U16s: Jimenez prevails in play-off to claim Girls' U16 title
Spain's Paula Jimenez captured the English Girls' Under 16 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship after defeating Germany's Lorena Guth on the 2nd play-off hole following a dramatic final day at The Gog Magog Golf Club.
The Spaniard carded a superb closing 69 (-4) to finish on 7-under-par, before making par on the 2nd extra hole to secure victory and become the first Spanish winner of the Girls' U16 Championship.
She said: “It feels really good. I’m very happy to have won this amazing tournament. It was great playing at this golf course, it was wonderful! It means a lot because I love Spain, so it’s truly amazing and it’s great to become the first Spanish player to win this tournament.”
Jimenez's final-round charge included three consecutive birdies on the closing three holes to set the clubhouse target, while Guth matched her overall total of 7-under after signing for a 70 (-3) that featured an eagle on the 4th. However, it was Germany's Jinlei Zhong who began the day with a one-shot lead over compatriot Helena Baraka and England's Selina Bartarya, while Guth and Spain's Iciar Rodriguez sat just two shots off the pace.
Jimenez started just outside the top-five but steadily worked her way into contention as the final round unfolded. With just two shots separating seven players during the opening stages, the championship remained finely poised. Zhong was unable to reproduce the form that saw her fire a second-round 68 (-5), while Baraka looked set to take control after birdies on two of her first five holes moved her to 7-under-par and into the outright lead.
Further ahead on the course, Guth was making her move. An eagle on the 4th took her to 6-under, before a birdie at the 12th saw her reach 7-under and establish a share of the lead. Bartarya, the first-round leader, also remained firmly in the hunt throughout the day. An eagle at the 4th moved the English player back to 6-under, and through 12 holes she shared top spot alongside Guth at 7-under-par.
Guth edged ahead on her own after another gain took her to 8-under through 16 holes, but a costly bogey at the final hole dropped her back to 7-under, opening the door for the chasing pack. That opportunity was seized by Jimenez.
Having quietly worked her way up the leaderboard, the Spaniard produced a sensational finish, birdieing the 16th, 17th and 18th to post a clubhouse total of 7-under and pile the pressure on the remaining contenders. Rodriguez also mounted a challenge with a bogey-free back-nine as she signed for a 71 (-2), while Bartarya and Baraka both remained in contention entering the closing holes. However, neither Rodriguez nor Bartarya could reach the 7-under target, and Baraka's hopes ended with a bogey on the way home, sending Jimenez and Guth into a play-off.
The first extra hole, the par-5 1st, failed to separate the pair. Both players found the fairway, reached the green in three shots and safely two-putted for par. Back down the 18th for the second play-off hole, both again found the fairway from the tee. Guth's approach drifted left towards the trees, leaving her in a difficult position, while Jimenez also missed left but finished just short of the green and in a far more favourable spot.
After Guth was forced to chip out and eventually made bogey, Jimenez calmly played a tidy up-and-down to secure the title and complete a memorable victory. Behind the leading duo, Rodriguez, Bartarya and Baraka shared 3rd place on 6-under-par, while France's Victorie Bizet and Ludivine Passe finished tied for 6th on 4-under-par after both recording under-par totals for the championship. View the final standings here.
U14s: Brilliant Brooks birdies last to secure title
Spain's Paula Jimenez captured the English Girls' Under 16 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship after defeating Germany's Lorena Guth on the 2nd play-off hole following a dramatic final day at The Gog Magog Golf Club.
The Spaniard carded a superb closing 69 (-4) to finish on 7-under-par, before making par on the 2nd extra hole to secure victory and become the first Spanish winner of the Girls' U16 Championship.
She said: “It feels really good. I’m very happy to have won this amazing tournament. It was great playing at this golf course, it was wonderful! It means a lot because I love Spain, so it’s truly amazing and it’s great to become the first Spanish player to win this tournament.”
Jimenez's final-round charge included three consecutive birdies on the closing three holes to set the clubhouse target, while Guth matched her overall total of 7-under after signing for a 70 (-3) that featured an eagle on the 4th. However, it was Germany's Jinlei Zhong who began the day with a one-shot lead over compatriot Helena Baraka and England's Selina Bartarya, while Guth and Spain's Iciar Rodriguez sat just two shots off the pace.
Jimenez started just outside the top-five but steadily worked her way into contention as the final round unfolded. With just two shots separating seven players during the opening stages, the championship remained finely poised. Zhong was unable to reproduce the form that saw her fire a second-round 68 (-5), while Baraka looked set to take control after birdies on two of her first five holes moved her to 7-under-par and into the outright lead.
Further ahead on the course, Guth was making her move. An eagle on the 4th took her to 6-under, before a birdie at the 12th saw her reach 7-under and establish a share of the lead. Bartarya, the first-round leader, also remained firmly in the hunt throughout the day. An eagle at the 4th moved the English player back to 6-under, and through 12 holes she shared top spot alongside Guth at 7-under-par.
Guth edged ahead on her own after another gain took her to 8-under through 16 holes, but a costly bogey at the final hole dropped her back to 7-under, opening the door for the chasing pack. That opportunity was seized by Jimenez.
Having quietly worked her way up the leaderboard, the Spaniard produced a sensational finish, birdieing the 16th, 17th and 18th to post a clubhouse total of 7-under and pile the pressure on the remaining contenders. Rodriguez also mounted a challenge with a bogey-free back-nine as she signed for a 71 (-2), while Bartarya and Baraka both remained in contention entering the closing holes. However, neither Rodriguez nor Bartarya could reach the 7-under target, and Baraka's hopes ended with a bogey on the way home, sending Jimenez and Guth into a play-off.
