Winner by five strokes, Hannah Burke from Mid-Herts. Image by courtesy of Pat Cashman and the Irish Ladies Golf Union.

Hannah Burke wins Irish women's open title this time

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE IRISH LADIES GOLF UNION
England’s Hannah Burke, beaten in a seven-hole marathon play-off in last year's event, added a final round 71 to win the 2010 Irish Women’s Open Stroke Play by five strokes from Australia’s Justine Lee at Newlands Golf Club, Dublin, 6 June 2010.
Burke, who started the day three strokes ahead of the field, raced to two under par through the sixth hole in the teeming Irish rain. So heavy were the showers that play was suspended on two separate occasions while greenkeepers worked tirelessly to clear the flooding greens. Burke went on to turn four strokes ahead of the field and never looked like being caught after birdies on 15, 17 and 18. A thrilled Burke was delighted with her first Irish Stroke Play, particularly having lost last year’s play off at the seventh tie hole to Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell).
Tara Davies (WAL) was two shots behind Lee in third place while Australia’s Ashley Ona finished fourth ahead of rising superstar Julie Yang (South Korea), a 14-year-old pupil at Loretto School, Musselburgh and winner of the Welsh equivalent of the Irish title early last month..
Irish Champion Mary Dowling (New Ross) added a 78 to her overnight total to finish best of the Irish, one shot ahead of Paula Grant (Lisburn) and C. Louth’s Deirdre Smith.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 219 (3x73) CSS 76 75 77
214 Hannah Burke (ENG) 71 72 71
219 Justine Lee (AUS) 77 71 71
221 Tara Davies (WAL) 74 73 74
222 Ashley Ona (AUS) 74 75 73
224 Julie Yang (SKOR) 73 74 77 Stacey Keating (AUS) 71 75 78
226 Nicola Roessler (GER) 77 75 74 Jessica Speechley (AUS) 77 73 76 Leigh Whittaker (GER) 76 72 78
227 Nikki Foster (ENG) 75 71 81
228 Monique Smit (RSA) 77 73 78
229 Megan Briggs (SCO) 77 75 77 Charlotte Ellis (ENG) 76 77 76 Charlotte Wild (ENG) 75 78 76 Amy Boulden (WAL) 75 76 78
230 Lauren Mackin (SCO) 72 77 81
231 Hermione Fitzgerald (ENG) 80 77 74
232 Mary Dowling (New Ross) 78 76 78 Louise Kenney (SCO) 75 78 79
233 Paula Grant (Lisburn) 83 72 78 Charlie Douglass (ENG) 77 81 75 Deirdre Smith (Co. Louth) 74 79 80
234 Roseanne Niven (SCO) 80 76 78 Laura Murray (SCO) 77 78 79
235 Katherine O'Connor (WAL) 78 79 78 Sinead O'Sullivan (Galway) 77 76 82 Gemma Bradbury (WAL) 72 80 83
236 Emma Sheffield (ENG) 81 74 81 Kelly Tidy (ENG) 75 78 83
239 Sue Phillips (Woodbrook) 83 80 76 Karen Delaney (Carlow) 79 80 80 Amy Farrell (Moate) 76 81 82
241 Gillian O'Leary (Cork) 75 82 84
242 Louise Coffey (Malone) 87 76 79 Anna Carling (WAL) 82 77 83
243 Claire Hargan (SCO) 80 83 80 Karen O'Neill (Douglas) 79 80 84
244 Maura Diamond (Royal Portrush) 82 77 85
247 Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) 76 81 90
248 Suzy Hayes (Hermitage) 84 77 87
250 Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) 82 80 88
253 Fiona Briggs (ENG) 80 83 90
NR Agnes Doherty (Ballyliffin) 83 79 NR

Hannah Burke has Futures Tour bid line-up up at end of  year

NEWS RELEASE FROM ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
England international Hannah Burke  has won the 2010 Irish women’s open strokeplay championship by five strokes – a year after she lost a marathon play-off for the title on the seventh extra hole.

“It’s awesome,” said Hannah, from Mid-Herts, who had a final round 71 at Newlands, Dublin, to finish on five-under par for the 54-hole event – and five shots clear of Australia’s Justine Lee.
“I think I’ve been due a win for a while. I finished second here last year, then I was second in the English strokeplay and I’ve spent my last year at Baylor University, Texas, and finished second a couple of times there. Now I’ve managed to win!”
The 22-year-old held or shared the lead throughout the tournament and started the final round three shots clear of the field.
She was two-under for the first six holes of the third round, despite the teeming Irish rain which delayed her tee-off time by 90 minutes. So heavy were the showers that play was suspended on two separate occasions while greenkeepers worked tirelessly to clear the flooding greens.
Hannah got to the turn four strokes ahead of the field and was never going to be caught after she birdied 15, 17 and 18.
“I played extremely well in the conditions today,” said Hannah. “It rained the whole day, apart from the last 45 minutes, and we had a couple of stops while they squeegeed the greens. We had about a six or seven hour round, on and off the golf course. But it was a great experience for me – it was brilliant.”
Hannah will play a full summer of English and British events before returning to Baylor to complete her degree. Then, later in the year, she’s hoping to win her place on the US Duramed Futures Tour.