Pamela Pretswell with her trophies at Tenby this afternoon. Image by courtesy of the Ladies Golf Union.

PAMELA IS BRITISH CHAMPION AFTER


AN EXCITING FINISH AT TENBY


By COLIN FARQUHARSON
What a year for Glasgow University student Pamela Pretswell! First she makes her Curtis Cup debut in America in June, and now she is a British champion!
Pretswell, 21, from Hamilton won the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship in an exciting finish at Tenby Golf Club, South Wales today.
It is her first domestic national title although she won the Switzerland women’s open amateur championship three years ago and was pipped for the Austrian women's open title three weeks ago.
She is the fourth Scot in the past seven years to win the British stroke play title, following in the footsteps of compatriots Clare Queen (2004), Heather MacRae (2005) and Roseanne Niven (2008).
The tournament was reduced to three rounds after a 2hr 30min suspension of play from 9am to 11.30am while a violent thunder and lightning storm raged over the course.
The joint overnight leaders, Pamela Pretswell and Chrisje De Vries ( Netherlands ), did not set out for the third round until 12.30 which meant there would not have been enough daylight left for the field to play 36 holes on the final day.

Curtis Cup reserve and the 2008 Welsh girls champion, Amy Boulden (Maesdu), whose 17th birthday was earlier this month, moved up from third place, one off the pace, at the start of the round to take a one-shot lead overall with an outward 37 to Pretswell’s 39 and 45 by De Vries.
Pretswell came storming home in 33 to her Welsh rival's 37 to turn the tables.
They were level pegging overall standing on the 17th tee.
Then came a decisive two-stroke swing in the Scot’s favour. While leader Boulden bogeyed the short 17th, Pretswell was able to get a birdie 2. That put Pamela in front and she increased her winning margin to three shots by parring the last after Boulden had bogeyed it.
So Pretswell finished with a two-over-par total of 218, made up of rounds of 72, 74 and 72.
Boulden finished second on five-over 221 with scores of 68, 79 and 75.
Third on 2324 was Denmark ’s Line Vedel Hansen with rounds of 76, 72 and 77. She had an 8 at the long eighth in an outward 43 today. She came home in 34, with a bag of four birdies, but could not make up the leeway.

France’s Alexandra Bonetti, winner of the Girls’ British title at Royal Belfast GC last week, finished a creditable joint fourth on 228 alongside Lara Katzy (Germany).
Joint overnight leader Chrisje De Vries finished ninth on 230 with a final round of 84.
Musselburgh-based 15-year-old South Korean Julie Yang, playing out of the Kings Acre Golf Centre near Edinburgh, finished 11th on 234 with scores of 75, 81 and 78.
Curtis Cup player Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies), winner of the British stroke-play title at Royal Aberdeen GC 12 months ago, had to settle for 19th place on 237 after a final round of 79.
The three other Scots who made the last day - Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), Jane Turner (Craigielaw) and Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) - finished joint 30th and joint 32nd respectively.
Megan totalled 78, 81 and 84 for 243.
Jane scored 80, 77 and 87 for 244, the same total as Rachael who had rouns of 82 75 and 87.
Astonishingly, Jane and Rachael both had 10s on their cards. Turner took 50 shots to the turn and it must be a long time since she did that. She had one par figure on the outward half. Jane had a 10 at the par-4 fourth, a 7 at the par-4 seventh and a 5 at the par-3 17th.
Rachael had halves of 47 and 40. She had a 10 at the par-5 eighth and double bogeys at the fourth, ninth, 11th and 18th.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
218 Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 72 74 72.
221 Amy Boulden (Maesdu) 68 79 74.
225 Line Vedel Hansen (Den) 76 72 77.
228 Lara Katzy (Ger) 71 81 76, Alexandrea Bonetti (Fra) 74 77 77.
229 Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 78 76 75, Pia Halbig (Ger) 73 78 78, Bronte Law (Bramhall) 76 72 81.
230 Chrisje De Vries (Net) 68 78 84.
231 Ann Lindner (Ger) 75 78 78.
234 Julie Yang (Kings Acre) 75 81 78.
235 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 75 82 78, Lauren Taylor (Woburn) 75 79 81, Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) 76 77 92.
236 Noemi Jimenez (Spa) 77 80 79, Gillian O’Leary (Cork) 70 86 80, Vicki Troeltsch (Ger) 78 76 82, Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) 78 75 83.
237 Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) 81 77 79.
238 Charley Hull (Woburn) 73 85 80, Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 78 77 83.
239 Karlijn Zaanen (Netherlands) 76 83 80, Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) 82 75 82, Rachel Drummond (Beaconsfield) 80 77 82, Charlotte Wild (Mere) 76 78 85, Hayley Davis (Ferndown) 82 73 84
240 Nikki Foster (Pleasington) 77 78 85.
241 Tara Davies (Holyhead) 73 84 84, Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 72 83 86.
243 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 78 81 84, Samantha Birks (Wolstanton) 76 83 84.
244 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 80 77 87, Nina Holleder (Ger) 74 82 88, Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) 82 75 87.
246 Stephanie Kirchmayr (Ger) 76 83 87, Camilla Hedberg (Spa) 74 83 89.
247 Lucy Williams (Mid Herts) 82 77 88, Katie Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 79 78 90.
249 Jerry Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham) 77 80 92.
251 Lucy Gould (Bargoed) 78 80 93.
255 Fanny Vuignier (Swi) 76 83 96.
Retired Marieke Nivard (Net) 77 83 -.