The first extra hole, the par-5 1st, failed to separate the pair. Both players found the fairway, reached the green in three shots and safely two-putted for par. Back down the 18th for the second play-off hole, both again found the fairway from the tee. Guth's approach drifted left towards the trees, leaving her in a difficult position, while Jimenez also missed left but finished just short of the green and in a far more favourable spot.
After Guth was forced to chip out and eventually made bogey, Jimenez calmly played a tidy up-and-down to secure the title and complete a memorable victory. Behind the leading duo, Rodriguez, Bartarya and Baraka shared 3rd place on 6-under-par, while France's Victorie Bizet and Ludivine Passe finished tied for 6th on 4-under-par after both recording under-par totals for the championship. View the final standings here.
U14s: Brilliant Brooks birdies last to secure title
England's Maybel Brooks (Chelmsford) birdied the final hole to clinch the English Girls' Under 14 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, finishing one shot clear of Italy's Elena Sartori and Spain's Sofia Lara Gamilla Karpa at The Gog Magog Golf Club.
The England Golf East Region Squad player closed with a bogey-free 70 (-3) to secure the title on 8-under-par, having also posted rounds of 70 (-3) and 71 (-2) over the opening two days. Sartori and Karpa finished tied for 2nd on 7-under-par.
In lifting the trophy, Brooks joins an impressive list of former champions including Charley Hull (2008), Georgia Hall (2009) and Alice Hewson (2010).
She said: “It feels amazing to have won this tournament, there’s so many good competitors here! I didn’t really know I was in with a chance; I decided not to look at the scoreboard on the 17th which was probably a good idea. Then, I was going down 18, thinking I needed to try and birdie it to see if I’d have a chance. I didn’t really think too much about it until everyone started coming up to me saying 'Mabel you have a chance!'
“It’s very cool to have my name alongside the likes of Charley Hull, Georgia Hall and Alice Hewson!”
Sartori had led from the opening round and carried a one-shot advantage into the final day ahead of Karpa, while Brooks and France's Romy Tertian started the final round three shots off the pace. The Italian remained in control throughout much of the front-nine and, after briefly being joined at the summit by Karpa, stretched her lead to three shots through 10 holes at 10-under-par.
Brooks, meanwhile, was quietly mounting a charge of her own, reaching 2-under for the day without dropping a shot. Karpa made an early move with three birdies in her opening six holes, but a costly stretch around the turn halted her momentum.
A double bogey at the par-3 8th coupled with bogeys either side, saw her slip back before she recovered with another birdie to return to 7-under through 12 holes. At that stage, Sartori still held a three-shot advantage over both Brooks and Karpa.
However, the championship swung dramatically on the closing stretch when Sartori recorded back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th, dropping back to 8-under with two holes to play. With just one shot separating the leading trio, Brooks set the clubhouse target in style.
After superbly chipping close from just off the 18th green, she converted the birdie putt to reach 8-under and apply maximum pressure to the final group behind her. Sartori then found trouble with her approach into the last, missing the green to the right.
Unable to get up and down, the Italian carded a bogey, while Karpa could only make par, leaving Brooks to celebrate a dramatic victory.
Behind the leading trio, Tertian recovered admirably from a difficult start that included a bogey and double bogey on the opening two holes. A final-round 75 (+2) saw the French player finish 4th on 3-under-par. Germany's Romy Sander produced one of the rounds of the day, firing a superb 68 (-5) to climb into 5th place on 1-under-par. View the final standings here.
The England Golf East Region Squad player closed with a bogey-free 70 (-3) to secure the title on 8-under-par, having also posted rounds of 70 (-3) and 71 (-2) over the opening two days. Sartori and Karpa finished tied for 2nd on 7-under-par.
In lifting the trophy, Brooks joins an impressive list of former champions including Charley Hull (2008), Georgia Hall (2009) and Alice Hewson (2010).
She said: “It feels amazing to have won this tournament, there’s so many good competitors here! I didn’t really know I was in with a chance; I decided not to look at the scoreboard on the 17th which was probably a good idea. Then, I was going down 18, thinking I needed to try and birdie it to see if I’d have a chance. I didn’t really think too much about it until everyone started coming up to me saying 'Mabel you have a chance!'
“It’s very cool to have my name alongside the likes of Charley Hull, Georgia Hall and Alice Hewson!”
Sartori had led from the opening round and carried a one-shot advantage into the final day ahead of Karpa, while Brooks and France's Romy Tertian started the final round three shots off the pace. The Italian remained in control throughout much of the front-nine and, after briefly being joined at the summit by Karpa, stretched her lead to three shots through 10 holes at 10-under-par.
Brooks, meanwhile, was quietly mounting a charge of her own, reaching 2-under for the day without dropping a shot. Karpa made an early move with three birdies in her opening six holes, but a costly stretch around the turn halted her momentum.
A double bogey at the par-3 8th coupled with bogeys either side, saw her slip back before she recovered with another birdie to return to 7-under through 12 holes. At that stage, Sartori still held a three-shot advantage over both Brooks and Karpa.
However, the championship swung dramatically on the closing stretch when Sartori recorded back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th, dropping back to 8-under with two holes to play. With just one shot separating the leading trio, Brooks set the clubhouse target in style.
After superbly chipping close from just off the 18th green, she converted the birdie putt to reach 8-under and apply maximum pressure to the final group behind her. Sartori then found trouble with her approach into the last, missing the green to the right.
Unable to get up and down, the Italian carded a bogey, while Karpa could only make par, leaving Brooks to celebrate a dramatic victory.
Behind the leading trio, Tertian recovered admirably from a difficult start that included a bogey and double bogey on the opening two holes. A final-round 75 (+2) saw the French player finish 4th on 3-under-par. Germany's Romy Sander produced one of the rounds of the day, firing a superb 68 (-5) to climb into 5th place on 1-under-par. View the final standings here.
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org