Ellis faces Tomlinson in north v south tussle for English Amateur title
Harry Ellis from Hampshire will meet Lancashire’s Henry
Tomlinson in a north v south battle over 36-holes tomorrow for the English
Amateur Championship, supported by abacus, at Silloth-on-Solway. Both had to go to the 19th hole in their semi-finals before Ellis overcame Jordan Smith, while Tomlinson edged past Nathan Kimsey.
Ellis, perhaps the youngest at 16 ever to reach the final, found himself three down through six holes but he battled back to go 2-up with three to play.
But in the see-saw semi, Smith won the 16th and 17th to square the match and they couldn’t be separated at the last. But returning to the first hole, Smith fired his approach through the back and failed to get up-and-down, while Ellis needed just a regular par four to win.
“This is unbelievable,” said the Hampshire teenager. “I felt my game was suited to match play but I had to dig deep today. Even when I was three down I never stopped believing and I haven’t felt under pressure all week.
“I think it was a bonus playing the Carris Trophy last week on a links course and I felt if I could get through the qualifying I had a good chance. I’ve been playing well this season and felt it was only a matter of time before something good happened.”
In the other semi-final, Kimsey twice held the lead only for the durable Tomlinson to battle back. The 19 year old from the Royal Lytham club, eagled the 13th to get back to all square then gained a great break at the next. His second shot was heading for the heather but struck a buggy and finished on the fairway and from there he pitched on and holed for birdie to go 1-up.
He increased that with a birdie at 15 only for Kimsey to win 16 with a par but Tomlinson was still ahead playing the last. It was here that Kimsey had a lucky break when his approach from the right rough was heading for the mire behind the green until it struck a TV man and dropped on to the fringe.
From there he took two putts for par but it still seemed Tomlinson was in the box seat. But he three-putted from distance, his second putts horseshoeing out. So again the contest went down the 19th.
There they both hit the green in regulation and faced birdie putts from around 20 feet. But while Tomlinson took two for par, Kimsey took three and was out.
“The ball bouncing off the buggy on 14 was a big break for me but it was levelled when Nathan got the break on 18,” said Tomlinson.
“It was a rollercoaster day but I kept telling myself I could win. I felt the eagle at 13 was the key. I hit a five iron to 15 feet and holed the putt. It was unfortunate for Nathan on the 19th but you have to keep going and this will be my first ever final.”
Tomlinson caused the major upset of the day when he put out Brabazon Trophy winner Neil Raymond on the 18th in the morning, while Kimsey ended the dream for his Lincolnshire colleague Shaun Marshall also on the last.
The first tee time is at 08.30 tomorrow (Saturday 4th August) and entry to the event for specators is free. More information and scores for the Men's English Amateur can be found on the Championships section of the England Golf website.
SOPHIE'S U15 VICTORY IS A CLUB DOUBLE
Essex golfer Sophie Madden scored a double triumph for her
club when she won the English U15 girls’ championship by a shot at Delamere
Forest, Cheshire. Sophie (Image © Leaderboard Photography) is a member at West Essex Golf Club – and last year her friend and club colleague, Gabriella Cowley, won the national title.
“I wanted to follow in Gabby’s footsteps, we are really close friends and from the same club, so it’s great,” said Sophie, after she completed the 72-hole championship with a level par round and a nine-over par total.
She finished one shot ahead of Alice Hewson of Hertfordshire, while Annabel Bailey of Nottinghamshire was third, followed by halfway leader Eloise Healey of Lancashire.
Sophie, 15, was firmly in the mix during the championship, occupying second place throughout the first three rounds. But she set out on the final round three shots behind Alice Hewson, who had reached the top of the leaderboard with a one-under par 71 in round three.
As the last round unfolded, Sophie drifted further back with three early bogeys and she reached the turn six shots adrift of Alice.
She remembered how Gabriella recounted her fortunes in one round in last year’s championship, when she was five-over par after seven holes but managed to score two-under par for the 18 holes. Sophie’s fortunes turned in a similar vein when she played the back nine in three-under for a level par total in the last round.
Meanwhile, Alice dropped four shots on her second nine and the title belonged to Sophie, by a single stroke.
