Olivia Mehaffey closed out her first competitive start in almost six months with a final-round 77, which saw the Belfast native finish the week in a tie for 48th place at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
Three bogeys and one birdie on her opening nine saw Mehaffey reach the midway point of her round at two-over for the day, and a double-bogey six at the 13th pushed her further back. A two at the par-3 17th was her only birdie on the closing nine, rounding off her week with a bogey-five on the final hole.
Scoring was difficult all week at Vipingo Golf Club, just north of Mombasa, with the firm ground making approach play and short game recovery particularly challenging.
India’s Aditi Ashok was a runaway winner, starting the final round with a six-stroke advantage, and though she’d post a closing 74 – the only time she failed to break par for the week – such was her lead that she still finished on an incredible score of -12, and cruised to a nine-stroke victory over England’s Alice Hewson and April Angurasaranee of Thailand.
Hewson’s 72 saw her leapfrog a number of competitors to draw alongside Angurasaranee, who carded a closing 77 to post -3.
Just four of the 62 players to make the cut finished the week under par.
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