HELEN HOLM prizewinners (left to right): Rachael Goodall and Rachael Taylor (two of the three players who had holes in one: Chloe Ryan was the third but she couold not stay for the prizegiving), Celine Boutier and Perrine Delacour (French winners of team award; Perrine was also individual runner-up), champion Amy Boulden, joint third Laura Murray and Pamela Pretswell. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Welsh teenager Amy Boulden gave herself a huge boost in the build-up to her debut Curtis Cup appearance by staging a smash-and-grab run over the last few holes to score the biggest win yet of her golfing career - the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Troon.
At seven under par with only four holes to play into a blustery and very chilly North-east wind over the Royal Troon championship links, 18-year-old Amy from Llandudno was trailing French teenager Perrine Delacour (nine under par) and deposed leader Pamela Pretswell (eight under par).
Then Llandudno Maesdu club pro's daughter Amy birdied the long 15th, the long 16th and the short 17th to leapfrog into the lead at 10 under par.
Even then the drama was not over.
Boulden was on the green in two shots at the par-4 last but left her approach puttt five feet short. So too did Delacour but the Parisienne holed her six-footer for a closing par 4 and a round of one-under-par 74. Final total 216 (nine under par).
That put the pressure back on to Boulden. She needed to hole her five-footer for a 73 and a total fo 215 to win by a shot - and avoid a play-off. Up stepped Amy, who has the looks and the dress sense of a fashion model, to show that she has golfing guts as well. She rammed the putt in confidently.
"The funny thing is that I didn't hit the ball all that well with the wind at my back on the outward nine and I missed a few short putts. But suddenly it all came together over the last four holes ... three birdies and a pressure putt holed for a par and victory," said Amy.
"All that Curtis Cup practice up at the Nairn links paid off in the end."
Pamela Pretswell, leader by one shot overnight, surged four strokes clear of the field with a brilliant birdie-eagle start but the Postage Stamp short eighth hole, only 118 yards long, added up to a lot of grief for Boulden's Curtis Cup team-mate from Hamilton.
"I was in the worst possible place to be at this hole ... bunkered on the left on the green. I had nowhere to go. And it cost me a double bogey 5 in the end," said Pamela.
Earlier at the eighth, Irish girls international Chloe Ryan (Castleroy) holed out in one! If Pretswell had managed an ace there she would have won the tournament!
By the 13th hole, Pretswell, bidding to become the first Scot to win the prestigious title since Heather Stirling in 2002, had lost her lead to Perrine Delacour, the French teenager who won the British girls open amateur title two years ago.
Delacour birdied the 11th and eagled the 12th to surge first level then past Pretswell who was not all that unhappy with her performance. "Not much I could do when Amy started holing putts. It was awesome!"
But Delacour, winner of the British girls' open amateur title at West Lancs in 2009, could not shake off Boulden who came with that strong run on the rails down the home straight to beat the French favourite.
France won the team title and runner-up Delacour won the Under-18s trophy.
Alford's Laura Murray actually outscored winner Boulden over the last round but she had too much ground to make up and her three-under-par closing effort of 72 for 218 left her tied for third place with Pretswell.
Laura never missed a fairway all day - some going into such a cold and blustery wind - and this was her best performance since she won the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews two years ago ... beating a certain Amy Boulden in a play-off.
Laura (35) had a better inward half than Pamela (40), so was officially placed third.
Scotland had three players in the leading eight: Pretswell, Murray and Curtis Cup reserve Kelsey MacDonald who finished eighth with a 76 for 222.
Chloe Ryan's hole in one today was not the only one in the 54-hole tournament. Rachael Taylor, based in Germany where her father is a club pro at a big golf resort complex, aced the 16th at Troon Portland in Friday's first round. It transpired that there were actually THREE holes in one over the three days - an unheard of happening in the 39 years of the event. More about that third hole in one later.
+Amy Boulden is the first Welsh-born winner of the Helen Holm Scottish stroke-play since it began in 1973 with a win by Belle Robertson. She will be defending the title in April 2013 (when hopefully it will be bit warmer!).
"I might turn pro a little bit down the road," said Amy. "But I will certainly be still an amateur next season."