Sophie was runner-up in the English U13 championship two years ago and last season won the East region girls’ title and the US Kids world championship. This year she’s been concentrating on school work, but has now returned to the forefront – armed with a new putter which is proving a most effective weapon.
Leading final scores
Par 288 (4x72) SS 75 CSS 75 75 74 74
297 Sophie Madden (West Essex) 75 74 76 72
298 Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted) 75 76 71 76
306 Annabel Bailey (Notts Ladies) 75 77 75 79
308 Eloise Healey (West Lancashire) 70 78 78 82
311 Elizabeth Prior (Foxhills) 78 81 74 78
313 Ainee O'Connor (Sundridge Park) 75 78 87 73
314 Kirsty Beckwith (Moortown) 77 77 79 81
315 Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe) 76 83 79 77, Olivia Jackson (Oakdale) 84 77 77 77, Emily Lyle (Worksop) 79 81 76 79
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Lyndsey Hewison
Press Officer
England Golf
lyndsey.hewison@ntlworld.com
07825 752 193
EDITORS’ NOTES
England Golf is the governing body for amateur golf in England.
England Golf was formed on 1st January 2012 following the merger of the English Golf Union Ltd. and the English Women’s Golf Association and is one of the largest sports governing bodies in England looking after the interests of over 1,900 golf clubs and 770,000 men and women club members.
Responsible for the training of the country’s top amateur golfers, England Golf also organises all the major English amateur championships. England Golf works to actively encourage new golfers and increase the continued interest and participation in golf through its golf development initiative ‘Get into Golf’.
England Golf is a member of The England Golf Partnership (EGP) together with the PGA and supported by the Golf Foundation and Sport England. Their Whole Sport Plan for golf identifies how England will achieve its vision of becoming ‘The Leading Golf Nation in the World by 2020’ from grass roots right through to elite level.
SUPER 66 WINS ENGLISH GIRLS' TITLE FOR EMILY
Lancashire’s Emily Taylor shot a superb six-under 66 in the
final round to win the English girl’s championship at Sandiway, Cheshire.
She finished the event on five under-par, four shots clear of runner-up, fellow girl international Meghan MacLaren, and five ahead of Curtis Cup player Bronte Law.
This was Emily’s last attempt at the title before she leaves junior ranks and she said afterwards: “This means everything to me, especially as it’s my last year.
“I set this as my goal at the start of the season and it was something I really wanted. I’ve been second in the past and it was really nice to finish it off.
“England has such a strong U18 section at the moment that to win it in this year is fantastic for me.”
Emily, from Hillside, (Image © Leaderboard Photography) started the final round three shots off the pace, set by Meghan MacLaren. Meg’s 68 in the morning’s third round took her to two-under for the championship and to the top of the leaderboard.
But Emily likes attacking from behind – and has already won the Irish women’s stroke play championship this year from that position. This afternoon she blitzed her way round the course with eight birdies, four on each half and only two bogeys.
She had taken the lead by the turn and never looked back, finishing her round with her final birdie on the 18th, pleasing the large crowd of spectators which included sizeable numbers of Lancashire supporters.
“I learned from my mistakes of the morning,” said Emily, who had returned a level par 72 in the third round. “I missed three greens on the wrong side which cost me, so I played sensibly on those holes and attacked the holes I could birdie.”
The most important of those eight birdies was the one she scored on the par three 13th. It picked up her momentum after a bogey on the 11th and she went on to also birdie the next two holes.
“I knew I could do it with the way I have been playing,” said Emily, who was one of the low scorers at the recent European girls’ team championship. “I knew there was a good score out there, I just had to put my mind to it.”
Meanwhile, Meghan MacLaren came in with a 73 to take second place on one-under, while Bronte Law – for whom the putts refused to drop – was round in 72 for a level par total.
Northumberland’s Nicola Haynes (Gosforth Park Ladies’) provided one of the highlights of the day when she had a hole-in-one in the morning on the 168-yard 18th. Earlier in the week another Northumberland player, Samantha Taylor (Parklands) also aced the hole.
