First English open stroke-play championship

attracts international entry of over 110

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Over 110 leading golfers from all over the country and abroad will tee up in the English women’s open stroke-play championship at Enmore Park, Somerset, from August 4-6.
This is the first year that the championship has been an open event and it has attracted entries from players from South Africa, France, Wales and Ireland. Closer to home, the contestants include the host club’s Hannah Grant, who won the prestigious scratch event, the Whittington Trophy, earlier this year – with the help of a new course record.
Other Somerset players are the former England captain Beverley New (Lansdown), Rebecca Gibbs (Burnham & Berrow) and Amanda Mayne (Saltford).
The field boasts a host of internationals, among them Charlie Douglass, from Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, who will be aiming to add this title to the English close championship which she won at Lindrick in May.
Also playing is the English mid-amateur champion, Lucy Williams of Mid-Herts, who recently helped a women’s team from Birmingham University become world student matchplay champions.
Other leading contenders for the title include Hannah Barwood, the 2008 English champion from Knowle in Gloucestershire, and her fellow international Rachel Jennings of Izaak Walton, Staffordshire. They’re among 11 players with plus-handicaps, a further 13 play off scratch while the highest handicapper in the field plays off six. The standard of play will clearly be of the highest quality.
The “home” players represent over 30 English counties and among them are three English Women’s Golf Association regional champions: Rachael Goodall (Heswall) from the North, Hannah Ralph (Cowdray Park) from the South; and Jessica Wilcox (Blankney) from the Midlands North. Jessica Bradley, from Tiverton in Devon, is the South West girls’ champion. This event also features appearances from a number of players who are at college in the USA, such as Hannah Burke (Mid-Herts), Katie Mundy (Dunwood Manor), Ellie Givens (Blackwell Grange), Fern Grimshaw (Weymouth) and Laura Jones (Royal Liverpool).
However, Catterick’s Jodi Ewart – who has won this title for the past two years – will be absent this summer. She’s returning early to America, where she is ranked in the top 10 in college golf, to play in the US amateur championship.
The full field will play 18 holes on each of the first two days of the championship. The leading 36 players and ties will qualify for the final 36 holes on the third day.
For full details of competitors, starting times and for online scoring during the championship, visit: www.englishwomensgolf.org
Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer