Golfer from Berlin shows the style of a great champion

23-year-old Alexandra Försterling from Berlin won her first tournament on the Ladies European Tour, held at the Holzhäusern Golf Park over the weekend. The golfers from Zug were eliminated at an early stage.

Alexandra Försterling from Berliner only recently switched from amateur to professional, and played for a prize money cheque for the first time by Lake Zug, where she gained a strong fourth place on her professional debut. That was her best result so far at the Ladies European Tour Switzerland, until last weekend, when she played in Switzerland for the second time.

With three highly consistent rounds of 66 strokes each, she succeeded in keeping the competition at bay by two strokes or more at the 4th VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open, and, as per tradition, her colleagues from Germany celebrated her triumph with a champagne shower on the 18th green. Later, at the award ceremony, the tall German received the 7.7-kilogram wooden cow as a trophy and the winner's check for € 45,000. “It feels a bit strange. You work for this moment - and when it happens, it's incredible. I didn't know what it was like for a long time. It was only on the 18th that I realised I was at the top,” she said after her great success. “The competition was at a high level, and it was a tough fight. I wanted to concentrate on my game and give it my all. And I'm glad that it paid off."

Golfer Alexandra Försterlin received a 7.7 kilogram wooden cow as a trophy          Photo: Tristan Jones

Error-free until the end
Until a few holes before the end, the Frenchwoman Anne-Charlotte Mora was practically level with Alexandra Försterling, having started the tournament with a new course record of 62 strokes, and went into the decisive round tied for second place. Both were able to save an extremely tricky par on hole 14, the most difficult hole on the course, but, immediately afterwards, the Frenchwoman lost two strokes and her chance of winning, while her competitor played flawlessly until the end. What's more: in the style of a great champion, Alexandra Försterling played two birdies on the last two holes to win her first professional victory.

The ten Swiss women who were at the start were never able to make an impression on the leader board. Kim Métraux, who had finished the 2020 and 2021 tournaments in third place, ended this tournament in 22nd place, with results of 70, 69 and 71 strokes, or three under par. "My game was very solid from tee to green, I had very good distance control, but couldn't take advantage of my birdie chances on the last 27 holes," commented the 28th -year-old from French-speaking Switzerland. Nevertheless, she was very satisfied with her overall performance, she said after her “favourite tournament”. Vanessa Knecht was the only Swiss woman to reach the final, for the third time in a row. She finished the Swiss Ladies Open with a par round and 50th place, but still had reason to celebrate, she turned 26 yesterday.

Zug golfers did not qualify for the final
The two Zug residents Elena Moosmann and Sarah Uebelhart had an unplanned “free day” on Sunday, as they both missed their chance on the first day. ‘Proette’ Elena Moosmann returned to the clubhouse with 79 strokes, while her younger colleague recorded 78 strokes. "Unfortunately, the result didn't turn out the way I would have liked, but the focus this week was on gaining experience, because this was a completely new atmosphere for me," said 17-year-old Sarah Uebelhart, summing up her premiere at the highest European women's tour. “It was a mega experience to be able to be here, and I was able to gain a lot of valuable experience. The moment I walked onto the 18th green on Friday afternoon and the speaker said my name was unforgettable.”

Elena Moosmann improved by nine strokes in the second round and is building on that. “I'm very happy with the second day, I gave myself a lot of good chances. It was really nice to have so many fans who still supported me, even after the bad first day,” said the 21-year-old from Zug.

Elena Moosmann will change her role in the next few days. She is flying to the Solheim Cup in Spain as a spectator. “I hope to be able to learn something from the twelve best players in the USA and Europe,” she said after her early elimination.