The third Czech winner in less than a year on the Ladies European Tour is Kristýna Napoleaová! The twenty-seven-year-old native of Pelhřimov, who started golf only seven years ago and is playing just her third entirely professional season, won the Amundi German Masters in the playoff!
She defeated England’s Cara Gainer with a birdie on the first extra hole and won her first LET tournament with a score of -14 (68-66-69-71) just four days before the start of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. Meanwhile, she had to interrupt this season for a quarter of a year due to serious health problems before returning to the European series last month.
“When I realize that seven years ago I didn’t even hold a club in my hands, it’s a beautiful feeling,” Napoleová said after the tournament of a lifetime at the Sedinner See course near Berlin. She was sharing the fifth place at 4-under par after the first round. She matched the best score of her short career in the second round and was second to Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson with a minus-10. She played the last two rounds in the final flights each time.
A third round of 3-under par meant a shared 1st place with Gainer. Even though Kristýna started the final round with two bogeys on the first three holes, she didn’t give up. She was back in the fight for the title with birdies on the par-three five and the par-four eight. Although a bogey on the par-four tenth was still to come, an eagle on the par-five thirteenth sent her into an independent lead, which she held until the last hole with the support of a birdie on the par-five sixteenth. She then had a bogey on it, which meant a playoff.
There, on a repeat of eighteen, after a par by Gainer, Napolea made a birdie putt to become the third Czech winner on the Ladies European Tour in less than a year, after Jana Melichová (Tipsport Czech Ladies Open) and second-time in the series winner of Klara Spilkova (Irish Open). Of the total prize of €300,000, €45,000 belongs to the new champion.
“I struggled with my shots and irons and had to save myself. Luckily, my putter held me up, and I’m glad that my health is finally holding up as well,” added Napolea, who had to miss several tournaments at this stage of the season a year ago due to a rib injury.
The experienced caddie Jan Brumlich, with whom Kristýna Napoleaová played for the first time, also played a big part in her success. “I called him to see if he was available,” the winner revealed before the German tournament. Immediately afterward, she asked the caddie, in front of the LET cameras: “Do you have time for Beroun next week?”
The new winner left behind the entire Ladies European Tour elite with many players with multiple tournament titles. So now with the best feeling, she will arrive at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, which starts on Friday, 23rd of June.
Before the peak of the ladies’ golf season, two other Czech pros made the cut in Germany. Klára Davidson Spilková played her best round of 66 (-6) to share 35th place overall with a par. Sara Kousková (+4) finished in a tie for 53rd place. Jana Melichová the defender of the champion title in the upcoming tournament, did not make the cut. However, spectators may see her along with Tereza Malecka, Tereza Koželuhová, and other top Czech players in the Royal Beroun Golf Club, which O2 TV Sport will broadcast. Czech women’s golf is at an unprecedented peak, and tournament golf is now waiting for it in its home environment.