There was second successive Australian winner of the English Women’s Amateur Championship as Abbie Teasdale overcame Davina Xanh after a great tussle yesterday.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play qualifier / 5 rounds of matchplay
Last year Kirsten Rudgeley triumphed at Moortown and this time around, at Lindrick, her fellow Western Australia player put in an excellent front-running effort to qualify as the No 1 seed before easing into yesterday’s final in excellent fashion.
However she did not have it all her own way against the Somerset teenager, who had racked up some thumping victories in reaching the last two.
Xanh led for most of the match, finally giving up her long-held lead on the 26th hole and, coming down the back nine, there was never more than one shot in it, Teasdale hanging on to win at the last.
The Aussie player, whose family are originally from Manchester, has been playing in the major UK tournaments this Summer having received help from Royal Freemantle to make the journey over.
She finished second at the Welsh Open in June and third in the England U-25s last month and was the only player to break 70 during qualifying.
She did not look in too much trouble as she reached the final but went three down after the second hole in the afternoon before a burst of birdies saw her take the lead with eight holes to go.
The next four holes were halved before Xanh got back on level terms as her playing partner chipped long and could not save her par.
However the Aussie did not have to wait long to regain the initiative as Xanh bogeyed the next and then both players parred in, Teasdale knocking in a three footer at the last to secure the victory.
With brother Joe caddying and parents Jackie and Darren waiting to congratulate the 19-year-old, things got pretty emotional around the 18th green.
And it was Royal Fremantle player’s final tournament in the UK before she flies home later this week.