With her mom as her caddie, England’s Thalia Martin did her utmost to maintain her composure during a nerve-wrecking final round and was able to bag her maiden victory in the Absa Ladies Invitational at Royal Johannesburg on Saturday.
Martin closed with a one-under 71 to claim an emotional victory on 11 under par, paying tribute to her mother and holding back the tears at the thought of her father whom she lost after a long health battle in 2023.
Norway’s Madelene Stavnar double-bogeyed the 18th hole to finish tied second with Anne-Charlotte Mora from France and Scotland’s Laura Beveridge on nine under par.
This week’s Absa Ladies Invitational produced a number of firsts for Martin who scored her lowest professional round of seven-under-par 65 during the second round after which she led a tournament for the first time in her professional career going into Saturday’s final round.
Martin had a comfortable four-stroke lead over the rest of the field over the closing holes but then bogeyed both the 17th and 18th holes as she battled her nerves.
“I tried to keep everything the same as I have done for the last two days, but I have to admit, nerves did come into play going into hole 16,” she said. “But I just tried to stick to my game plan. Sometimes it didn’t work but I am just glad that I kept calm throughout.”
Celebrating her first victory since turning professional in 2021, Martin said that she had high hopes for the future.
“It’s a new experience but hopefully there will be more to come. The first win is always a special one and having my mom on the bag with me makes it even more special. And also having my friends with me on Tour to share the moment, is good.”
This victory guarantees Martin a place in next week’s Joburg Ladies Open, co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour. The 72-hole tournament tees off on 3 April at Modderfontein Golf Club with total prize money of close to R6-million.
Photo: Sunshine Ladies Tour
