Golf: First class Fairclough

BRITAIN'S Lora Fairclough completed a closing round of 70 to achieve her first European Tour victory in the IBM Open here yesterday, writes John Bolton from Stockholm.

Fairclough, 23, from Lancashire, collected a pounds 15,000 prize when her 12-under-par aggregate of 280 left her five strokes clear of Australian Corinne Dibnah with Sweden's Carin Hjalmarsson one stroke further behind.

Eight days earlier, Fairclough had been disqualified after signing for a wrong score in the second round of the British Open. 'It made me get my act together and it now feels so good to win.' she said.

In 72 holes, Fairclough only exceeded par three times and from the 12th hole in the first round started an amazing run of 41 consecutive holes without a bogey.

It was in Saturday's third round of 67 that Fairclough broke loose, with a staggering six birdies in a row from the eighth, where she holed a putt of 12 feet for her two.

IBM SWEDISH WOMEN'S OPEN (Haninge, Stockholm) Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 280 L Fairclough 72 71 67 70. 285 C Dibnah (Aus) 72 73 70 70. 286 C Hjalmarsson (Swe) 72 71 71 72. 287 A Sorenstam (Swe) 75 74 71 67; J Geddes (US) 73 74 71 69, K Lunn (Aus) 75 68 71 73. 288 T Johnson 73 73 72 70. 289 M Hageman (Neth) 77 73 66 73. 290 L Davies 74 74 68 74. 291 H Alfredsson (Swe) 74 76 71 70; C Nilsmark 77 69 72 73; S Moon (US) 74 70 73 74. 292 A Gottmo (Swe) 72 72 74 74; A Nicholas 75 71 71 75; M Lunn (Aus) 74 71 71 76. 293 S Gronberg (Swe) 72 80 72 69; M Spencer-Devlin (US) 72 75 75 71; L Neumann (Swe) 74 73 71 75. 294 K Espinasse (Fr) 77 73 71 73. 295 A Shapcott 74 73 74 74; H Wadsworth 75 73 71 76. Other British scores: 297 S Prosser 77 74 71 75.