Hayley Davis with the championship trophy at Broadstone. Image by courtesy of the English Women's Golf Association.

Dorset's Hayley Davis, 17, wins English championship

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Teenager Hayley Davis won the English amateur championship at her first attempt when she defeated Tara Watters 2 and 1 in the 18-hole final today at Broadstone, in her home county of Dorset.
Hayley, who celebrated her 17th birthday in February, is one of the youngest-ever champions. She is playing her first season of ladies’ golf and was making her debut in this event. It’s a spectacular start and she said after the match:“It’s really good, I’m really happy.”
The excellent match enthralled the large crowd of spectators, many of them from Hayley’s club, Ferndown, and she added: “It’s special to win in my home county with everyone watching.”
The result meant a second successive disappointment for Tara, who was also losing finalist last year. But she said: “Hayley deserved to win, she played superb golf.”
Tara won the first hole with a birdie and held a narrow lead over most of the opening holes. But Hayley made her move on the long seventh, with two superb wood shots to the heart of the green and took the score back to all square.
Hayley followed up with another fine tee shot on the 192yd eighth and, when she won the hole, she was in front for the first time. She extended her lead with an excellent par four on the 10th, where she was bunkered off the tee, played out into the middle of the fairway and put her third stone dead.
A birdie on the uphill, par-4 12th moved her three ahead and she got to four up on the 14th where a fine approach putt on the difficult green finished in tap-in range. Tara, who has a wonderful short game, uncharacteristically three-putted.
Both players struck great shots into the short 15th and Hayley had a putt for the title. But the green is tricky and her sloping, downhill stroke stayed out of the hole. “It wasn’t my favourite length putt!” she said afterwards.
Tara went on to reduce the deficit to two holes when she won the 16th with a birdie 4. Hayley tangled with the rough, a tree and a bunker and did well to par the hole. The 17th was the decider. Again both players hit the green in regulation and both two-putted, providing Hayley with the essential half for victory. But she confessed afterwards: “That was the only time I felt nervous, my second putt was only about 2½ft but I didn’t like it!”
Hayley didn’t play ladies’ golf last year when she was taking her GCSEs but now she’s at college, studying for sport and golf qualifications, she’s able to spread her wings. She’s already been seventh this season in the Welsh open stroke-play. She has enjoyed a very good junior career and is an England girl international and a past winner of the Scottish U16 strokeplay championship.
One of the first to congratulate Hayley was three-times English champion and Curtis Cup player, Jean Bisgood of Parkstone, Dorset, who won this title in 1953, the first year it was run by the then English Ladies’ Golf Association.
Also in the crowd was Ferndown’s Sue Crabb, a past Dorset county captain, who was sporting the lucky panama hat which she wore when Hayley won the Dorset ladies’ championship last month.
Today's result:
Final (18 holes) - Hayley Davis (Ferndown) bt Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) 2 and 1.
Details: http://www.englishwomensgolf.org/

Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer