Two new golfers from the Windlesham Golf Club in Surrey have been crowned as the PING Women's Fourball Betterball champions for 2019.
Charlotte Legg and Mary Dodds have both only been playing golf for a couple of years but that did not stop them amassing 46 points over the Thonock Park course at Gainsborough Golf Club in Lincolnshire to finish a single point ahead of Bev Allan and Rachael Warner from Branston Golf and Country Club in Staffordshire.
Claire Sims and Rachel Stark from The Bedfordshire Golf Club, Diane Merrill and Sandra Huckle from Old Fold Manor Golf Club in Hertfordshire and Tracey Rogers and Cherry Clarke from Stock Brook Manor Golf Club in Essex all scored with Sims and Stark claiming third place on countback.
“We’re thrilled to have won,” said 26-handicapper Legg, who only took up the game at the start of 2018. “When we won our club qualifier we were told we would have a great day here at Gainsborough but it has exceeded all our expectations. It has been fantastic. We’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
Legg and Dodds registered six three-point holes while accumulating 22 Stableford points over the opening nine but it was on the second nine where they really made their mark with a further four three-point holes and a four-pointer at the short 16th where Dodds hit a seven-iron to three-feet and rolled in the resultant putt.
“That was probably the key moment in the round for us,” admitted the 27-year-old mother of two who was once Assistant Secretary at West Hill Golf Club in Surrey before taking up the game two years ago.
“We played pretty consistently. We had no really bad holes but it was the two at the 16th that made the difference. I can’t really believe it has happened.”
The PING Fourball Betterball Championship is run by England Golf with the winners coming through from an initial entry of over 15,000 women from more than 870 clubs. The top-50 pairs qualified for the Grand Final while the next 50 played in the previous day’s Plate Final.
It was won by Jacqui Barson and Julie Beanland from Belton Park Golf Club in Lincolnshire who won by two points from Kathryn Bulman and Angie Taylor from Penrith Golf Club in Cumbria with 44 Stableford points. Andrea Holt and Jane Boxall from Bury Golf Club in Lancashire were third with 41 points .
The victors only met in January but now play regularly together and have become firm friends.
“We’re completely astounded and overjoyed,” said Barson. “It’s unbelievable, we’re still shaking, it’s just surreal.”
Photos: Leaderboard Photography.