Coronation Foursomes

Success for Yorkshire pair at rescheduled 2022 Coronation Foursomes

The R&A

02 May 23

3 mins

The Lindrick Golf Club duo of Dawn Farnell-Pennington and Mia Eales-Smith claimed success in St Andrews to win the rescheduled R&A Coronation Foursomes.

The 2022 Grand Final was postponed due to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and today saw the Yorkshire pair triumph in the popular championship for female golfers across Great Britain and Ireland. Farnell-Pennington, 52, and former England youth player Eales-Smith, 20, posted a winning total of 41 stableford points over the Eden Course for a narrow victory.

Final leaderboard

South Yorkshire venue Lindrick is one of the UK’s finest inland courses, hosting the R&A Girls’ and Boys’ Home Internationals in August, and served the winning pair well for the Eden test.

Good combination

“We gelled well together, didn’t take too many risks and took advantage on the holes we received shots on,” said Mia, a +2 handicapper who played the Fife venue previously in the Scottish Under-16s and also competed in the first-ever R&A Girls' U16 Amateur Championship at Fulford in 2018. “We weren’t supposed to be playing together in this competition, it was a last-minute move as Dawn’s partner dropped out. We thought it was a good combination but we set out to have fun and played good as well.” Dawn, a 20-handicapper, added, “Mia had the strategy worked out and fed me the lines off the tee and on the greens. I struggle a little bit with inconsistency but today I went where Mia told me to go. It’s been a great experience overall.” Among the 16 competing pairs, Maxine McDonnell and Kim Dove from North Hants GC were just edged out into the runner-up spot on 40 points with Linda Lugg and Sue Smith (Cape Cornwall GC) securing third place on 38 points by virtue of a better inward half.

Mia Eales-Smith - England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

“We gelled well together, didn’t take too many risks and took advantage on the holes we received shots on. We thought it was a good combination but we set out to have fun and played good as well.”

AIG Women’s Open chance

As part of their prize, Farnell-Pennington and Eales-Smith sealed a dream place in the Pro-Am for the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath in August. Mia, who reached the quarter-finals of the English Amateur in 2021, said, “I can’t wait. I’ve never played Walton Heath. It would be great to play with Charley Hull.” “It’s absolutely awesome!” added Dawn, of the AIG Women’s Open chance. The 32 finalists in St Andrews also enjoyed a two-night stay at the prestigious Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa and a drinks reception in the confines of the R&A World Golf Museum. The unique team competition format of the Coronation Foursomes – the largest of its kind in GB&I that attracted 18,000 women and girls from 1,000 clubs in 2022 – sees club qualifying and Area Finals each year ahead of a Grand Final.

Women and girls drive

As part of The R&A’s drive to encourage more women and girls into playing golf, the championship continues to attract all ages. Established in 1953, the Coronation Foursomes is open to all members of affiliated golf clubs in GB&I who hold a hold a current World Handicap System (WHS) Index of 40.0 or under. For 2023 qualifying, local qualifying competitions – stand alone or played alongside an existing fixture – can be organised by golf clubs over the coming weeks, played over 18 holes of handicap stableford foursomes, with the closing date for entries on Sunday 18 June. Mothers and daughters, friends and family members can tee up – all for just £4 per pair. The best 100 scores will then qualify for each Area Final held at 16 venues in July and August, before the top 16 teams book their trip to the home of golf for the showpiece final. For more information and entry details for 2023 qualifying, please visit: www.randa.org/championships/coronation-foursomes

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