The Colombian Mariajo Uribe and the Spanish Marta Martín have experienced the best week of their respective professional careers in Australia. The former, at 34 years old, has won her first tournament valid for the world ranking. The latter has by far signed her best result by finishing in third position.
This happened on Sunday at the NSW Open, a test co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the Australian circuit that was held at the imposing Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club, in New South Wales, east coast of the oceanic giant.
17 years ago, when Uribe won the US Amateur without having yet reached the age of majority, no one imagined that her first professional victory would take so long to arrive. She was considered almost a child prodigy, to the point that in 2006, at only 16 years old, she had already played a US Open. But we already know that the designs of golf can be inscrutable.
It is true that in 2011 she won the HSBC Brazil Cup, although it was not an official tournament, but a reduced field exhibition with, yes, some of the best in the world, to promote golf in Brazilian lands before the 2016 Olympic Games. In any case, Uribe’s career has not been by far what was expected of her, although we will have to see if today’s triumph in Australia does not serve as a catapult to achieve the results that resisted her in the past.
It has not been an easy triumph for the golfer from Bucaramanga, who has played this week with an invitation from the Australian circuit, despite the four-stroke advantage with which she started on Sunday. In fact, at hole 9, she had already stopped being the sole leader after signing a par partial against the four under of the English Bronte Law. Both were tied at less -12 with nine holes to go.
The matter got even worse for the Colombian three holes later. Two birdies at holes 11 and 12 of Law gave her a two-stroke advantage with the last third remaining. It gave the impression that the tables had been turned and that the victory already had an Anglo-Saxon accent. But there would still be one last twist…
Once already in the lead, in a new demonstration of how the leadership weighs, the British golfer, Solheim Cup player who exudes grit, stumbled twice. Another turn of the tables. Two bogeys from Law on 13 and 14 and a birdie from Uribe on this second hole, returned the lead to the Colombian. She would not lose it, although the end was very exciting, with a vibrant exchange of strokes. Bogey from Uribe on 15 and tie at the top. Birdie from Uribe on 16 and one up. Birdie from Law on 17 and tie. Final birdie from Uribe on 18 and victory for Colombia. Beautiful duel.
A magic moment for @MariaJoUribe 🏆#RaiseOurGame | #NSWOpen pic.twitter.com/dKygv5BZT3
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) March 31, 2024
Unaware of this duel, although immersed in her own battle, the Spanish Marta Martín (-9) started in Australia the best result of her career. She has been third alone, surpassing the tenth place she achieved at the Italian Open in 2021. The Madrid native, who regained the LET card at the last school, thus confirms that she is in the best moment of her professional life, giving continuity to her good feelings from last year on the LET Access, when she achieved her first victory.
Martín has received the best cheque of her career, never added so many points in the world ranking and is placed sixteenth in the Race to Costa del Sol, her best position ever. With the points she has already accumulated, she almost certainly has a place among the top 100 at the end of the year and, therefore, a category for next year on the LET. It’s her big week.
Marta handed in a 70-stroke card this Sunday, with five birdies and three bogeys. She has had the ability to react with a birdie after each bogey, showing very valuable composure. It is definitely a step forward in her career, a great result and a brilliant performance on which to build in the future.
To the great result of the Madrid player, we must add the final round of Teresa Toscano (-6). The golfer from Huelva has handed in a 67-stroke card, the best this Sunday at Magenta Shores. She has made a huge leap in the classification, placing herself in eighth place. It is her second top 10 of the year on the Ladies European Tour and her best result ever. She made seven birdies and two bogeys, with a sensational display from tee to green. Another big week.
In addition, to round off the great performance of the Armada in the antipodes, Luna Sobrón (-3) and María Hernández (-2) have finished in the top 25 with rounds of 74 and 75 strokes.
