Musselburgh rookie Vikki Laing had her best finish as a rookie on the Ladies’ European Tour with a tie for 23rd place in the Randstad French Women’s Open at Arras.  With a closing 70,  she was the top Scot and it was a sixth top 30 finish in her first season in Europe.  

Laing, who became the first Scot to win on the US Furuess Tour in 2007, finished on two under par, which was one better than fellow-Scot Krystle Caithness, who also closed with a 70, but 11 shots behind the 13 under par total posted by the champion, Nicole Gergely. 

Gergely had six birdies in a great final round of five under par 67, and it was a first European Tour title for the 25-year-old Austrian. She won by two shots from Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom, who shot 69, while the Welsh Solheim Cup player, Becky Brewerton (70), and German Anje Monke (71) shared third place on ten under par. 

Laing is currently 61st on the LET Order of Merit and well on hr way to retaining her card for next year.  She had half a dozen birdies in her first 16 holes in the final round, and would have finished even higher if she hadn’t dropped shots at the final two holes.

St Regulus’s  Caithness, a 20-year-old rookie, remains the leading Scot on the Tour this year at No.38 on the ranking list, and she had four birdies in her final round, including three in a row from the fourth.  

Another Scottish rookie, Ayrshire’s Pamela Feggans, made the cut, but finished well down the field on 13 over par after weekend rounds of 80 and 74.