Hendriksen Finishes Year In Style

Laura Hendriksen sealed her third Order of Merit title when she triumphed in the final WPGA One Day Series event of the year at Little Aston Golf Club.

Hendriksen, representing Torquay's Palace Hotel, topped the leaderboard at the Birmingham venue by just one shot after carding a one-under-par round of 73.

That put her ahead of Mid Sussex Golf Club's Hayleigh Wigmore who carded a level par round of 74.

In terms of the Order of Merit, Hendriksen's victory was enough to keep her ahead of Suzanne Dickens, of Peterborough's Thorpe Wood Golf Course, who did not play at Little Aston.

Another contender, Wessex Golf Centre's Fern Grimshaw, was ruled out with an ankle injury.

Wigmore's display was enough to earn her third place in the WPGA Order of Merit but it was Hendriksen's title - to add the ones she won in 2007 and 2009 under her maiden name of Eastwood.

Hendriksen had taken a break from competitive golf to get married but returned in style winning three of the seven events - including the first two of the year - before finishing with a flourish.

"It was my aim to win the Order of Merit, but I didn't expect to start as well as I did," she said.

"That meant I was expecting a bit more of myself but then I got a new job at the Palace Hotel which meant re-assessing things and I didn't get to practise as much.

"And I didn't play so well after those first two wins but things settled down, and I worked on my short game and was able to win at Little Aston.

"I'm really chuffed with the way things turned out."

Hendriksen holds the course record at Little Aston and admitted she was comfortable with the course but admitted thinking a bogey at the 18th might prove expensive.

"When I bogeyed the 18th I thought that might have cost me but I found out I'd just done enough so I'm delighted to win a third Order of Merit title," she added.