Nine-stroke win by Janet Collingham

in Midlands senior stroke-play

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Nottinghamshire’s Janet Collingham continued her impressive debut year in seniors’ golf with a nine-stroke win in her latest event. The Sherwood Forest golfer returned a level par total to leave the field trailing in the 36-hole senior English women’s Midlands regional stroke-play tournament at Worksop.
Already this season Janet has won the English senior strokeplay title and been selected to represent England in the European senior ladies’ team championship. Now her sights are set on winning a fourth British title.
Janet defeated the professionals to win the women’s British Open in 1978, when it was run simultaneously with the British stroke-play – which she also won. Then in 1987 she added the British amateur championship to her roll of honour.
Now, she’s working towards the British seniors’ championship which will be played in September in Northern Ireland. “I would really like to do well in that,” she said. In the Worksop tournament Janet had rounds of one-under 73 and 75 – helped by nine one-putt greens as she made her way to the turn in the second round.
“I didn’t feel that I played well but I had a charmed life on the greens. It was a bit of a shock when I two-putted the 10th!” she laughed. “I just couldn’t believe it. I have been putting badly all year and had just changed a few things. I seemed to stand over the putts – and couldn’t miss.
“I was pleased because in the past, if I hadn’t struck the ball well, I would have been muttering away. This time I just thought that I couldn’t do anything about it and that I had to struggle on – which I did.”
The runner-up was Berkshire’s Gabi Heuchel, who won this event last year. The honours in Division B went to Bedfordshire’s Elaine James, who won all three regional seniors events in 2006.
Leading scores
148 Janet Collingham (Sherwood Forest) 73 75.
157 Gabi Heuchel (East Berkshire) 77 80.
162 Hilary Smyth (Pannal) 83 79.
163 Laraine Hague (Rotherham) 81 82.
165 Deborah Backhouse (Aldeburgh) 84 81; Jo Ashmore (Barnham Broom) 82 83.
168 Eppie Zandvoort (Eaton, Norwich) 83 85; Carol Wild (Notts Ladies) 85 83; Pat West (Spalding) 90 78; Sue Pidgeon (Wrekin) 84 84.
Division B
174 Elaine James (Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands) 89 85.
176 Helen Cole (The Chase) 87 89.
177 Elizabeth Holbrook (Spalding) 87 90.
179 Teresa Taylor (The Club at Mapledurham) 90 89; Lesley Floyd (Clevedon) 88 91.
180 Sue Wild (Betchworth Park) 89 91.
181 Margaret Brooks (Mickleover) 92 89.
183 Sylvia Peach (Hockley) 89 94.
184 Sheila Marshall (Haywards Heath) 94 90