Claudia Hastings started the Lancashire Ladies Championship with a bang and finished it pretty well too, carrying off the winners trophy at Royal Birkdale for the first time.
FORMAT 36-hole stroke play / 4 rounds of matchplay
Playing at her home course, the Southport-based golfer was five under after four holes in the first round of the 36-hole qualifier – she began birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie – and maintained her impressive form all the way to the final, where she saw off Lancaster’s Sofia McGhie on the 18th.
It was her third successive nail-biting victory and she was thrilled to have won it after a highly eventful three days, featuring two holes in one from Laura Bevan (Royal Birkdale) and Leah Butler (Formby Ladies).
“I was quite nervous going into the event, especially with it being my home course” said the 19-year-old, last year lost in the first knockout round to the eventual champion Lauren Green.
“But maybe that helped and in that first round the putts were certainly dropping.”
Her opening five-under-par 70 beat her previous best at Royal Birkdale by three shots although a second round 81 meant she qualified for the matchplay stages in third behind Sadie Adams (Royal Birkdale) and Eloise Healey (West Lancashire).
A comfortable victory in the first round was followed by a sudden death victory over Peel’s Lea Dawson. Both players birdied the 18th to keep things level pegging but a par at the first would suffice after the Isle of Man golfer found trouble with her second shot.
The following morning, Hastings charged into a three-hole halfway lead in her semi-final with Healey but lost 10, 12 and 13 and it was also all square going down the last.
The second shot into the par five proved critical as Hastings just missed the green, getting up and down for the birdie while her opponent dragged her approach left and couldn’t conjure up a birdie from the rough.
In the final McGhie was two up at halfway but the home favourite stayed in the match brilliantly.
“I was just trying to stay calm,” added Hastings.
“There were a lot of birdies in the final and the semi-final and I am so delighted I was able to come through both of them.”
She was back on level terms by the 12th, went ahead at 14 and then went dormie at 16 before just missing a 10-footer to close things out at 17.
However she would not have to wait long to seal the win as McGhie struggled to apply enough pressure at the last and a par would be enough to secure a two-hole victory.
The previous day Butler aced the fourth while playing in the Plate knock-out while Bevan holed her tee shot at the 12th in the opening qualifying round.