Czech Mate!

Fueled by a final-round six-under (66), Ladies European Tour professional and KPMG brand ambassador Klara Spilkova claimed victory at the Lalla Meryem Cup!  The win, her first as a professional, marks the first time in history that a player from the Czech Republic has won on the Ladies European Tour.

“I can’t believe it,” Spilkova said.  “It’s just great. I’ve been really relaxed this week, and I still feel really relaxed.”

Spilkova’s run to the top of the leaderboard began with a birdie on the Par-4 5th, and followed up with birdies on 6 & 8 to make the turn at -5.  After a birdie on 10 brought her to -6 and one off the lead, Spilkova took the outright lead with back-to-back birdies on 13 & 14 and held on by recording pars on the final four holes.  Two-time major winner Suzann Pettersen chased Spilkova throughout the final round, but her birdie putt to force a playoff on 18 came up short, giving Spilkova the title.

“I kept the hope alive with a birdie on 17, but when you shoot 66 on Sunday you should be there to win the tournament, so credit to Spilkova,” Pettersen said.

The victory was a long time coming for Spilkova, who had competed in over 90 LET events since turning pro in 2010 at age 16.  With the win, Spilkova now sits atop the LET Order of Merit rankings and moves into 10th position in the European Solheim Cup standings with 43.5 points.

On behalf of everyone at KPMG, congratulations Klara and continued success throughout the 2017 season!