FINAL TOTALS
First two rounds Troon Portland, Third round Royal Troon
Par 225 (3x75) CSS 77 77 78
215 Amy Boulden (Conwy) 70 72 73
216 Perrine Delacour (France) 70 72 74
218 Laura Murray (Alford) 74 72 72 (better inward half: 35-40), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 71 70 77
220 Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) 68 75 77 (placed fifth on better inward half than Boutier or Goodall), Celine Boutier (France) 71 72 77, Rachael Goodall (Heswall) 68 74 78
222 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) 73 73 76
224 Emelie Lundstrom (Sweden) 72 75 77, Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest) 73 73 78, Becky Harries (Haverfordwest) 73 71 80
225 Natalie Lowe (Styal) 81 72 72, Charlotte Thompson (Channels) 71 81 73, Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham) 76 75 74, Jess Wilcox (Blankney) 73 76 76, Chloe Ryan (Castleroy) 76 73 76
226 Bronte Law (Bramhall) 72 77 77, Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) 73 76 77, Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 72 76 78
227 Jessica Carty (Holywood) 72 78 77
228 Nikki Foster (Pleasington) 77 74 77
229 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) 74 79 76, Olivia Winning (Rotherham) 75 78 76, Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) 77 75 77, Gillian O'Leary (Cork) 80 72 77, Daisy Dyer (Chigwell) 76 73 80
230 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 72 79 79, Johanna Bjork (Sweden) 75 71 84
232 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) 76 76 80, Sara Garbutt (Ganton) 78 74 80, Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) 78 74 80, Rachael Taylor (Germany) 72 76 84
233 Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) 71 85 77, Hannah Barwood (Knowle) 77 78 78
234 Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 78 79 77, Meghan Briggs (Kilmacolm) 78 78 78, Brogan Townend (Pleasington) 76 79 79, Rachael Drummond (Beaconsfield) 76 79 79
235 Carla Reynolds (Seapoint) 73 81 81, Leslie Cloots (Belgium) 75 75 85
236 Clara Young (North Berwick) 81 78 77, Emma Broze (France) 74 79 83.
237 Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro) 81 77 79, Ariane Provot (France) 80 77 80, Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) 78 78 81, Louise Mernagh (Woodbridge) 79 77 81, Emma O'Driscoll (Ballybunion) 79 75 83, Sophie Powell (Manchester) 78 74 80
238 Gill Nutter (Formby Ladies) 79 80 79, Anna Appert Lund (Sweden) 78 80 80, Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park) 79 78 81, Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) 80 76 82, Shelby Smart (Knowle) 77 78 83
239 Charlotte Wild (Mere) 78 76 85, Elodie Bridenne (France) 80 73 86, Marthe Wold (Norway) 73 79 87
240 Katerina Slukova (Czech Rep) 75 84 81, Bronwyn Davies (Trentham) 78 81 81, Lucy Simpson (Massereene) 73 83 84, Katherine O'Connor (Tadmarton Heath) 79 75 86
241 Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) 79 80 82, Jessica Meek (Carnoustie Ladies) 75 83 83, Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) 77 79 85, Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) 76 76 89
242 Ellie Robinson (Wilton) 79 80 83, Gabrielle Macdonald (Craigielaw) 83 75 84, Nastja Banovec (Slovenia) 72 77 93.
243 Rachel Walker (Dumfries and Co) 77 82 84, Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) 76 80 87.
246 Alexandra Moisand (France) 74 82 90.
INTERNATIONAL TEAM EVENT
436 FRANCE (Perrine Delacour 216, Celine Boutier 220).
439 WALES (Amy Boulden 215, Becky Harries 224)
440 SCOTLAND (Pamela Pretswell 218, Kelsey MacDonald 222).
449 IRELAND (Leona Maguire 220, Gillian O'Leary 229)
452 ENGLAND (Holly Clyburn 226, Bronte Law 226).
UNDER-18 TROPHY - Perrine Delacour (France)
HOLE-IN-ONE TROPHY (shared) - Chloe Ryan (Castletroy), Royal Troon 8th (Postage Stamp) Sunday; Rachael Taylor (Germany), Troon Portland 16th, Friday).
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