Ladies British Am: Teen Hall prevails
WALES (June 15, 2013) -- British teenager Georgia Hall claimed the Ladies British Amateur Championship on Saturday, defeating Luna Sobron of Spain, 1 up.
Hall is ranked No. 7 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and also won the British Girls Championship. She played the Kraft Nabisco Championship earlier this spring on a sponsor exemption but missed the cut.
Hall trailed Sobron, ranked No. 116, for most of the final match at Machynys Peninsula Golf Club in Wales. She lost the first hole, then pulled back to all square at No. 2. Sobron got Hall to 2 down at No. 8, then again at No. 11. Hall won Nos. 13, 16 then holed out at 17 to turn the match in her favor. It was Hall's first hole in one.
"I'm so happy I can hardly speak," Hall said. "To get my first ever hole in one and win the British championship is like a dream come true. I was behind all the way almost in just about the strong wind I have ever played in but I never gave up. I knew I had to be patient and wait for things to turn my way. And they did."
With her Ladies British victory, Hall becomes the first player to hold that title at the British Girls' title at the same time.
Hall had to defeat Arizona State junior Noemi Jimenez, who finished T-10 at last month’s NCAA Championship, to reach the final match. Her path to the final also included a victory over Harang Lee in the quarterfinals, Laura Funfstuck in the third round, England’s Hayley Davis in the second round and Frenchwoman Ariane Provot in the first round of match play. Hall took the No. 30 seed into match play. Australian Su-Hyun Oh had the No. 1 seed.
Stephanie Meadow, the Alabama senior who won this event in 2012, bowed out in the second round of match play at the hand of Justine Dreher, a junior at South Carolina.
ABOUT THE Ladies British Amateur
This championship, along with the US Women’s
Amateur Golf Championship, is considered the
most
important in women’s amateur golf.
The first stage of the Championship involves
144
players each of whom plays two rounds of 18
holes.
The 64 lowest scores over the 36 holes will
compete
in the match play stage of the Championship.
Each
match will consist of one round of 18 holes,
including
the Final.
The ‘Pam Barton Memorial Salver’ is awarded to
the
winner of the Championship, while the runner-
up
receives The Diana Fishwick Cup. An
international
team award is presented after the stroke play
qualifying rounds.
View Complete Tournament Information