Coakley moving forward despite French miss

Rebecca Coakley came up short in her bid to become the first Irish winner on the Ladies European Tour.

Two strokes off the lead entering the final round of the Randstad Open de France Dames, she closed with a one over par 73 to finish five strokes behind winner Nicole Gergely on eight under par.

As Gregely (67) became the first Austrian to win on the LET, Coakley can console herself with the fact that her hard work is starting to pay off after securing her best finish on tour for more than two years.

A cheque for €7,740 brought the 28-year old's earnings to €27,381 this year and moved her to 51st in the money list on another positive weekend for the Irish.

Dubliner Hazel Kavanagh and rookie Tara Delaney shot rounds of 70 to share 15th place on five under.

Kavanagh recorded the best result of her career last week when she finished third in Austria while Delaney's finish was her best on the Ladies European Tour this season, moving her to 86th on the money list.