LADIES: Louise Friberg exclusive

THE saying 'good things come to those who wait' has rarely been more apt than for Louise Friberg at the conclusion of the MasterCard Classic in March.

The Swede went into the last round so far behind the leaders that she was in the eighth-last group in the field.

So, after finishing a scintillating round of 65 which set the tournament record low and also tied her personal best, she had to wait. And wait. And wait.

For over two hours the Helsingborg-born player waited. Players who had started the day ahead of came in one by one, and none of them had surpassed Friberg's total.

Her biggest threat remained in the last group, another former ladies European Tour player, Yani Tseng. The Thailand star had entered the day nine shots ahead of Friberg but closed with a 74 to finish a stroke behind in second.

Tseng is also a rookie on the LPGA Tour this season and can be pleased with her performance in Mexico. However, the glory went to Friberg, the first rookie to win on the LPGA since since Julieta Granada won the 2006 ADT Championship.

She started the round tied for 22nd at one-over-par but carded a near-perfect round with six birdies, one eagle ­ on the par-five, 12th hole ­ and one bogey on the 16th, which at the time looked as if it might scupper her chances.

"I wasn't expecting to win at six under," admitted Friberg. "I thought my last putt on 18 would make me finish second.

"So I was waiting around, didn't really know what to do in the meantime. A lot of things went through my mind, but to be honest, I don't remember what. I don't know if I was hungry, thirsty, what. I was just waiting."

Friberg earned a first prize of £100,000, a Rolex watch for being a First-Time Winner, a stay at Canyon Ranch and a move to the top of the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings. On the Rolex Rankings, she jumped 83 places to 81st in the world.

It was a massive move for Friberg, whose highlight before the MasterCard Classic victory was fourth place in the Spanish and Dutch Opens of 2007.

It was perhaps no surprise that Friberg returned to America to further her career, given she starred in college competition while at Washington State at the start of the new Millennium, playing on the all-PAC-10 side in 2003.

Two years later she began her professional career by playing on satellite tours in Sweden and USA, excelling on the Futures and Telia tours.

Two solid seasons in Europe -finishing 49th and 31st on the order of Merit ­ inspired her to try for her LPGA card and she secured it by finishing tied for ninth at Daytona Beach to earn exempt status for this season.

Now we wonder if this relatively late developer - Friberg turns 28 in June this year - can continue her progress and become the heir apparent to Annika. Whatever happens in the coming months, her attitude to golf is a long way from what it used to be.

"I used to not like golf at all. Not until I was about 13 or 14 years old did I start to actually enjoy the game," she revealed.

Louise on Louise

1) Do you have a favorite golf club in your bag?
Whatever club that works that day! No seriously, my putter is the best one.

2) Are you a neat freak or do you prefer the messier side of life?
I would like to have things neat an organized but I am actually a total mess. My sister got all the organisational abilities.

3) Do you have any nicknames?
Bubbles and Lollo. Bubbles was created by one of the LET caddies in 2006 when I came to a tournament after just having a perm put in my hair.

4) What is one item of clothing you couldn't live without?
My flipflops

5) Which do you prefer? To cook, be cooked for, go out to eat or order take
out and why?
All of the above. I love food, whenever and wherever!