21 Sep 2020 | Professional golf |
Kyriacou continues tour de force
by Mark Hayes
Steph Kyriacou continued her meteoric rise on the Ladies European Tour at the weekend, recording her third consecutive top-five finish.
The Sydneysider’s charge – she’ll be inside the top 200 when the world rankings are updated after being outside the top 1200 in early February – continued at the French Ladies Open.
Kyriacou put away a cold putting performance in the first of the three-round event to roar home with a pair of four-under-par 68s to finish fifth at the Golf du Medoc course near Bordeaux.
After making the cut in just her third tournament as a professional at the recent Women's Open at Troon, Kyriacou has been fifth in the Czech Republic and second in Switzerland before this weekend.
It has the St Michael’s member up to seventh in the LET’s Race to Costa Del Sol rankings, but already up to second in the rookie of the year standings, only four points behind leader Alice Hewson, of England.
These numbers come despite the fact that, as a non-member while still an amateur, Kyriacou’s win in the Australian Ladies Classic at Bonville in February doesn’t count towards either points race.
The 19-year-old will come home this week to ponder her next move, with only two LET events – Dubai and Spain – left on the 2020 schedule as it stands and neither until November.
“I thought they just picked the rookie of the year until this week, so yeah it would be nice to play good at the end of the year and win that,” Kyriacou said.
“I’m just not sure what I’m going to do yet … I’ve got a flight home and then will have to quarantine, so we’ll see after that.”
Kyriacou said adjusting to different greens in south-western France had been her biggest stumbling block this week in the event won by Women’s NSW Open champ Julia Engstrom, of Sweden, for her second LET win of the year.
“I missed a couple of short putts that I was angry about that, but that’s just golf,” Kyriacou said after she finished at three under, just four behind the Swede.
“I feel like I could have played so much better, but I’m really happy with the results.
“I’m practising hard, so it’s nice to be able to play well over here.”