Leading final scores
Par 288 (4x72)
283 Emily Taylor (Hillside) Golf Club 73 72 72 66
287 Meghan Maclaren (Wellingborough) 75 71 68 73
288 Bronte Law (Bramhall) 73 72 71 72
289 Bethan Popel (Long Ashton) 72 73 73 71
290 Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth) 69 77 72 72
293 Gabriella Cowley (West Essex) 75 75 75 68
295 Olivia Winning (Rotherham) 71 73 78 73
296 Emily Slater (Woodhall Spa) 75 75 73 73
298 Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies’) 76 77 69 76, Emma Newlove (Notts Ladies) 72 79 72 75
299 Rochelle Morris (Huddersfield) 76 75 78 70, Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 75 75 74 75
300 Inci Mehmet (Wentworth) 76 76 74 74, Shelby Smart (Knowle) 73 74 78 75
301 Aimee Ponte (Royal Guernsey) 75 79 76 71
302 Hollie Vizard (Pleasington) 76 77 75 74
Five new caps in Boys Home Internationals squad
Patrick Kelly and Bobby Keeble, who were involved in a four
hole playoff for the Carris Trophy at Royal Cinque Ports last week, have both
been selected in the England team that will defend the Boys Home Internationals
at County Louth Golf Club in Ireland on 7th – 9th August. Keeble (Abridge, Essex), who finished runner-up, is one of five new caps in the 11-strong team, the others being Robert Burlison (Oxley Park, Staffordshire), Daniel Brown (Bedale, Yorkshire), Joe Dean (Lindrick, Yorkshire), and Jack Singh Brar (Brokenhurst Manor, Hampshire, IoW & CI).
The rest of the team is: Matthew Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire, Yorkshire), Patrick Kelly (Boston West, Lincolnshire), Nick Marsh (Huddersfield, Yorkshire), Max Orrin (North Foreland, Kent), Toby Tree (Worthing, Sussex) and Ashton Turner (Kenwick Park, Lincolnshire).
Keeble, 16 (image © Tom Ward), finished tied sixth in the South East Boys qualifying and is the newly crowned Essex champion, while Burlison, 17, the Staffordshire Youths champion, is a former under 16 cap who finished runner-up in the South of England Boys last year.
Brown, 17, finished joint seventh last week in the under 18 championship for the Carris Trophy at Royal Cinque Ports, while Dean, 18, won the Poncat Dutch Junior Open recently and has finished runner-up in the Fairhaven Trophy and the Northern Boys qualifying.
Singh Brar, 15, was a joint winner of the Junior Champion of County Champions tournament last year and finished sixth in both the McEvoy Trophy and the English under 16 championship for the McGregor Trophy.
Fitzpatrick, 17, was another joint winner of last year’s Junior Champion of County Champions tournament when he finished second on the Titleist/FootJoy EGU boys Order of Merit. This year he has won the Selborne Salver, come second in the Berkshire Trophy and Hampshire Salver and equal third in last week’s Carris Trophy.
Kelly, the new under 18 champion, became a boy cap in last year’s Boys Home Internationals and played in the recent European Boys Team Championships, having been an under 16 international. He finished runner-up in the British Boys last year and won the Fairhaven Trophy in April.
Marsh, 17, earned his first boy cap in the recent European Boys Team Championships in Sweden and has finished joint runner-up in the McEvoy Trophy and joint third in the Fairhaven Trophy this year.
Orrin, 18, another former under 16 cap, has been a boy international for two years. The newly-crowned Kent champion is enjoying a successful season with second places in the Darwin Salver, McEvoy Trophy and Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and third in last week’s Carris Trophy.
Tree, 18, made his full England debut against France in May but earned his first boys cap in the Boys Home Internationals two years ago. He won the Gauteng North Open in South Africa early in the year, was a quarter finalist in the recent Amateur Championship and finished fifth in the Carris Trophy.
Turner, 16, is the Lincolnshire boys’ champion who stepped up from under 16 level to a boy cap in the recent European Boys Team Championships. Finished third in this year’s Fairhaven Trophy and fourth in the McGregor Trophy.
Under its current format, England has a fine record in the Boys Home Internationals having finished champions 17 times, including last year in Wales.
