Czech professionals Klára Davidson Spilková and Jana Melichová competed in the US$ 5 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund and both made it through to the final rounds. Davidson Spilková tied for 40th place, Melichová tied for 53rd.
It was another successful week for the Czech representatives on the Ladies European Tour, where both Klára Davidson Spilková and Jana Melichová made it to the final rounds in tough competition at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund.
The better finisher in the US$ 5 million tournament was Klára Davidson Spilková, who began her season at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia with a par 72 for a final score of -5 and a tie for 40th.
“I had a very good feeling about how I played. After a long tournament break, I’m very happy with my overall consistency and how I was able to prepare myself physically and game-wise for this season,” Davidson Spilková said after the tournament.
The long-time top Czech pro shot 69 (-3) in the opening round and was in the top 20 despite competition from the world’s best players.
On the second and third days of play, Davidson Spilková shot 71 (-1) and entered the final round tied for 31st.
Although Sunday’s 72 shots cost her several places on the leaderboard, the Czech golfer earned a record prize money of US$ 28,990.58 thanks to her 40th place finish.
Melichová, who secured her start thanks to a great Top 10 finish the previous week, took home a tied 53rd place from Saudi Arabia with a final score of even par.
The 25-year-old golfer, who triumphed at last year’s Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, entered the tournament with a 73 (+1), posted a par round on the second day and just made the cut by one shot. 63 players qualified with a score of +1 or better for the weekend.
Melichová’s third day of play didn’t go as she had hoped with 74 strokes (+2), but she managed to beat the course standard in the final round and with a round of 69 (-3) helped herself to a better finish and earnings of US$ 18,080.15.
“I took this tournament as a smaller major because the field was really great and I’m glad I made the cut and was able to compete against the best players this weekend,” Melichová commented.
She and Davidson Spilková are two of the three Czech ladies who have competed in majors in their careers, and Melichová learned from her début at the AIG Women’s Open last year.
“When I finished at the bottom at the AIG Women’s Open, it was very devastating and I asked myself when I would be able to compete with the world’s best. So this tournament has definitely given me more confidence,” admitted the top-ranked Czech Race to Costa del Sol.
The thrilling final round was won by New Zealander and world number one Lydia Ko, who finished on -21 overall after rounds of 64, 69, 66 and 68. The 2021 winner also earned a record-breaking check of US$ 701,385, which is the highest winning amount in the history of women’s golf outside of majors.
The Ladies European Tour is taking a week off before the season continues in South Africa. Klára Davidson Spilková, Jana Melichová, Sara Kousková and Tereza Melecká will compete in two tournaments called the Joburg Ladies Open (1-4 March) and Investec South African Women’s Open (8-11 March).
Source: Tomáš Přikryl (www.cgf.cz)