Isabella Holpfer (England Golf photo)
COVENTRY, England (Aug. 23, 2018) – Austria’s Isabella Holpfer completed a remarkable wire-to-wire victory in the English Women’s Open Amateur when she finished 11 shots clear of the field at Coventry Golf Club.
The 17-year-old was 13-under par and dominated the championship from the word go. In the first round she shot 7-under 66 and was six clear of the field – and sending a very loud message to her rivals.
She marked time in Round 2, with an even-par score, but her challengers stayed five behind her. Then, in Thursday’s final 36 holes, she put her foot down with a plan “to make as many birdies as I could.”
She was 5 under in the morning and opened up a 10-shot lead. She followed up with a triumphant procession around the course in the afternoon, signing off with 1-under 72.
“This is pretty good!” she said. “This is my last tournament of the season and I’ve had a pretty good season so it’s nice to finish off with a win.”
Holpfer arrived at Coventry straight from the British Girls’ Championship, where she was runner-up, and the experience had both honed her and made her hungry for a win.
“I was in a pretty good mood from the British Girls. I was playing good and I came here prepared, already warmed up,” she commented.
This is one of her biggest wins and she adds it to the Irish Women’s Open, which she won as a 14-year-old, and the Slovenian ladies championship, earlier this season.
It is also helping her season’s ambition of improving her world ranking. “I had a bad season two years ago and I fell back in the world rankings to around 700th from the 200s.”
This week she discovered she had reached a personal high of 226th – and it will improve more after this win.
The runner-up on two-under par was Pasqualle Coffa of the Netherlands, followed by Ireland’s Jessica Ross, who took third place on level.
The leading English players, all at 1 over, were Georgia Price, Cara Gainer, and Lily May Humphreys, who played on the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup squad earlier this summer.
ABOUT THE
English Women's Open Amateur
A maximum of 144 players will contest this 72-hole
stroke play championship.
The full field will play 18 holes on each of the first
two days. Then the leading 40 competitors and ties
will play the final 36 holes on the third day.
The winner will return the lowest gross score over
72
holes.
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