Repeat champions of the R&A Women’s Amateur Championship are rare indeed. Just three women have successfully defended the title and England’s Jackie Foster is on course to become the fourth. 

Foster is on 14-over-par with a round to play, with both championships concentrated on Saunton Golf Club’s East course for the final 36 holes. The Bishop Stortford Golf Club member has a one-shot lead over Australian Sue Wooster as she seeks to defend the title she won at Woodhall Spa last year.

Meanwhile, Newport (Gwent) Golf Club member Chris Dinsdale is looking to end a 43-year drought for Welsh players in the R&A Senior Amateur Championship.

Dinsdale also enjoys a one-stroke advantage, and he sits on six-over-par, with reigning English Senior Amateur champion John Kemp breathing down his neck. Defending champion Brent Paterson of New Zealand is two shots back in third place.

Good omens

You have to go back to 1981 to find a Senior Amateur champion from Wales, when Tom Branton won the title at Royal Liverpool. The omens are good for Dinsdale heading into the final round: Branton has also been a Newport (Gwent) member.

“I’ve just tried to keep the ball out of the rough,” said Dinsdale, who returned a third-round 75. “I’ve putted quite well this week too which makes a change for me. But I’m just trying to keep the ball on the short grass.”

Repetitive strain injury

The 55-year-old retired policeman has more reason than most to stay out of the punishing rough: he suffers from repetitive strain injury in both wrists which limits his warm-up sessions to a maximum of 25 balls. “My playing is my practice now because I can’t beat balls the way I used to because of my wrists.”

Dinsdale is making his championship debut but hasn’t looked out of his depth amongst a quality field featuring many former winners.

“I’ve played steady this year without shooting the lights out. I placed fifth in the English (Senior Amateur), and came sixth in the Welsh Closed. I’m just pleased with the way I’m playing. I’m also chipping well, which you need to do around here. It’s a great course, but it’s just hard in the wind.” 

Kemp finished second last year on his debut and will be hard to beat. The Woburn Golf Club member had the third lowest round of the day, a one-over-par 72 on a day when only two men matched par, despite slightly easier conditions than the first two rounds. Paterson returned a five-over 76.

Momentum loss

Foster recorded a two-over-par 76 around Saunton’s East course to ensure she will play with Wooster in the last group in the final round.

The Bishops Stortford Golf Club member stood on the 18th fairway level par for the round with a two-shot lead on the Australian. However, she found the right-hand greenside bunker, thinned her third shot to the edge of the green and then three putted from 50 feet as Wooster made bogey.

“I had a good lie in the bunker, I just hit a poor shot,” Foster admitted. “I was playing nicely for most of the round but just lost a little bit of momentum towards the end.”
Her scorecard backs that up. Foster was two-under-par for 12 holes before dropping shots at the 13th and 15th holes before her disappointing final hole.

Trending in the right direction

Still, the defending champion is trending in the right direction. She opened her title defence with an 80 over the East Course, before adding a 77 on the West. Her third-round 76 needs to be put into perspective: it was the second-best score of the day behind 2019 champion Lara Tennant from the United States, who posted a 75.

“If you’d given me a two-over score before the round I would have taken it,” Foster added. “I hit some nice iron shots and made some good putts. I’m really happy with my position going into the last round, especially after the first day. As for tomorrow, it’s good to know that you’ve done it before so I guess you know you can do it again.”

Wooster was in contention last year heading into the final round too, eventually finishing seventh.

Foster will join Catherine Bailey, Angela Uzielli and Sweden’s Eva Ansagarius if she repeats as champion. Bailey won the title in 1988 and 1989. Uzielli, a six time winner, won three consecutive titles from 1990, won again in 1995, before back-to-back victories in 1998 and 1999.

Ansagarius became the third player to win in consecutive years when she triumphed at Portstewart in 2004 and Newport and 2005.