“This was more stressful than last year as the chasing pack really made me work for it,” Rusbridge said, after a 69 on the celebrated Portuguese layout. “This has been a tough year for me, to be honest. I won in France, but this has been a learning season for me in many respects.
“So to cap it off with this trophy makes it so satisfying. I know I said before that I’d like to win it three times in a row, but I didn’t know that hasn’t been done before. It feels more realistic after this. I’m still on track and haven’t failed yet!”
In the girls event, Lauren Crump, the highly rated 17-year-old, enjoyed an even bigger margin of victory, by recording a four-under total over the 54 holes, with a final-round 71. That gave the Shropshire starlet a six-shot success over fellow English golfer Zoe McLean-Tattan.
