January 21, 2017: Carrie Park stood head and shoulders above the field to clinch a comfortable victory. The Korean needed to make just an even par 72 on Saturday to claim the title. Kiran Matharu played with resilience to finish in a tie for second with Ashleigh Buhai.
Park earned a comfortable five shot victory with an overall score of 7-under 209. Carrie did all her work in the first two rounds when she made 69 and 68.
Kiran ensured that she would finish near the top with a stellar fightback on Friday. After being four over through the eleventh hole, Kiran made four birdies in the second round to finish even for the day.
The British woman of Indian heritage was in trouble early on in the final round. Kiran was rocked by couple of bogeys in the first five holes before steadying her boat. Another bogey at the 14th hole was sandwiched between birdies at 12 & 17 for a 73.
Ashleigh Buhai had an opportunity to chase down Carrie Park, but four bogeys in the first twelve holes hurt her chances. The South African signed on a 75 in the final round. She had scores of 69 and 70 in the first two rounds.
Nicole Garcia was in a strong position after scoring 69 and 72 in the opening two rounds. But a final round 74 meant that she had to settle for a fourth place finish.
Kim Williams and Lee-Anne Pace tied for fifth with an overall score of 216. It was a painful final round for Pace, who slipped from four under overnight to even by the end of the day. Kim made a steady 72 in the final round compared to the 76 from Pace.
Francesca Cuturi (217), Stacy Bregman (218), Bertine Strauss (218) and Tandi Von Ruben (219) rounded off the top ten. The SA Women’s Masters was played at the picturesque Rondebosch Golf Club just outside Cape Town.
