GOLF: Ellis hoping for a healthy Chinese takeaway (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Minchinhampton golfer looking for big finish in Chinese tournament

6:00pm Wednesday 31st October 2012 in Sport By Danny Hall, Sports Editor

CHARLOTTE ELLIS had her enterprise rewarded when she made the cut after a late call-up to play in the China Suzhou Taihu Open, near Shanghai over the weekend.

Charlotte, the Minchinhampton Golf Club member in her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour, organised a visa and a flight and took the risk of flying out to China, even though she was only first reserve to play.

But on arrival at the Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club, she found that Line Vedel, the Slovak Ladies Open champion from Denmark, had withdrawn and so she got to tee up in the prestigious three-round tournament.

Charlotte travelled out with her friend Sahra Hassan of Bridgend, who was playing in the tournament through her membership of the Ladies Asian Golf Tour.

Ellis and Hassan both shot opening rounds of 75 and 74 and Charlotte made a birdie on the 18th hole of her second round to beat the cut by one shot.

Unfortunately, she had a disappointing final round of 77 which left her among the backmarkers, while the tournament provided a second win this season for Order of Merit leader Carlota Ciganda.

The Spanish girl’s 17-under par total routed the field by seven shots and included a last round of 64.

Ellis needs two good finishes in the last three tournaments of the season to make the top 85 in the money list which would see her retain a place on the European Tour in 2013. She currently lies in 125th spot.

Ellis, a former English amateur international, will be hoping for better luck when she lines up in the Sanya Ladies’ Open at the Yalong Bay Golf Club in China which starts on Friday.