Lily Reitter savoured the biggest win of her young career after a hard-earned victory in the final of The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at sun-drenched Conwy in Wales.
The 16-year-old from France had forged a commanding lead over England’s Charlotte Naughton during the morning’s opening 18 holes and eventually staved off the challenge of her rival to win by a 4-and-2 margin in the 96th staging of the Championship.
Naughton, the winner of the German Girls’ International Amateur Championship earlier this season, deserved great credit for a spirited effort as the 17-year-old tried her best to claw back a five-hole deficit in Wales.
A burst of terrific scoring between the ninth and 14th during the afternoon’s second round underlined the quality of the contest. Both players were 5-under for those six holes as they exchanged blow and counter blow.
Amid that blizzard of birdies, Reitter still managed to hold onto a three-hole lead and Naughton’s admirable assault came to grief on the 34th when her drive disappeared in the bushes and she eventually conceded on the green.
“I did have a big lead through 18 but it’s always tough to maintain that kind of advantage. I always prefer to be in a spot where I’m chasing.”
Lily Reitter
The trophy, and the spin-offs that come with victory, belonged to Reitter. As well as etching her name on to a roll of honour of considerable distinction, Reitter also earned invitations to next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, The Women’s Amateur Championship and the US Girls’ Junior Championship. She also gets an exemption into Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open.
“I’m so proud of myself,” said Reitter after becoming the first French champion since Alexandra Bonetti in 2010. “I did have a big lead through 18 but it’s always tough to maintain that kind of advantage. I always prefer to be in a spot where I’m chasing.
“Charlotte really is impressive and it was a pleasure to battle it out against her. During that stretch of holes when we were throwing birdies at each other, I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, can you stop making as many putts as me?’ She put up a great fight.”
“This changes my year,” she added. “I wasn’t playing that well, I was missing cuts and if I was in contention I’d crack in the final round. So this shows that, mentally, I have progressed as well.”
The Florida-based golfer may be starting a scholarship at the University of Virginia but she already has Georgia on her mind. “I’m super excited about the Augusta National Women’s Amateur,” she added. “I told my brother that the winner of this gets an exemption and he said ‘you’d better go and win’ as he wants to caddie for me. I just phoned him after winning and told him to take the first week in April off.”
Meantime, Guus Lafeber of the Netherlands defeated Spain’s Yago Horno on the first playoff hole to win The R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship at County Louth in Ireland.
Lafeber finally gave the Dutch Golf Federation its first victory in the 98th edition of the elite boys’ championship and fitting perhaps, considering it was only 12 months ago that it celebrated its first finalist, when Scott Woltering lost to Sweden’s Viggo Olsson Mork.
“This is amazing for Dutch golf,” Lafeber said. “It’s a big step for our country, especially after last year. It’s the biggest championship I’ve won by far because the field is so strong with great players from around the world. To do it on this fabulous golf course means even more, but I wanted to do it for my friend Scott. He came so close last year and to do it for him means a lot.”
After five days of glorious weather with little wind, the County Louth links north of Dublin finally showed some of its teeth, albeit not the full set of molars it showed when Shane Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur in strong winds and near horizontal rain.
The wind, which sometimes gusted above 20 mph, probably proved the difference in a match neither player, the respective best juniors from Spain and the Netherlands, deserved to lose. Lafeber’s low ball flight was key.
The reigning Dutch Stroke Play champion, which he won just before arriving in Ireland, kept his ball under the wind while Horno sometimes struggled with his high launch angle.
Lafeber was never down in the match and held a four-hole advantage through 11 holes. However, Horno got back to all square after 13 holes of the afternoon round.
“Yago is such a good player. He played incredible golf and I had to play really well to beat him.”
Guus Lafeber
Indeed, they were still all square after the 33rd. The Dutch player looked like he was losing the 34th to go 1 down for the first time in the match, but holed a clutch 15-footer for par. A 25-foot birdie putt at the next to go 1 up with one to play seemed to have given Lafeber the title. However, he missed a six-foot birdie putt on 36th and had to go an extra hole.
The title was decided when Horno’s scrambling abilities failed him on the 37th hole, County Louth’s opener. The Spaniard didn’t get up and down from 30 yards through the back of the green while Lafeber two-putted from 25 feet just off the green to make Dutch history.
“Yago is such a good player,” added Lafeber. “He played incredible golf and I had to play really well to beat him. I couldn’t make many mistakes against him. The match was mentally harder than it was physical.
“I had to hole some clutch putts. The one I made at 16 [34th] was clutch because I could have gone 1 down in the match. Then to hole that birdie putt on the next was amazing. I thought I’d made that putt on the last green, but I’m happy to have won, and very tired.”
Lafeber is the son of former DP World Tour player Maarten Lafeber, who found success in 2003 when he won the Dutch Open. “Dad is really proud of me,” he said. “I can’t wait to put my gold medal beside his Dutch Open trophy.”
Aside from the gold winner’s medal, Lafeber receives an exemption into next year’s Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool and West Lancashire. He also earns a spot in Final Qualifying for The 154th Open to be played at Royal Birkdale.
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