Kirsten Rudgeley (-13) remains in command of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open of Spain with 18 holes to go. The 22-year-old Australian golfer has never been in such a situation. She faces the most important Sunday of her career and it is inevitable to wonder if she will be able to hold on. It won’t be easy. She has a two-stroke lead, but the cream of the world ranking has positioned itself in her wake at Las Brisas.
Let’s take roll call: Aditi Ashok (-11), Anne Van Dam (-11), Celine Boutier (-9) and Linn Grant (-8). They are all within a five-stroke range, so the unwritten law of golf indicates that they have a chance to win tomorrow. Boutier is the world’s Number 3, Grant is at Number 18, Ashok is at Number 59 and Van Dam is Number 84. The only one missing is Carlota Ciganda (-6), Number 31, although the Navarrese is not lost in the ranking, far from it. She is in twelfth place and could also have a chance this Sunday, although everything would go through a dizzying round. She would probably need a scorecard of 64 strokes to have any chance. It’s hard to imagine a winner below -14.
Rudgeley turned professional last year after a quite notable amateur career. She reached Number 24 in the world ranking and proved that she knows how to win. She won three times at the Western Amateur in Australia and also won the English Amateur Women Championship. These are the brightest victories of the ten she achieved. She even managed to win as an amateur a professional tournament on the Australian circuit, the Athenea Golf Challenge, defeating in the playoff a player who is now a winner on the LPGA Tour like Grace Kim.
The world number 3 with a stunning eagle 3 🦅 #RaiseOurGame | #OpenDeEspaña pic.twitter.com/kogvyMLNNm
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 25, 2023
In other words, Rudgeley will have to withstand this Sunday a pressure never known before, she has never been in such a situation, but she has already given some clues that she can become a great golfer. Who knows if this Sunday in Marbella will be when she finally breaks out. She is certainly showing a bomb-proof solidity. Beyond her scorecards of 66, 69 and 68 strokes, it should be noted that she has made only one bogey in 54 holes. Today she played in the star match and beat Anne Lise Caudal (-7) and Ana Peláez (-9).
We wrote yesterday precisely about Van Dam. We tried to find explanations for why her record is not up to the power of her game. Today she has shown it again. Best round of the day, 65 strokes, with seven birdies and no bogey. She has moved up to second place and, obviously, emerges as the big favourite to win the tournament, which would be her third Open of Spain.
In any case, Boutier (-9) should not be overlooked, who continues to show that she does not need to do anything spectacular to make low rounds, nor Linn Grant (-8), who has had two discreet days, but who is very used to making very low rounds when she needs it. It’s a high-flying Sunday at Las Brisas, with Rudgeley’s story against the world.
