A storming finish at Golfpark Holzhäusern saw Tvesa Malik finish in a tie at the Swiss Ladies Open before going down in the playoff to England’s Alice Hewson on Sunday. Image courtesy LET.
By Rahul Banerji
Tvesa Malik took her best finish on the Ladies European Tour with second place at the Swiss Ladies Open at Rotkreuz on Sunday, but it came with a bit of heartbreak.
With her game on point, Tvesa poured in three birdies and an eagle over the final four holes to catch Alice Hewson (65) at the top of the leaderboard on 11 under par 202 with a 5 under 66.
In the first playoff hole, the Englishwoman sank a clutch birdie to shade the battling Indian for her second Ladies European Tour title though Tvesa had the consolation of recording her best finish on tour.
The result also saw the 28-year-old Gurgaon-based player climb to 31st on the LET’s Order of Merit from 76th at the start of the event while Hewson rose to fifth place.
It also earned Tvesa earns a spot at next week’s Aramco Team Series – London event.
“I’m a little bit lost for words really,” Hewson said on the LET website after her first win since the Investec South African Women’s Open in 2020.
“Huge congrats to Tvesa as well. It was an unreal finish from her today and an honour being out there with her in the playoff. It feels a bit surreal. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this situation.”
Hot streak
From holes 15 to 18, Tvesa’s scoring sequence read birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie and she matched Hewson’s chip-in eagle from the bunker on the 17th before picking up that one last shot to set up the playoff.
The playoff came after a round full of drama at Golfpark Holzhäusern as 23 players were within three shots of the lead with nine holes to go.
Hewson – three behind overnight leader Fatima Fernandez Cano of Spain – had made just one birdie on the front nine before coming alive on the closing stretch with birdies on 12 and 15.
On the par-5 17th, Hewson dunked her bunker shot for eagle to tie at the top on 10 under with Lauren Walsh before picking up one last shot for the clubhouse lead.
Malik the pick of those in chase, repeating Hewson’s feat by pitching in from the bunker for eagle on 17 and sinking a medium length putt on 18 to reach 11 under par as well.
After Fernandez Cano was unable to covert her chip on 18 to join the pair, it was back to the tee for the playoff. Malik saw her approach miss the green which Hewson found before converting the birdie to seal the win.
“I was patient all day,” Hewson said. “I had given myself so many opportunities. So to see a couple drop coming in was nice.
“I didn’t see a leaderboard until the 16th green. I thought time to go birdie-birdie and then I got away with one on 17 with the slam dunk from the bunker!
“There were times when the belief was definitely missing. I went through a bit of a rough patch two-and-a-bit years ago. So to be back here winning today, I’m very grateful.”
Fernandez Cano finished in a tie for third on 10-under par alongside Walsh while Sweden’s Moa Folke and Spain’s Maria Hernandez were T5 on 8 under 205.
Tied for fourth overnight alongside Tvesa, Vani Kapoor had a disappointing final 3 over 74 to finish in a tie for 34th place while Ridhima Dilawari was T62.
Also read: Tvesa and Vani tied for fourth place at Swiss Ladies Open golf
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