CHARLEY HULL TO PLAY IN TWO SCOTTISH TOURNAMENTS

Charley in action on her debut for England in the Women's Home Internationals at Whitchurch Golf Club, Cardiff, last September.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Woburn 'wonder girl' Charley Hull, 14-year-old winner of the Jones-Doherty match-play championship on Florida's Orange Blossom Tour at Coral Ridge Country Club on Saturday, will play in two Scottish tournaments in the first half of the season.
The first will be the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Troon Portland and Royal Troon from April 22-24.
The Great Britain and Ireland selectors for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Royal Porthcawl in June, will be out in force at that event.
And Charley also intends playing in the St Rule Trophy 54-hole tournament at St Andrews on May 28 and 29, when Laura Murray (Alford) will be defending the title.
The Northamptonshire youngster from Kettering, who was the No 3 seed, beat the top qualifier for the match-play stages on Saturday, 17-year-old Kyle Roig, a native of Puerto Rico but now living and attending school in Florida, by 2 and 1 in the 18-hole final.
Hull became the second youngest ever player to win the title - Alexis Thompson at 13 was the youngest - and also the first British player since LPGA Tour player Catriona (Lambert) Matthew in the early 1990s during her stellar amateur career.
Hull, making her debut on Florida's January circuit for female amateurs, finished joint 12th in the first event, the Harder Hall Invitational at Sebring.
The following week Charley finished runner-up to American Jaye Marie Green in the South Atlantic women's amateur stroke-play championship at Oceanside Country Club.
in the Jones-Doherty Challenge Cup tournament, Charley gained "revenge" on 16-year-old Jaye Marie Green, the No 2 seed although she had the same qualifying score as Hull earlier the week, by beating her 3 and 2 in the semi-finals at Coral Ridge Country Club on Friday.
Hull scored an impressive clutch of open tournament wins over players older and more experienced than herself during the 2010 season which ended with her gaining her first full cap for England in the women's home internationals at Whitchurch, Cardiff in September (Charley is end right on back row of team picture below).

"I totally forgot she's only 14. Wow, she doesn't act it," said Roig after the final.
"I've never won a match-play tournament before so it's nice to have done it in my last competition before we fly home to England," said Charley.
"I've had a great three weeks in Florida."
Hull's next event is the Spanish international women's amateur championship at Jerez from March 2 to 6. Then she will defend the title she won at The Leveret tournament at Formby Ladies over 36 holes on April 2.


JOE McQUADE REPORTS ON THE FINAL
Charley birdied the first to go one up. Roig bogeyed the second, letting Charley increase her lead to two holes.
Over the next few holes Roig came in with two birdies to make the match all square but couldn’t compete with Charley's birdies eight and nine, taking Charley into a two-hole lead at the turn.
The back nine was nip and tuck all the way. Charley was given the opportunity to go dormie three  on the 15th par 3 when Roig missed the green but the hole was halved in 4, with Charley uncharacteristically three-putting.
The 16th was halved in par. Charley won the match on the 17th with a 6ft putt for par to halve the hole and win by 2 and 1.
Considering Charley’s young age she showed no signs of nerves throughout the entire three tournaments comprising the “Orange Blossom Tour”. It was her first trip to the USA and I’m sure that there will be many more to come.
Joe McQuade