Mickleover proved a difficult opponent for the women in the Derbyshire County Championship but Chapel-en-le-Frith’s Hannah Morrison showed her class to cope better than the rest to win the title for the first time.
Rounds of 76 and 72 left the 18-year-old seven clear of the field and it was an especially signicant win as it meant she has claimed all the major Derbyshire honours. Two years ago she won the Women’s Matchplay and Girls events.
“The course was playing hard,” said Hannah, who works at Hazel Grove GC in Cheshire. “It’s quite a short course but I really focussed on getting lots of pars on the card.”
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After 18 holes the one handicapper was leading, three ahead of Breadsall Priory’s Imogen Rafferty and then really turned it on in the afternoon. Her 72 included a brilliant recovery par on the ninth where she found trouble off the tee. After chipping out she nearly holed her third and made the four via a three-foot putt.
Imogen recorded a second-round 76 to finish runner-up and both women will be part of the Derbyshire county team that tackles the Midlands North County week at Hinckley (June 28-30).
In the men’s event at Matlock’s James Booth took the men’s strokeplay title by one shot from Kedleston Park’s Ryan Wesselingh, who made a great charge on the back nine but a bogey on 17 cost him dear with Booth parring every hole on the back nine.