Nocera Braves Strong Winds; Wins NZ Women’s Open

Christchurch, New Zealand – It seemed the classic, “man versus nature” plot that we have read time and again in stories that inspire: the golfer hits the green despite the strong winds, takes a powerful swing, and thus begins to astound the audience with an amazing round of golf.. A flimsy plot perhaps, but then totally real: the golfer is European No.1 Gwladys Nocera, and the event is the New Zealand Women’s Open.

Frenchwoman Nocera braved strong winds Sunday to win the top spot, shooting a closing round of 3-under 69, and winning the event by six shots. She went well ahead of competitors Bobea Park (Korea), Katherine Hull, Nikki Garrett and Sarah Kemp (Australia).

The strong southern winds proved to be a relentless enemy of other players, like Sarah Oh (Australia) who lead the pack with an 8-over 80 card the previous day only to drop to sixth place by Sunday. For most players then, the plot had a discouraging ending; Nocera’s story, however, ends in an entirely different manner; she easily coped with the demanding conditions, even saying that, “I like the wind, I enjoy it blowing because it pushes me to play even better.” The strong winds even worked to Nocera’s advantage, keeping her on her toes during the game; “sometimes I play too easy and make stupid mistakes and it (wind) makes me concentrate,” she explained.