CHARLOTTE THOMAS WINS ENGLISH OPEN MID-AMATEUR TITLE

= Charlotte wins English mid-amateur title Charlotte Thomas won the English women’s open mid-amateur championship at John O’Gaunt, Bedfordshire, today with a sizzling display of golf. She had the answers to every situation as she took on and defeated Olympian Chloe Rogers 4 and 3 in an excellent final. Both played extremely well but Charlotte (image © Leaderboard Photography) was superb on and around the greens, and her short game kept her opponent at bay. Time and again she chipped or pitched stone dead, most memorably on the long 13th, where her second found water and she had to drop back under penalty. A glorious shot with a wedge soared over a tree and finished close to the hole – and she’d rescued a par and a half. Winning the title was particularly satisfying for Charlotte after last week, when she came so close to capturing the English women’s stroke play championship, losing only in a play-off. “It was such a good last day last week that it was difficult to be disappointed, but I was determined to win this week. This means a lot, it’s my first national English title and I’m very happy,” said Charlotte, who is based in Singapore and makes an annual golfing trip to England. She laid the foundations of her win with four consecutive birdies, starting on the par four third where she drove the green on the 268-yard hole. She followed up by ramming home a 12-footer on the short fourth for two, chipping dead on the fifth to set up a birdie four, and then pitching up stiff, over a greenside bunker on the sixth, for another birdie four.   Chloe, meanwhile, was hanging on tight. The Braintree golfer had a couple of birdies of her own in that stretch and was just two down after the sixth. But, after a par putt stopped on the lip on the seventh and a tangle with the deep rough on the ninth, she was four down. She produced her own short-game magic on the 10th, where she got up and down from a difficult greenside bunker for a par three to win the hole. But Charlotte’s bogey on 10 was one of only two she had during the final and, as she relentlessly secured the pars, she piled on the pressure. On the 12th, for example, she chipped up stone dead for par from the edge of the green. Chloe had a birdie opportunity, but charged her putt past the hole and missed the return, dropping back to four down in the match. After the next three holes were halved the title belonged to Charlotte. Chloe, who won a hockey bronze medal at the London Olympics, remarked: “Charlotte played very well and I just couldn’t do anything about it. She was top qualifier and she's been on top form all week. But I’ve loved it, I wasn’t expecting to get this far, so it’s been a bonus.” Now Charlotte will return to Singapore and, before long, will be back to the University of Washington in Seattle – where her first golfing date is a much-anticipated match in Japan. Chloe meanwhile heads to Prestwick and next week’s British stroke play championship. Result of Final Charlotte Thomas (Singapore) beat Chloe Rogers (Braintree) 4 and 3.   IN CASE YOU MISSED THE REPORT AND RESULTS ON SATURDAY, WE ARE REPEATING IT FOR YOU: Olympian Chloe targets mid-amateur golf title Olympic medallist Chloe Rogers will aim for her first major golf title when she plays Charlotte Thomas in tomorrow’s final of the English women’s open mid-amateur championship at John O’Gaunt, Bedfordshire. Chloe, 28, helped the Team GB women’s hockey team win a bronze medal at London 2012. This year, she’s re-charging her batteries and concentrating on her other sporting love of golf. “It’s very exciting,” she said, after she defeated Devon’s Emma Tayler 5/4 in their semi-final. “I’ve never been in a major golf final before and I’m so pleased to have got so far.” Chloe is pictured with her mother, Liz, who is caddying for her this week (image © Leaderboard Photography). Charlotte Thomas is equally excited by tomorrow’s prospect, having beaten Cornwall’s Sammie Giles 2/1, to tee up her second tilt at a national title in the space of just over a week. She’s come here straight from the English women’s open stroke play where she was runner-up, losing only in a play-off. The 20-year-old, who is based in Singapore, is a seasoned golfing campaigner. She won the inaugural Annika Invitational in China in 2011 and last year marked her debut appearance for the University of Washington in Seattle with a victory on the US women’s college circuit If today’s semi-finals are a guide, tomorrow’s final should be excellent. Chloe’s putting was first class, while Charlotte had five birdies in her round. Chloe’s putting skills were highlighted by the five holes from the 7th to the 11th, where the Braintree golfer one-putted each green. She accumulated three birdies in that stretch, including back-to-backs on the 10th and 11th,  and took her score from two up to five up. “I had a really good day with the putter and it helped to give me momentum,” said Chloe, who lost only one hole during the match – to a birdie on the sixth. In the day’s other semi-final, Sammie Giles led the way over the opening holes, getting to two up at one stage and impressing spectators with the quality of her short game. She was still one-up after nine and on the homeward holes she reeled off par after par – but slipped back as Charlotte (image © Leaderboard Photography) got the measure of the putts and hit the birdie trail. Charlotte hit a superb shot into the heart of the difficult par three 10th and holed the putt to get back to all square. Another birdie on the 11th put her in the lead for the first time and she got to two-up with yet another birdie on the par five 13th. A bogey on 15 reduced the advantage to one hole, but Charlotte closed out the match when she holed an excellent birdie putt on the tricky 17th green. Earlier in the day, she had won a low-scoring quarter final against Chelsea Masters of Sussex. Between them they had nine birdies in the 16 holes that the match lasted. In the other quarter finals, Sammie Giles romped through her match, winning 8/6; Chloe Rogers defeated second seed Melissa Nicol in a game which included five birdies and an eagle; and Emma Tayler was never behind in her clash with Jessica Gregory of Kent. SATURDAY'S RESULTS Quarter finals Charlotte Thomas (Singapore) bt Chelsea Masters (Highwoods, Bexhill) 3/2 Samantha Giles (St Mellion) bt Charlotte Priddle (Moor Hall) 8/7 Chloe Rogers (Braintree) bt Melissa Nicol (Moor Hall) 1 hole Emma Tayler (Saunton) beat Jessica Gregory (Sittingbourne & Milton Regis) 2/1 Semi-finals Thomas beat Giles 2/1 Rogers beat Tayler 5/4