Tinning wins battle of the Scandinavians at Lackabane

A strictly Scandinavian affair was dominated ultimately by Denmark's Iben Tinning, who captured top prize of €24,750 in the Women's Irish Open at Lackabane, Killarney, yesterday. With a two-putt par on the 18th, she beat Suzann Pettersen of Norway in a sudden-death play-off for the title, writes Dermot Gilleece from Killarney

It represented a tournament breakthrough for Tinning in her seventh year as a professional. And apart from gaining honorary life membership of the host club, the context could hardly have been more appropriate, given the 28-year-old lost a play-off for this title to Sofie Gustavson at Ballyliffin in 1998.

Up to now, the golfing Tinnings have been more familiar through the achievements of her first cousin, Steen, who played here as a brilliant amateur and has since won the Wales Open on the European Tour. "That's a fantastic finishing hole," she said afterwards with feeling. "And this win is going to mean a great deal for women's golf in Denmark."

Third place was claimed by Sweden's Maria Boden, who had the bonus of a hole in one at the 153-yard eighth on the way to a final round of 70. Her precise five iron allowed the Swede to create a sequence of 5, 6, 1, 3 - bogey, bogey, hole-in-one, birdie - for the last four holes of her outward journey.

The graduate of Oklahoma State University, where she achieved considerable success as a collegiate player, claimed the further distinction of having a boy-friend whose parents own the only private lighthouse in Sweden. In the event, she seemed very much at home in the testing conditions - "The wind is like Oklahoma and the cold is like Sweden."

Ireland's faltering challenge almost came to a standstill on Saturday when the cut was made on 150 - six over par. By then, Suzie O'Brien was the only survivor from an original 11 challengers, most of whom were seriously out of their depth.

But O'Brien became a worthy representative, with a final round of 75 for an aggregate of 225 - nine over par. "Approaching the finishing holes, I was determined to get into single figures," she said afterwards. And she did it with birdies at the 17th and 18th.

This contrasted sharply with her experience there over the previous two days, especially for the treacherous 18th which had cost her three strokes. At the final attempt, she reduced the 472-yard 17th to two woods and a chip to eight feet from the right fringe for a birdie four.

Then, down the last, she hit a wonderfully-judged six-iron approach to within 15 feet of the pin, which was situated at the back of a long, slender green. And the putt went down for another heartening birdie. "Generally, I found the greens to be quite difficult, but I frequently compounded my problems through wrong clubbing," she admitted.

A tight finish was in prospect when Marine Monnet of France tied Tinning for the overnight lead on 141 - three under par - while Pettersen and England's Trish Johnson were only a stroke adrift in a share of third place. In the event, Johnson gradually drifted out of contention but Monnet's demise was dramatic in that she started the back nine 6, 7, 5 - double-bogey, double-bogey, bogey - hitting two balls in the water on the long 11th.

The weather, which had been rather mixed from the outset, turned decidedly hostile as the tournament moved towards its climax, with fresh winds accompanied by rain. And Pettersen, who captured the French Open as a rookie last season, seemed to be claiming a dominant position when taking the lead with a birdie on the long 17th.

Playing in the second-last three-ball of the day, she proceeded to squander her advantage by three-putting the last, where her first effort from 30 feet came to rest a full eight feet short of the target. Then, Tinning also birdied the 17th downwind.She, too, gave the stroke back on the 18th where she was bunkered front left and came out 25 feet short of the hole.

So they headed down the 18th again in a sudden-death play-off. As it happened, both of them reached the green in regulation but Pettersen three-putted once again, this time missing a second attempt from about five feet.

Tinning, on the other hand, putted up dead from closer range, to secure a long-awaited victory.

Meanwhile, David O'Neill, a director and chairman of promotions at Killarney GC, let it be known afterwards that the club are anxious to stage the Solheim Cup in 2007. But even at this stage, it is clear that they will face serious competition from Sweden.