Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play

Rhian Wyn Thomas (right) winner of the Welsh women's open stroke-play title with Hannah Barwood (left), runner-up and winner of the Under-21 prize.

Hacienda del Alamo Festival

trip pays off for Rhian

Wyn Thomas

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Welsh youngster Rhian Wyn Thomas's mid-February trip to play in the Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Festival in Spain might well have been the secret behind her surprise success in the Welsh women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club, between Cardiff and Swansea in South Wales.
In a weekend of horrendous weather - the CSS was +3 for the first two rounds and +1 for the final round (against a par of 74 and an SS of 76), Rhian, from the Vale of Glamorgan Golf Club, put together a brilliant final round of 71.
Picture above of Rhian is by courtesy of Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved).
That enabled her to leapfrog over those who had been contesting the lead, including Ireland's Niamh Kitching, who led into the final round but then sagged to an 82 and shared second place with England's Hannah Barwood on 10-over-par 232.
Rhian Wyn Thomas, who failed to survive the 36-hole cut in the "Helen Holm" at Troon last week, totalled six-over-par 228 at Pyle & Kenfig for the biggest win of her career so far. She is the first Welsh winner of this championship since Vicki Thomas in 1989.
And yet it is only by chance that she took up golf a few short years ago. She answered a call by Welsh national coach David Llewellyn at a golf exhibition for anyone who had never played golf in their life to come forward and have a go.
Rhian did - showed a natural aptitude for the game, and encouraged by Llewellyn, she has since made the Welsh international team.
Scotland - represented by Alford's Laura Murray, Jane Turner (Craigielaw) and Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) - totalled 475 and finished third behind England (470) and Wales B (472) in the international team event.
Jane Turner was the leading Scot in the individual standings. She finished joint ninth on 241 - 13 shots behind the winner.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 222 (3 x 74). SS 76. CSS - 79, 79, 77.
1 WYN THOMAS, Rhian (Wales) 80 77 71: 228 +6
T2 BARWOOD, Hannah (England) 78 81 73: 232 +10
T2 KITCHING, Niamh (Ireland) 77 73 82: 232 +10
4 LARRATT, Kym (England) 80 74 79: 233 +11
T5 CONNOR, Rachel (England) 85 79 73: 237 +15
T5 EDWARDS, Naomi (England) 82 79 76: 237 +15
T7 DAVIES, Tara (Wales) 79 82 77: 238 +16
T7 RAASTAD, Rachel (Norway) 79 81 78: 238 +16
T9 GUNHILDRUD, Michaela (Norway) 85 78 78 241 +19
T9 TURNER, Jane (Scotland) 79 84 78: 241 +19
T9 JENNINGS, Rachel (England) 79 83 79: 241 +19
T9 HASSAN, Sahra (Wales) 76 84 81: 241 +19
T9 AITCHISON, Holly (England) 77 80 84 241 +19
T14 MURRAY, Laura (Scotland) 86 79 77: 242 +20
T14 PRETSWELL, Pamela (Scotland) 78 84 80: 242 +20
16 WHITTAKER, Leigh (Germany) 81 84 78: 243 +21
17 ATTWOOD, Sarah (England) 79 80 85: 244 +22
18 MACDONALD, Claire (Scotland) 84 82 79: 245 +23
T19 TYSON, Sarah (England) 82 87 77: 246 +24
T19 EVANS, Stephanie (Wales) 77 87 82: 246 +24
T21 WHITMORE, Kate (England) 83 85 80: 248 +26
T21 DAFFINRUD, Tonje (Norway) 80 87 81: 248 +26
23 TIDY, Kelly (England) 85 82 82: 249 +27
T24 HODGE, Joanne (England) 87 84 79: 250 +28
T24 BIRKS, Samantha (Wales) 80 87 83: 250 +28
T26 KEENAN, Ellis (England) 86 86 79: 251 +29
T26 DOUGLASS, Charlie (England) 80 87 84: 251 +29
T26 HOLDER, Tilly (England) 86 78 87: 251 +29
T29 BOULDEN, Amy (Wales) 89 82 81: 252 +30
T29 BRADBURY, Gemma (Wales) 84 85 83: 252 +30
31 HARRIES, Becky (Wales) 85 85 83: 253 +31
32 BOYES, Tracey (England) 89 83 83: 255 +33
33 RANDS, Kirsty (England) 87 86 83: 256 +34
T34 BALL, Lisa (England) 87 90 80: 257 +35
T34 BARTON, Lisa (England) 85 89 83: 257 +35
T34 KING, Laura (Wales) 91 81 85: 257 +35
T34 GOBEY, Natasha (Wales) 84 85 88: 257 +35
38 GOODALL, Rachael (England) 90 88 82: 260 +38
39 O'CONNOR, Katherine (Wales) 87 85 89: 261 +39
40 LAWRENCE, Jerry (England) 85 84 93: 262 +40
41 DAVIES, Beth (Wales) 89 90 85: 264 +42
42 BOULDEN, Hayley (Wales) 96 86 84: 266 +44
43 COLLIN, Laura (England) 93 86 89: 268 +46
44 BLEASE, Lauren (England 91 85 93: 269 +47
45 WATKINS, Laura (England) 91 92 88: 271 +49
46 LEWIS, Rachael (Wales) 99 89 88: 276 +54
47 DAVIES, Emma (Wales) 98 93 87: 278 +56
T48 MARPER, Amy (England) 98 95 89: 282 +60
T48 CARRADICE, Trudy (Wales) 93 97 92: 282 +60
50 HERBERT, Chelsey (England) 101 98 89: 288 +66
51 HUNT, Rachel (Wales) 101 98 96: 295 +73
INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT
470 ENGLAND (N Edwards, H Aitchison, R Jennings).
472 WALES B (S Evans, R Wyn Thomas, B Harries).
475 SCOTLAND (L Murray, P Pretswell, J Turner).
479 WALES A (S Hassan, S Birks, T Davies).
485 NORWAY (R Raastad, T Daffinrud, K Hillas).