CHARLOTTE ELLIS IN A HURRY TO LEAD ENGLISH QUALIFIERS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
International Charlotte Ellis from the Minchinhampton club overcame a rushed start to shoot shot two-under par 70 and take the halfway lead in qualifying at the English women’s amateur championship at West Sussex Golf Club today. The event is sponsored by Tourism Ireland.
The 25-year-old Gloucestershire player, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency at Royal Troon, who last month won the Helen Holm Scottish open stroke-play, mistakenly thought she was teeing off at 12.50pm – an hour later than her actual time of 11.50am.
“I had about 20 minutes to get ready so I hit a few balls in the net but I had no time for any putting. It wasn’t the best preparation!” she said.
However, she had got the measure of the greens in practice and within a few minutes she had birdied the first hole. Charlotte joked afterwards: “It’s obviously the way forward.”
She followed up by holing a 20-footer for another birdie on the 3rd and reached the turn at two-under. She didn’t drop a shot until the short 15th, where she misclubbed. She dropped another at 17, but compensated with birdies on 16 and 18.
Charlotte’s confidence is high after her Helen Holm victory where, she said: “I wasn’t hitting the ball particularly well at Troon but my putting was good, averaging 27 a round. It was good to come out on top when not hitting it at my best. I was really chuffed, it’s a nice one to tuck under my belt.”
She heads a packed leaderboard at West Sussex, with three players right behind her on one-under par. They include defending champion Hayley Davis (Ferndown), Ellie Robinson (Middlesborough) who is back from university in the US, and Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts), the 2008 English mid-amateur champion. A further shot back is Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) and girl international Alex Peters (Notts Ladies’).
Lucy Williams was the first player to beat par and she did it with the help of a brand new driver. “I got it three days ago, I liked it and it’s gone straight in the bag,” she said.
It did the job of keeping her ball on the fairway and out of the heather which, together with the cunningly placed bunkers, proved costly to many players in the field.
“I hit most fairways but I had some unconventional pars with ups and downs!” said Lucy, who putted well throughout and notched up six birdies, including 17 and 18th.
There were good performances from some of the youngsters in the field. Shelby Smart (Knowle), 16, and 15-year-old Welsh stroke-play champion Charley Hull (Woburn) are in a group on two-over par. A further shot behind is English U15 champion Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) and fellow girl international Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham and St Annes), 16.
The local challenge is led by Alice Barnes of the host club and Katherine Russell (Royal Ashdown Forest) who both shot 79 and share 25th place. Stacey Rodger (West Hove) scored 80 and is in a group in 29th place.
After tomorrow’s second stroke-play round the top 32 players will qualify for the match-play stages which start on Thursday. The final will be played on Saturday morning. Spectators are welcome.
Hole-by-hole scoring: www.englishwomensgolf.org
Lyndsey Hewison
EWGA Press and PR Officer
Tel. 01603 507 416
Email: lyndsey.hewison@ntlworld.com

ALL THE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND SCORES
70 Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton)
71 Lucy Williams (Mid-Herts)
Ellie Robinson (Middlesbrough)
Hayley Davis (Ferndown)
72 Hannah Grant (Enmore Park)
Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies)
73 Jess Wilcox (Blankney).
74 Charlotte Thompson (Channels)
Shelby Smart (Knowle)
Charley Hull (Woburn)
Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa)
75 Rachel Drummond (Beaconsfield)
Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) 
Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham)
76 Jerry Lawrence (Rochester and Cobham Park)
Charlotte Field (Bishops Stortford)
Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall)
Sophie Keech (Lyme Regis) 
77 Rachael Goodall (Heswall)
Charlotte Wild (Mere)
Hannah Barwood (Knowle)
Tara Watters (Muswell Hill)
78 Nikki Foster (Pleasington)
Emma Sheffield (Newark)
79 Lucy Padley (Knowle)
Katherine Russell (Royal Ashdown Forest)
Alice Barnes (West Sussex)
Harriet Key (South Herts)
Emma Carberry (Highwoods, Bexhill)
80 Daisy-May Kenny (Cuddington)
Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer)
Stacey Rodger (West Hove)
Natalie Lowe (Prestbury)
Nicole Shaw (West Essex)
Lauren Blease (Burhill)

PROJECTED CUT TO LEADING 32 AFTER ROUND 2  
81 Maggie Lowe (Woking Ladies)
Aimee Paterson (North Hants)
Daisy Dyer (Chigwell)
Danielle Anderson (Rochford Hundred)
82 Clarissa Bushell (West Sussex)
Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted)
Abbie Cowlard (Stockport)
Daisy Kane (West Sussex)
Sophie Powell (Manchester)
Melissa McMahon (Lyme Regis)
Aileen Greenfield (Pyecombe)
Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro)
83 Chelsea Masters (Highwoods, Bexhill) 
84 Jemma Aldridge (Sundridge)
85 Daisy Wakelin (East Brighton)
Julia Brook (Croham Hurst) 
Jo Hodge (The Kendleshire)
86 Leanne Ball (Aston Wood)
87 Melissa Nicol (Moor Hall)
88 Kay Bowman (West Hill)
Lucinda Mileham (Aldwickbury Park)
Sarah Howe (Ipswich)
91 Hope Beland (Royal Eastbourne)