Karen Prestwell
2010 British Amateur
Stroke Play Champion
TENBY, WALES (Aug. 20, 2010) -- Curtis Cup team player Pamela Pretswell, 21, from Hamilton won the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in an exciting finish at Tenby Golf Club, South Wales today.
It is her first domestic national title although she won the Switzerland women’s open amateur championship three years ago.
She is the fourth Scot in the past seven years to win the British stroke play title, following in the footsteps of compatriots Clare Queen (2004), Heather MacRae (2005) and Roseanne Niven (2008).
The tournament was reduced to three rounds after a 2hr 30min suspension of play from 9am to 11.30am while a violent thunder and lightning storm raged over the course.
The joint overnight leaders, Pamela Pretswell and Chrisje De Vries (Netherlands), did not set out for the third round until 12.30 which meant there would not have been enough daylight left for the field to play 36 holes on the final day.
Curtis Cup reserve and the 2008 Welsh girls champion, Amy Boulden (Maesdu), whose 17th birthday was earlier this month, moved up from third place, one off the pace, at the start of the round to take the lead with an outward 37 to Pretswell’s 39 and 45 by De Vries.
Boulden had birdied the first, bogeyed the fourth, birdied the short sixth and dropped another shot at the ninth.
Glasgow University student Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) had bogeyed the first, fourth, seventh and ninth but got two of the strokes back with birdies at the third and fifth.
Boulden was still in the lead with two holes to play after bogeying the 11th, but birdieing the 13th and long 14th before she bogeyed the 16th.
Pretswell was hanging on with a birdie at the 10th but bogeys at the 11th, 14th, 15th and 16th.
Then came a two-stroke swing in the Scot’s favour. While leader Boulden bogeyed the short 17th, Pretswell was able to get a birdie 2. That put Pamela in front by a shot and she doubled her winning margin to two shots by parring the last after Boulden had bogeyed it.
So Pretswell, pipped for the Austrian women’s open amateur title three weeks ago, finished with a two-over-par total of 218, made up of rounds of 72, 74 and 72.
Boulden finished second on five-over 221 with scores of 68, 79 and 75.
Third on 2324 was Denmark’s Line Vedel Hansen with rounds of 76, 72 and 77. She had an 8 at the long eighth in an outward 43 today. She came home in 34, with a bag of four birdies, but could not make up the leeway.
France’s Alexandra Bonetti, winner of the Girls’ British title at Royal Belfast GC last week, finished a creditable joint fourth on 228 alongside Lara Katzy (Germany).
Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), 15 year old Bronte Law (Bramhall) and Germany’s Pia Hallbig shared sixth place on 229.
Joint overnight leader Chrisje De Vries finished ninth on 230 with a final round of 84.
British women’s open amateur champion Kelly Tidy (Ganton) came joint 12th on 235 after a final round of 78.
Curtis Cup player Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies), winner of the British stroke-play title at Royal Aberdeen GC 12 months ago, had to settle for 19th place on 237 after a final round of 79.
For complete scores click the results link below
ABOUT THE
Ladies British Stroke Play
The R&A has retired this event after its final
playing in 2017. The event, first played in 1969, is
traditionally contested at the end of the summer
season. Officials cited a crowded competition
calendar as part of the impetus to retire the event.
72 hole stroke play championship that draws an
international field.
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