Maria Parra wins Portuguese International Ladies Title

Maria Parra won the most important title of her amateur career Saturday at the Portuguese International Women's Amateur Championship.

The No. 1 ranked European started the day with a three stroke lead and extended that lead to nine, with the Swiss golfer Albane Valenzuela finishing in second.

Parra's tournament total of 17-under par at Montado Hotel & Golf Resort in Palmela, "is a new tournament record for 72 holes," said the national technical director and tournament director of FPG, John Coutinho.

The 17-year old Parra posted rounds of 66, 68, 69 and 68, smashing the previous record belonging to the Irish Leona Maguire with 14-under par in 2011, at the Country Club of Aroeira.

The win was a double triumph, as the team of the Royal Spanish Federation of Golf also triumphed in the Nations Cup, with 565 (11-under Par), leaving Italy in 2nd place, a distant 10 strokes back.

"The truth is that this field pleases me greatly, there have been many victories Spanish girls here and I believe that since last year I improved a lot," said Parra.

"This is my best moment in golf and so I will try to turn professional this year," she added, after acknowledging that entered the last round made her "somewhat nervous."

Still, she managed to control herself and for a second day was bogey-free with four birdies. Parra's final round 68 (-4) tied for low on the last day, along with the Olivia Mehaffey of Ireland, who finished in 4th place (-1). At the end of 72 holes, only the top-5 was able to beat the par of the track designed by Jorge Santana da Silva.

-- story courtesy Portuguese Golf Federation