BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPION STEPHANIE MEADOW ADDS TO NORTHERN IRELAND SUCCESS STORY

Curtis Cup team heroine at Nairn at the beginning of the month, Stephanie Meadow chalked up another success story on a Scottish links today (Saturday). The 20-year-old from Jordanstown, Northern Ireland - a student at the University of Alabama - won the British women's open amateur golf championship at Carnousie by beating Spanish 18-year-old Rocio Sanchez Lobato from Marbella and the University of Georgia by 4 and 3 in under three hours. Stephanie, who has lived with her parents in the States since she was 15, thus adds another victory to the Northern Ireland golfing bandwagon. And Royal Portrush Golf Club can claim to have both the British amateur championship winners on their membership roll - Alan Dunbar won the men's title at Royal Troon the week before last.  The last Northern Irish player to win the British women's amateur title was Maureen Madill at Nairn in 1979. The last player from Ireland to be British women's open amateur champion was Lilian Behan from The Curragh in 1985.  The 20-year-old from Jordanstown, a student at the University of Alabama and No 20 in the World Amateur Rankings, was three up after only six holes against her 19-year-old Spanish opponent, Rocio Sanchez Lobato from Marbella and the University of Georgia, ranked No 193. Both players started a shade nervously and took three shots apiece to reach the putting surface at the first hole. But Meadow rammed home her 8ft putt to win the hole with a par 4. She doubled her lead with another par at the second and after a half in birdies at the third, Meadow surged three up with a birdie 3 at the fourth. The Spanish girl got on the scoreboard at the fifth, winning that hole to cut her deficit to two. Meadown was bunkered off the tee at the fifth. But the confident Meadow, with her dad Robert as her caddie, was not to be denited. She won both the sixth and seventh with par figures to be four up on the eighth tee. Lobato was almost out of bounds off the tee at the sixth and completely mishit her third. Lobato was not ready to throw in the towel, however. She hit back with a birdie 2 at the short eighth to be three down. The ninth was halved in pars, leaving Meadow in the strong position of three up at leathe turn. After a half at the 10th, Meadow went four up with her third birdie of the round at the 11th. Again her Spanish opponent countered with a winning birdie, at the 12th to pull Stephanie back again to a three-hole lead. Meadow birdied the short 13th, almost holing her tee shot with an eight-iron, to be four up with five to play. A half in birdie 4s followed by a half in par 4s and it was all over - Stephanie Meadow was British champion. "I'm having a fantastic time of my life. In America we (Alabama University) won the women's national title - then I came over to help GB and I win back the Curtis Cup - and now this," said Stephanie. "I couldn't have done it without my mum and dad moving everything, including me, to America in 2006. I've had so many good coaches, including Hank Hainey. "I started this tournament slowly and had to go to the 22nd to survive in one of the earlier rounds but I felt I got better and better as the week wore on. "Carnoustie's championship links take a bit of getting used to but I felt that in the final I really got to grips with it. I was about three or four under par and you cannot ask for more than that in the final of a championship like this." One bonus of her Carnoustie win is that she gets a place in the Ricoh Women's British Open championship at Hoylake in September. Results: SEMI-FINALS Rocio Sanchez Lobato (Spain) bt Perrine Delacour (France) 2 holes. Stephanie Meadow (Royal Portrush) bt Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) 3 and 2. FINAL (18 holes) Meadow bt Lobato 4 and 3.