heartbreak at this tournament in 2020, but having led from the outset, she wasn't to be denied on this occasion.
Napoleaova shot successive birdies to reduce the deficit to four shots with two to play, but a brilliant birdie from Hall at the 17th eased any fears of a dramatic turnaround.
"It is fantastic to win. We're in March, it is quite early in the season, and I love this place, I love the golf course. I was just really proud of the way I played today," she added.
Napoleaova, who only took up golf after seeing her decorated football career cut short through injury, shot a two-under 70 to finish six under alongside Gustavsson, with the Swede sinking a superb birdie putt at the 18th to tie for second.
Emily Kristine Pedersen- the 2020 champion - began the day at level-par, but struck six birdies to finish on five under, just ahead of her Ryder Cup counterpart Carlota Ciganda.
Three-time major champion Anna Nordqvist led the chasing pack heading into Sunday's finale, but she was unable to make any inroads, failing to register a birdie in her final round of 74.
The Swede was tied in sixth with Australia's Stephanie Kyriacou and America's Kelly Whaley, who carded a course-equalling 63 following an astonishing sequence of eight consecutive birdies.
