Woburn Golf Club is celebrating the success of a quartet of Woburn women golfers after a weekend of outstanding success. Lucy Williams, Charley Hull, Lauren Taylor and Nicole Whitmore all helped reward Woburn’s long investment in junior golf with individual golfing success in different parts of the world.
Lucy won the English Women’s Amateur Championship after a unique, all Woburn final at West Sussex Golf Club. The 21-year-old managed to turn the tables on 15-year old Charley with a storming finish. One down with two to play, Lucy finished eagle, birdie to force a playoff. She won with another birdie at the 19th hole.
“I am just so happy, shocked, over the moon!” Lucy said. “It was a brilliant, brilliant match. I knew it would be hard, but the way I played in the stroke play qualifying showed me I could do it.” Charley did not leave West Sussex entirely unhappy. “I’m not disappointed because I played good golf,” she said. “I just can’t wait to get to my next event.”
That’s not surprising considering her rich vein of form. She entered the English Amateur fresh from winning the Welsh Women’s Open Stroke Play Championship. Earlier this year she concluded a successful stint in America with victory in the D. Jones/Doherty Championship in Fort Lauderdale. She also finished runner-up in the South Atlantic Amateur Championship and 12th in the Harder Hall. Charley began the English Amateur ranked 19th in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking and is sure to improve her status in world golf when the latest ranking is released on the 18th May.
Lauren decided to skip the English Amateur to face an equally challenging task: playing with the professionals. Lauren travelled to Slovakia and found reward by qualifying for the Ladies Slovak Open on the Ladies European Tour. Lauren will compete with Europe’s elite women from 26-29 May at Gray Bear Golf Course in Tále, Slovakia.
“I qualified on the same course the tournament is going to be held on, and it was quite tricky,” Lauren said. “I know it will be harder for the actual tournament, but I can’t wait to play with Europe’s best professionals.” The 16-year-old is one of a number of Woburn youngsters opting for the American college route. She has accepted a golf scholarship at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
While Lauren gets set to enter college life, Woburn’s Nicole Whitmore has just completed four successful years at Nova South Eastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nicole finished her college career by helping her NSU team win the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championship for the third successive year.
The success of Woburn’s women comes through Woburn’s commitment to junior golf. The Woburn Ladies Section operates a fund to help promising juniors. All monies raised by club members are sent to the English Ladies Golf Association who administers the funds to help preserve amateur status. Ex-ladies captain Sheila Harrison said: “It’s only every now and again that we are in a position to help outstanding youngsters follow their dreams.”
Woburn Golf Club www.woburn.co.uk/golf