Ellen Hume finishes fast to close out the Sally

On a cool and breezy day that was more reminiscent of her native England than sunny Florida, Ellen Hume won the South Atlantic Amateur (The Sally) by five shots at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla. Three weeks ago, the Ole Miss junior was two shots up with six holes to go at the Women's Dixie Amateur, before being overtaken by Brigitte Thibault down the stretch. Today, she was again two shots ahead with six holes to go, but this time it was Hume that finished fast, going eagle-birdie on the final two holes to pull away from eventual runner-up Bailey Shoemaker (West Edmeston, N.Y.). “It’s definitely a tough course, so I’m very happy,” said Hume to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “The Sally is a massive tournament and I’m really glad to win it.” Hume finished with a 3-under 69 for a 5-under 283 total, five shots ahead of the 15-year-old Shoemaker, who closed with a 72. USC commit Xin “Cindy” Kou (Windermere, Fla.) shot 72 on Saturday to finish alone in third, one shot behind Shoemaker. Duke University junior Gina Kim (Chapel Hill, N.C.), who won the Harder Hall Invitational on New Year's Eve, was fourth, another two shots back.