The Women's Amateur

Highlights: Stars to the fore as last-32 decided at Portmarnock

The R&A

26 Jun 24

3 mins

Lottie Woad overcame a scare to progress to the last-32 at The 121st Women’s Amateur Championship at Portmarnock, while Sara Byrne maintained Irish hopes.

England’s Woad, 20, was the leading stroke play qualifier over the renowned links near Dublin but found herself two down early on against Singapore’s Aloysa Margiela Atienza in the first match play stage. Woad, the number one on the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), dug deep and battled back to all square going into the final three holes. After her opponent three-putted the 17^th, Woad’s impressive approach to the 18^th sealed a two-hole triumph. Woad said, “It was a lot more stressful than I probably would have liked. I made a few mistakes but hit some good shots towards the end that closed it out nicely. “I have heard that phrase before (about the top stroke play qualifier often losing in the match play first round) but I knew I was playing well. I didn't play quite as well today and yeah, there was definitely some pressure there. I just kind of got through it in the end.”

Top-class field

Having won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April, Woad is bidding to continue an impressive year but has a number of challengers from a world class field at Portmarnock. Cheered on by home support on a glorious day, Byrne – who finished as the leading Irish qualifier – made a superb up-and-down at the 18^th to take her last-64 meeting with Sweden’s Moa Svedenskiold down the 19^th. There Byrne, 23, prevailed under the watchful eye of Catriona Matthew, the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Captain for the contest at Sunningdale later this year. It was the only time Byrne was ahead in the tie. “I was down early, two down through three,” stated Byrne. “They were stupid mistakes I haven't made all week. “But all I did was stay so patient. That's all I could do. I was hitting really good shots and the ball was just not dropping. Like the first putt I holed it was literally the up-and-down on 18. It was then a sigh of relief knowing I won at the 19th. “The support this week, from the first round of stroke play qualifying, has been really great. I’ve had fans out watching me and the support has been absolutely incredible. They have been egging me on. I want to do it for myself and I want to do it for them and keep the entertainment going.”

Darling chases success

There was also a notable win for Scotland’s Hannah Darling, who went head-to-head with Ireland’s Beth Coulter in a repeat of their R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship Final of 2021. Darling, 20, is making her fifth appearance in the Championship, and came out on top again against Coulter, easing to a 3&2 victory. “It was hard today because I would consider Beth a friend,” Darling said. “So it's almost like you know you want to beat her but, at the same time, you want her to play well. It's kind of just a mix between that. “We've almost grown up playing the same events and now she's over in America at college, too. We've played quite a lot of the same tournaments. But, yeah, it was obviously a good win this morning. I've obviously played this Championship for a few years and I feel like it's one of the events I would love to win the most. I’m not even thinking about that just now and controlling what I can control.”

Pancake back on the links

However, Anna Foster was another Irish player to progress, defeating England’s Nellie Ong 4&3, while Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez, ranked fourth in the world standings, is also into the last-32 after edging out countrywoman Carla Bernat 2&1. Last year’s finalist, Annabelle Pancake from the United States of America, continued to reacquaint herself with links golf with another solid showing to progress with a win at the 19^th against Ireland’s Emma Fleming. Fellow American Rachel Kuehn also reached the last-32 after beating Spain’s Carla Tejedo Mulet 3&2. “It's great to be back here at the Championship," said Pancake. "I love being here obviously. I love the style of golf. The people are great. The competition is fun. So I'm very excited to be back and just thankful to be here. “I’m definitely taking the lessons from last year. This is a little different because it's a little windier and I will say the greens to me feel a lot harder than Prince’s. But it was nice to get that preparation and the mindset of using different clubs around the green for sure.”

Exemption opportunities

Louise Rydqvist had to battle some demons today when facing England's Jess Baker, the player who defeated the Swede in the 2022 Final at Hunstanton. This time Rydqvist took the honours with a two-hole win. The winner of this year’s Championship has exciting opportunities, gaining entry to the AIG Women’s Open, US Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and by tradition, will earn an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

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